Topics

What Data Is Available to Create Mailing Lists?

3/3/2020 | admin

Direct mail is one of the oldest yet most effective ways of marketing your products or services.

The increasing costs of paid online advertising are causing many Raleigh businesses to “rediscover” the benefits that direct mail offers. Unlike paid online advertising, direct mail is cost-effective, highly targeted, and extremely flexible. However, in order to realize success, you need to ensure the quality of your mailing list. A targeted mailing list can help you promote your products and services to those who are most likely to make a purchase. We want to share with you several ways you can go about creating a mailing list to take advantage of all the benefits of direct mail:

Use In-House List

By far, the most cost-effective way of creating a new list is to use data from within your organization. Your internal customer list contains the names and contact info of those whom you have already established a business relationship with. These people are your prime audience and target demographic—those who have purchased or are most likely to buy from you in the future. This way, you don’t have to buy or rent a mailing list when using your internal data. However, sometimes you want to reach new customers or an entirely new demographic. In that case, you’ll need to use the services of one of several providers:

Every Door Direct Mail

Every Door Direct Mail is a paid service from the United States Post Office. It allows you to saturate an entire geographical area with direct mail. Unlike a standard mail campaign, you don’t need to have the name or physical address of your recipients. This “shotgun approach” tends to work best for local businesses, such as plumbers, electricians, car mechanics, and nail salons. The Post Office has specific limitations and restrictions that could limit the scope and capacity of your direct mail campaign. For example, you’re only allowed to send up to 5,000 pieces of mail per day, and your mailers need to adhere to a specific format.

Mailers Haven

Mailers Haven is another excellent data resource. They only work with resellers, which means they have the data that you need, regardless of the industry or niche that you’re in. You can grab stats or demographic information off of their website, and this allows you to create highly targeted mailing lists. Mailers Haven focuses heavily on the quality of their data. They accomplish this by publishing the quality ratios for every non-specialty list that they sell. They also have a Delivery Guarantee and a commitment that they will pay out .50 per return mail piece that’s in excess of their guarantee.

NAICS Codes

The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) was established in 1997 to categorize and standardize what companies do. If you’re a B2B business, this a great way to laser-target companies in any given niche. In addition to industry targeting and market segmentation, you can also use NAICS codes to discover new industries that might be interested in your products or services. The first two digits of a NAICS or SIC code is considered the industry title. You can then use this information to find similar businesses and new potential markets!

Generate Your Own

Generating your own data can take time, but it’s the most cost-effective method once you have a system in place. There are several ways to go about mining your own data to create a mailing list: Mobile App Development – A mobile app is a great way to reach new clients and customers, and you can start to use it as a lead generation source once people start downloading it. Social Media Marketing – Chances are your business is already on social media. A properly designed and executed social media marketing campaign will allow you to gather personal data on your followers, including names and mailing addresses. Website Development – Is your current website generating leads? If not, a new website that’s designed with the latest standards and best practices in mind can help you build a list of targeted prospects.

Direct Mail and Marketing Help in Raleigh

If you need help creating a direct mail campaign or generating a mailing list, give the direct mail marketing experts at AlphaGraphics Downtown Raleigh a call. We’ve helped countless local Raleigh businesses create, execute, and measure their direct mail campaigns. At AlphaGraphics of Raleigh, we’re much more than a print shop. We’re also marketing experts who you can count on to help you when it comes time to market your business. To learn more about how AlphaGraphics of Downtown Raleigh can help with your content graphic design and marketing needs, you may email us, request a quote or call us at (919) 832-2828.

Back to Blog List