Choose a good list Your mailing list can generate more than 40% of your total responses to a mailing, according to the Direct Marketing Association. The best offer in the world—if not aimed at the right people—will fail. To find the best type of list to rent, look at the characteristics of the customers who make up your own in-house mailing file— and build outside lists accordingly. Test various offers The second most influential factor in determining your success in direct m

Marketing consultant Robert Bly estimates that your house file—customer names and addresses—will pull double the response of any external list. Yet many direct mailers penalize themselves by not assembling such a customer list. And some shoot themselves in the foot by failing to keep their house files up to date. Recessionary times, when your phone may not be ringing off the hook with orders, is a great time to put your house file in order. Start by taking the job away from c

List selection determines 60% to 80% of the success—or failure—of a direct mailing, according to veteran New York marketing consultant Lee Marc Stein, who urges mail advertisers to assign top priority to list choice. “Start with the list,” Stein advises. First, he says, identify your recipients. Only then, put together a mailing package designed to appeal specifically to them. Many businesses—to their considerable cost—neglect to learn what the various kinds of mailing lists

Well-chosen lists are key to profitable direct-mail advertising. Most observers agree that the list is as important to a mailing’s success as the offer— and far outweighs the impact of copy, graphics, and all other bells and whistles. Yet, according to nationally respected marketing consultant Jeffrey Dobkin, many advertisers do not pay more than cursory attention to list selection. He offers this advice: The best list of all—bar none—is your own house file of current and pas

Marketing consultant Ron Ferguson advises that you’ll boost your return on investment (ROI) from direct mailing lists if you: 1. Always mail to an individual By all means, stay away from lists that include “proprietor,” “homeowner,” and other entries instead of personal names. Such generic lists are often inexpensive to rent—for the very good reason that they usually generate lower response than full-name lists. 2. Aim your message at “you”—the singular “you” Direct mail, esp

The right mailing list makes a big difference in response rates. Who should you mail to? Direct mail performs best when your prospects are targeted based on the demographics of your current customers. Consider both Consumer Mailing Lists and Business Mailing Lists based on geographic location, lifestyle, purchasing behavior, business size, SIC code, sales volume and other categories. You can also market to "new movers." A new location—home or office—demands new purchases. Fro

A Breakdown of Printing Costs The percentage cost for producing 10,000 copies of an 8-1/2" x 11" saddle stitched 16-page self cover booklet that prints eight pictures in four color process breaks down as follows: Research and copy 15% Art and composition 38% Prepress work 17% Paper 8% Printing and binding 13% Mailing and postage 9% Of course, if the number of copies required changes, the percentages would also change. When the number of copies is increased, paper, printing an