What You Should Know About List Rental Data Cards

For example, if your offer targets women and you're considering a list that's 95-percent female, you don't need to pay for a gender select. Chances are that many of the remaining 5 percent also are female. These statistics usually are based on first-name tables. Therefore, first initials and names such as Chris and Pat are classified as unidentified. If you have a continuation list that requires a gender select, it's likely you're missing these unidentified records. They may work well for you and certainly are worth a test if the file is large enough.

Recency is another key factor in list selection — perhaps one of the most important considerations. Undoubtedly you know from your own mailings by RFM (recency, frequency and monetary value) that recency is by far the most important criteria. Test the zero-to-12-month buyers first. You'll pay a premium using zero-to-three-month or even zero-to-six-month selects, which might not be necessary. You always can tighten the select if needed.

What's more, the tighter the recency select, the more limited the universe. Part of your mailing strategy should be to expand the prospecting universe for your particular offer.