B-to-B Prospecting: Dig Deeper for Better Names
Marketers with broader product offerings are seeing stronger file growth, while niche mailers aren’t seeing the same increases. “Some niche mailers can get a lot of success out of controlled circulation and other nonresponse files,” which aren’t included in the database, Hawes explains.
But even mailers with more general product offerings often use a number of different sources for prospecting. “Most of our mailers are filling out their prospecting with about 50 percent to 60 percent from Abacus,” Hawes says. “After that, they usually go to one of the data warehouses like Direct Media or MeritDirect.”
A columnist for Retail Online Integration, George founded HAGUEdirect, a marketing agency. Previously he was a member of the Shawnee Mission, Kan.-based consulting and creative agency J. Schmid & Assoc. He has more than 10 years of experience in circulation, advertising, consulting and financial strategy in the catalog/retail industry. George's expertise includes circulation strategy, mailing execution, response analysis and financial planning. Before joining J. Schmid, George worked as catalog marketing director at Dynamic Resource Group, where he was responsible for marketing and merchandising for the Annie's Attic Needlecraft catalog, the Clotilde Sewing Notions catalog, the House of White Birches Quilter's catalog and three book clubs. George also worked on corporate acquisitions.
