Hit Your Targets With Organized Direct Mail Lists
Published January 15, 2016
One of the biggest benefits of a mailing list is the ability to add more names, gain more customers and have more time to concentrate on marketing. But your direct mailing lists will only be beneficial to your company if they’re organized. Whether you use direct mail services to maximize benefits or you maintain the lists yourself, it’s important to learn how to create, maintain and tidy up your data.
Creating Mailing Lists
First, organize your data into different lists. For example, create different direct mailing lists for your existing customers and your business's potential customers. You might send a short weekly tip email that offers recipients a hint about something related to your industry to get them interested in your business, and a more in-depth monthly newsletter to your regular customers. If you offer a variety of products or services, be sure to create direct mailing lists for each segment.
Also, it’s a good idea to break your lists down into two different types: online visitors and direct mail recipients. Some patrons will respond better to emails, while others prefer to receive actual coupons and literature.
Maintaining Mailing Lists
Be sure to constantly update your mailing lists. Track the responses of customers who visit your website or redeem offers through email marketing, as well as those who respond to the advertising letters or brochures you mail. That way you can tailor each of your direct mailing lists or create new ones for customers that should receive deals or rewards for being loyal to your business. After you have gone through all this work, make sure to invest in software to recover your lists and databases should anything happen to your computer. It is important to protect your customers’ secure information and avoid data loss.
Cleaning Up Mailing Lists
Lastly, keep your direct mailing lists clean to save money and time. A few ways to do this are to put "Address Correction Requested" on the envelopes so you can be notified of any changes, and provide a link in every email for recipients to unsubscribe. You can also ask customers to update their contact information.
To maximize the benefits of organized direct mailing lists, you need to take the time to keep them uncluttered and correct. A little time spent reviewing your lists for any data that’s incorrect will allow you to save advertising materials for your potential customers rather than waste them on the wrong addresses.
Need help building or renting a mailing list? Learn how Staples can help.