The Best Ways to Choose Mailing Lists

How does their image and branding compare to yours? Look at item pricing, shipping costs, guarantees (another reduce-the-risk area that helps get the sale), and compare them to yours. Check out their catalog size, number of products, even calculate their average item price and compare it to yours.

2. Check out their Web site, and see what they offer online that they don’t in their catalog. With so many orders being taken on the Web these days, check out their ease of ordering, and give it a thorough look.

Numbering System

If the catalog and the Web site for a list don’t fit with your brand, then set it aside. Mark on the data card a big red “3.”

Just to step back a second, I use a three-tiered scoring model with a “one” being a slam dunk must-test list. Ones are an exact (or very close to exact) match to your customers; lists that offer similar products in a similar price range. Twos are maybes, if there aren’t enough tier one lists available. Lists that you score a three are the ones you throw back. If you’re feeling daring and you have a hole in your circ plan that you need to fill, try mailing one of these.

I’m a big proponent of testing lists, both in my client’s catalog’s product category and, if possible, in other categories. You just never know when a fluke list will hit and provide you a new customer acquisition stream. But always remember that the lists with the closest affinity to yours are always going to provide you your best response and ROI.

Now that I’ve set the stage, next week we’ll look at data cards and all of the many selection options you have to drill down to your best possible test prospects. Be on your guard: I may even present you with a challenge; a list selection dilemma I once had and ask what you would do.