When, Why, and How to Use Mailing Lists
Mailing lists may be the cause of more heartbreaks than anyother single factor in mail order. A poorly chosen list, a weakmailing and the high cost of mailing to a list can tax theoptimism of a new dealer very, very quickly. Arm yourself withknowledge before embarking on a course like this!
Whether you should use a mailing list to sell your productdepends on several things:
Is it too complex an offering to be explained in a 30 word ad?
Can you afford to mail 200 to 1,000 pieces on the chance thatyou won't get a single order?
Can you make a profit selling your product to only two to twentypeople in a 1,000 piece mailing?
Will a re-order of your product be required, and can you makeyour re-orders pay for the losses you will likely get frommailing to a list?
Do you know enough to choose the right list for your offering?
It takes either great faith in your offering or great stupidityto mail with a list. Most list companies today, specialize in"opportunity seekers" - people generally quite new to mail orderwho are either looking for a product to sell or an offer thatwill get them rich in a hurry.
Most of these "opportunity seekers" are engaged in chain lettertype schemes at some point, and they use mailing lists to make gains in their plans. Most of them lose money, but enoughpeople will try it once to make money, and these pie-in-the-skydreamers are the bread and butter for a lot of mailing listcompanies. Unless you have a truly superior offering for theseopportunity seekers, and you probably don't, they are not worthyour time and money. Most of them are unsophisticated dabblers.
Multi-level lists, offered by many companies, are truly aninteresting way to test response to an MLM offer. Many MLMpeople like to write back - in their own handwriting - abouttheir successes and failures, and they will always respond to asuperior product.
Specialized product-buyers' lists can pull beautifully if theoffering is unique enough, and worth a try for merchandisemarketing.
Regardless of what kind of mailing list you use, be very carefulin choosing a good list. Many are sold and resold to peoplemaking the very same offering, which is a waste of everyone'smoney. "Free" mailing lists are usually as good as their priceindicates. Check the guarantees. Common sense will tell youwhich are good for you and which are good for the companyselling the lists. And check to see how the lists are compiled.Are they people who have already bought something by mail, orare they merely people who indicated they might want to buysomething by mail?
In conclusion, we recommend that you never start any campaignwith a mailing list when advertising is so much cheaper. Whileit may prove to be more profitable than advertising, keep thisrule in mind:
When you're ready to try a mailing list, be fully prepared tolose every penny you spend in buying and mailing that list,because it could happen.
Note to editors:To show my appreciation to the editors that use my articles, I offer a free solo ad. Simply send an email to me by using the form on the contact me page on my website to tell me the url the article was used on or send me a copy of the ezine it was used in.
Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
This article may be redistributed freely on the Internet as long as the resource box remains intact.
Resource box:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
DeAnna is the publisher of the ezine, Prospecting and Presents.
Subscribers get one free ad per week.
Subscribe today by visiting http://www.pnewsletter.com
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... This tip is so simple, that many people we've talked... Read More You DO use direct marketing for your small business? right?... Read More Why Trying to "Get the Appointment" Can be a Recipe... Read More The secret to increasing sales doesn't lie in choosing just... Read More Coming up with an idea, seizing the opportunity, and setting... Read More I'd like to introduce you to someone. I don't actually... Read More Are you tired of living off handouts from big-name marketers,... Read More I'm a marketing consultant and at one of my client-companies,... Read More Building a coaching or consulting practice can be rewarding and... Read More One of the best ways to get a restaurant free... Read More Have you looked for marketing advice on the internet recently?... Read More We wait with baited breath for the anticipated launch of... Read More In building and running a professional practice (or any small... Read More You followed time-honored online marketing techniques to the letter: you... Read More If you are a therapist, counselor, or an alternative or... Read More Is your marketing strategy getting the results you desire?Mailing postcards,... Read More We are all customers of one product or another. How... Read More What You Say, Who You Say It To, How you... Read More Without a doubt, if you asked me, Shane if there... Read More I have been designing Yellow Page ads for the past... Read More It's quite apparent that Americans are living... Read More As Freud cautioned, it's insanity to keep doing the same... Read More Two years ago I started my small Virtual Assistant business... Read More Sounds pretty harsh, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you... Read More Here are some marketing mistakes that take a heavy toll... Read More
Adsense
websites
Your 30 Second Commercial
Helping Your Prospects Overcome ?Buying Fears? By Using Testimonials
Why Trying to Get the Appointment Can be a Recipe for Dis-Appoinment
Focus...a Marketing Strategy
What?s Next? A Guide to Marketing Your New Business
Do You Really Know Your Prospect?
How To Get To The Top of The Marketing Food Chain
The Money Making Secret of The Toll Booth Position
Top Four Marketing Secrets of Building a Professional Practice
Free Publicity for Restaurants
Professional Marketing
Will Googles Gmail spell trouble for Email Marketing.
Top 10 Tips To Market & Build Your Professional Practice
Distinguish Your Business From The Competition
Resistances To Marketing a Practice-Part 1
Mortgage Marketing - How to Earn More Business From Realtors®
Getting More From Your Customer
The Words That Sell
How To Start With Absolutely Nothing And Create Wealth online in 30 days or less.
Beware of Magazine Style Yellow Pages Ad Design.
Target Your Share of the 50-Plus Market
How to Up-Sell Change
Maximum Marketing - Minimum Budget
Differentiate or Die
Five Deadly Small Business Marketing Mistakes
Affordable and Reliable Web Hosting Starting at $4.49/Month
Arts Marketing : Suggestions for Students and Beginners
Many artists create art but when it comes to marketing... Read More
Heres A Robust, Turnkey, Interactive. Best of Breed, Mission-Critical Solution to Kill Buzzwords
Fellow Publicity Insiders, what does... Read More
Make Your Marketing Solve a Problem
You may be engaged in a marketing activities that are... Read More
Three Simple Ideas That Increase Profit? FAST!
Are you spending more time trying to get new clients... Read More
A Point in Every Direction is the Same As No Point At All
Ever try to be something for everyone and find no... Read More
The Power of because...
"Do it!", "Do it now!", or "Do it because..."Which of... Read More
The Top Ten Ways to Get Beyond Networking And Generate Cash-Building Exposure
Gain the exposure you need to succeed with these ten... Read More
Do I Need an RSS Feed?
RSS has been around for more than 10 years but... Read More
Fundraising Letters Are Easier To Write With AIDA
Learn a lesson from professional direct mail copywriters. They follow... Read More
Direct Marketing: Overlooked, Underappreciated, and Unstoppable
Every business needs customers, but more importantly every business needs... Read More
Dont Advertise Your Business - Market It!
Too many business owners believe that marketing their business means... Read More
The Advantages of Full Color Brochure Printing
A brochure can be a great promotional tool, whether it... Read More
Marketing Messages: Your 10 Most Important Business Principles
As a self-employed professional, you have two basic strategies for... Read More
Finding Your Niche: What Do You Want To Be Known For?
In my experience, there are two kinds of small business... Read More
Writing Sales Letters That Sell
The most important part of any marketing you do is... Read More
How to Promote your business website using free online resources.
There are many ways to promote your website for free... Read More
Maximum Marketing - Minimum Budget
Two years ago I started my small Virtual Assistant business... Read More
Marketing Gurus : Do You Need One?
Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.There are some... Read More
Referrals . . .The Secret Weapon
Are you getting referrals from you customers? If not, you... Read More
Using Flyers In Your Business
If you are not using flyers in your business you... Read More
When You Need More Than Magic To Keep Your Marketing Going
It is easy to focus on what remains outstanding and... Read More
Getting Ideas for Your Postcards
If you're going to do postcard marketing on an ongoing... Read More
Custom Lanyards - The Perfect Solution for Promotion, Branding, and Marketing
Lanyards are fast becoming the new "must have" promotional item.Events... Read More
Nurture Sales Leads with Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail is a cost-effective way to make sales and... Read More
Make More Sells With Colors
How Colors Effect Our Emotions?One of the most interesting things... Read More
Marketing |