Postcard Marketing Blog | PostcardPower

Fine-tuning your mailing list

Wednesday, September 28, 2011, 6:25 AM

You could send thousands of direct-mail postcards every month, but if you're not reaching the right people, all those postcards could end up in the trash. Every postcard marketing campaign needs to a have a finely tuned mailing list, no matter what the size of the mailing. Whether you're mailing to 100 people or 100,000 people, if you want a bigger return on your investment, then you need to make sure your postcards are relevant to your audience.

Depending on your needs and the type of mailing, most postcard marketing companies will generate your mailing list for you. Regardless of whether you are creating your own list or leaving it to someone else, it's important that a human (not a computer) is double-checking the list to make sure everything looks good.

Here are a few things to consider:

1) Are you mailing to your target audience?
Make sure your data is filled in with names and addresses that closely fit the audience you want to reach. Location, buying history, age of recipients, etc. Pay close attention to exactly how the list was created to make sure that you're mailing to people who will have an immediate interest in your message.

2) Is all the data filled in? Are names missing?
It's actually very common for marketers to mail to addresses only (or "Current Resident") without having a name attached. But having a name is always better. Going through your list manually will allow you to find addresses that are missing due to computer error or other reasons. Ideally, you should try to fill as many blanks as possible before mailing, or replace those recipients with others that have compete data available.

3) How old is the list?
If you're using the same mailing list since 2002, then it's probably filled with names and addresses that aren't relevant any longer. For maximum response rates, make sure your list was generated (or updated) based on data from within the last few years.

No mailing list will ever be 100% perfect -- even if you're mailing to your own previous customers. People move, change their names, and change their circumstances. But by taking the extra time to fine-tune your list and review it manually, you can be sure that you'll get the best results possible.