- 1). Determine the most appropriate methods of measuring success in your direct mail campaign. In the book, "On Target, The Book on Marketing Plans," Tim Berry and Doug Wilson write, "Successful direct marketing campaign [developers] plan their efforts, determine their objectives, target their markets, determine the offers' key elements, test those elements, and establish measurements to assess the campaign's success." Determine a measurement method based on your sales goals and leads generated for future sales..
- 2). Create profiles of your preferred client. Specify your desired target market by age, gender, income, geographic location and other criteria specific to your niche in the market.
- 3). Choose software to organize your mailing list. Your current email service provider may already have a built-in contact storage feature. Check to see if you can export those contacts to external software whenever they are needed for a mailing. If not, review software like Microsoft Outlook.
- 4). Work with a list broker to rent a list closely related to your target market. Ask the list broker to provide details about how the list was created and the criteria that was used to select candidates for the list. Scour the lists for people who have purchased similar or related products, spend the most on transactions and buy the most frequently.
- 5). Send out surveys to this list of people. Weed out names from the list, narrowing it down to an ideal few who are actively engaged in the market.
- 6). Take advantage of social networking avenues -- many of them free -- to generate new prospects for your mailing list. Create a blog to write about topics related to your business model or your products. Use Twitter or Facebook to build a receptive audience while publicizing facts about your product or service.
- 7). Skim through directories or business listings if you are targeting business customers. Trade publications or business magazines can be helpful as well. Magazines often publish profile stories on new companies and companies who are undergoing changes to their business model. These business owners could be open to learning more about your services if they can help them with their growth.
- 8). Clean out your Rolodex or that collection of business cards you have accumulated over the years. Enter those contacts' information in your mailing list database.
- 9). Follow up with every new lead you receive. Provide them with information on your products and services. Offer them a questionnaire to fill out so that you can gauge their interest in your company. Remove the ones who fail to respond.
- 10
Test and evaluate your list periodically to weed out those that will never produce sales. In the book, "Risky Communication," Regina E. Lundgren and Andrea H. McMakin suggest, "Maintain an accurate mailing list by updating names and addresses at least quarterly."
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