subject: What Is The Easiest Way To Make More Money On A Mailing? [print this page] Do you know how to significantly multiply the response to your next direct mail campaign or package? Some people think that writing brilliant copy will do the trick. They're partially right, in that this approach could double your response rate.
Others think that a unique design or a different format is the way to go. Take this route and you can also potentially double your business.
Although doubling your response rate is nothing to sneeze at, how would you like to get ten times the response rate from the same piece? You can. And the easiest way to do it is to mail the exactly the same sales letter with the unique design or format to exactly the right list.
And the right list is a highly targeted market; a market that has a burning desire to buy what you want to sell. This begs the question - how do you find that market? The quickest and easiest way to do that is to hire a competent list broker.
A competent list broker will deliver what you need. This article will go over some of the basic attributes of a responsive list. If your list broker includes these parameters you are working with the right person. If not, perhaps it's time to look elsewhere.
When you hire a list broker he or she will offer you either a compiled list or a response list. Given time you can compile a list yourself from published sources such as the Yellow Pages and industry directories. You don't necessarily need their services for that.
A response list is a list of people that have already purchased services or products via direct response offers. They've already responded to a direct-mail piece or an advertisement or a TV commercial by taking out their credit cards and buying what was advertised. This is what you should focus on.
There are a number of sub-categories that fall under the response list umbrella. Among them are mail-order buyers, your own house list, people who have inquired about more information, folks who have attended industry events in your market, people that subscribe to magazines and newsletters in your field, credit card holders, and more.
One of your best bets would be to send your mailing to people that have already bought similar products or services in response to a mail order campaign. It might have been a gift, or a gadget or a book, or some other item.
For example, if you want to sell a new book on getting what you want through visualization, your target market and your list should be people who have bought other New Age products such as crystals, herbs, books, audios, videos, and Internet courses.
An experienced list broker takes response lists as a given while a newer list broker may flounder around and waste your time and your money.
