subject: Use Naics Codes To Keep Your Email Marketing Lists Targeted And Focused [print this page] The North American Industry Classification System is a way of assigning codes, NAICS codes, to industries. Each business in operation is then classified with a six digit code signifying the primary activity with which the business is involved. These codes were established for use by the governments of the United States and Canada, as well as Mexico. Meanwhile though, these codes can be of great use to other entities such as research agencies, private businesses, and marketers. For example, if you know the NAICS code associated with a particular business, you can ascertain from that the type of activities the establishment is involved in. Likewise, you can search for information on particular industries using the industrys NAICS code. So where this overlaps with email lists, you can narrow down the list you want to obtain by knowing the NAICS code for the type of businesses you want to reach. For example, lets say you want a list of Apartment Building Operators, you can search for lists using that specifications NAICS code (6513). Currently, NAICS codes are in the process of replacing SIC codes, but given the widely used prevalence of SIC codes, the phase-out process will likely continue for years to come.
The usefulness of an email list is largely dependent on whether or not the businesses on the list are relevant to meet your needs. It is certainly important that the contact information on the list be accurate and current, but if the businesses on the list are not the right type of businesses, it does not matter how accurate and current the list might be. This is why it is so important to make sure the list you are buying has the type of businesses you want to reach. AmericaInt.com makes this a simple issue to address. For example, you can search for lists using the NAICS code or you can cross-reference the code with a keyword. From the homepage, click on Email Lists By Industry in the left-hand column. The following page that will appear is automatically set up to show SIC codes, but if you click on NAICS to the right of the keyword search box, the table will repopulate with NAICS data. From here you can re-sort the email list by NAICS code by clicking on Code at the top of the NAICS code column. Or, if you would rather, you can search for lists using a keyword associated with the industry or type of business. When you think you have found the list you want, double-check the description and make sure that sounds appropriate for your marketing needs.
