A mailing list can be a useful marketing tool, even in the modern business world. Although many people and companies have opted to switch to digital marketing platforms, including digital mailing lists, physical mail is still a viable, and often preferred option.
That being said, assembling a mailing list can be quite a complex task. Not everyone knows how or has the skills required. By the end of this article, you should be able to build your own physical mailing list.
Many people assume - since this is the age of technology - that their sole focus should be on creating a digital mailing list. They focus all their energies on digital marketing strategies, using social media marketing, email marketing, and even digital newsletters.
However, there are certain areas where physical mail can make an impact that digital avenues simply can’t. What are some examples of this, you ask? Let’s investigate some of the benefits and advantages of physical mail.
With the advent of options like Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), it can be difficult to understand why businesses would want to build a mailing list. The truth of the matter is that mailing lists have a range of advantages that some other forms of mail marketing don’t have.
For instance, if you use something like EDDM, it’s a fantastic top-of-funnel tool. It’s a great way to make initial contact with potential customers, and can put you on the road to fantastic sales.
However, if you use EDDM each time you wish to send out marketing materials, you’ll spend a fortune contacting people that you may know are unresponsive. Additionally, if you keep sending general marketing materials to a whole demographic, you lose the ability to further target niche markets.
By building a mailing list, or multiple mailing lists, it gives you the opportunity to do the following:
There are a few different ways of acquiring a mailing list, and each of them is slightly different. Building a mailing list is the best option for most businesses, since it allows them to target a more specific audience. However, there’s more to it than that.
So, let’s take a look at the different ways you can get a mailing list for your physical mail marketing strategy.
One way to go about getting a mailing list for your business is to gather all the information you already have in your internal records.
If your business has been in operation for any length of time, you’ll undoubtedly have acquired a vast amount of information you don’t even know you have.
Some of the best places to find material for a mailing list include:
One of the most straightforward ways to acquire a mailing list is to simply acquire one from a company specializing in them. There are two ways of doing so, namely, buying a mailing list or renting a mailing list.
When you rent a mailing list, you get to use the list to a limited extent. Typically, this means you can use all the names and addresses for a single mailing session. This can be a costly endeavor, but it's often worthwhile when you’re just getting started on creating your sales funnel.
One of the advantages of doing this is that you can construct a new mailing list using any responses you get from the people on the rented list.
When you buy a mailing list, you get to keep it forever. Depending on the company you buy it from, they may even be able to tailor the mailing list specifically to your target audience. A good broker may allow you to define your target audience using a range of factors, including the following:
It’s easy to build a mailing list. However, building one that is strong and effective is a different task entirely. Let’s take a look at some of the steps involved in building a mailing list that will bring you results.
When you build a mailing list, there is possibly nothing quite as important as the target audience. As with any marketing campaign, knowing who you want to target is one of the fundamental pillars of a successful campaign.
The main difference with target audiences for mailing lists, however, is that you can build a slightly different one for different types of campaigns. For instance, your target audience may be 27-35 year olds in a certain area.
However, you can have a mailing list for 27-35 year old parents, one for non-parents, one for smokers, one for non-smokers. It all depends on what you want to accomplish with the campaign.
Some of the factors you may want to consider when defining your target audience include the following:
Believe it or not, the strategy that you decide to use for your campaign can make a massive difference to your mailing list.
For instance, if you decide to use saturation mailing, you can buy a mailing list that covers an entire geographic area. This approach sends mail to every house or business within a certain area. This approach works best for businesses that target a very broad audience.
As an example, a new grocery store may decide to send promotional flyers to all the houses within a certain radius of it. This is a logical approach since everyone needs to buy some or other form of groceries.
This is often the easiest, and most affordable, form of mailing list to construct. Very little filtering is required, and buying this sort of mailing list is highly affordable. If you use something like Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) you can simply use the mailing lists already programmed into the system.
When you use a targeted mail strategy, it’s essential to narrow down your lists more and specify them for the type of audience that you’re trying to reach.
These lists are much harder to build. On the other hand, they’re also typically more effective since you contact exactly the people that you most want to get in touch with.
Segmenting mailing lists is a quintessential part of any targeted mailing campaign. There’s a broad array of different ways to accomplish this, but some of the most common include the following:
When you build a mailing list, there are a few things you can do to help you acquire customer addresses in the beginning phases. Let’s take a closer look at some of these strategies.
One of the easiest ways to get access to the particulars of tour target audience is to have competitions and giveaways. By requiring people to complete entry forms containing their postal addresses, you’ll quickly accumulate a mailing list.
Of course, there will be some expense involved in terms of the items for the competition or giveaway. However, if you use the resulting mailing list well, then you should make up the expenses accrued in next to no time.
Schemes like loyalty programs and other initiatives can be an extremely efficient way to gather customer data. By having them sign registration forms (containing their postal addresses, of course), you can quickly build a database containing everything you need for a mailing list.
Naturally, these will mainly be former or existing customers, but it’s still a very useful mailing list to have. It will allow you to contact people that you know have an interest in your product. This can also help you drive sales by offering promotions and other incentives.
When you know how to build a mailing list, or where to get one, it can make a major difference to your ability to plan and execute marketing campaigns. However, it’s also important to know how to build and use a strong mailing list for the best effectiveness.
Whether you decide to go through the process of building a mailing list from scratch, rent a mailing list, or buy one from a broker, it’s a useful tool. Now that you know the ins and outs of how to build your very own mailing list, you’re ready to start taking on direct mail marketing campaigns.
Need help building your own mailing list? Build one with Taradel in just a few minutes by clicking here.