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Suggest You - Direct Mailing List Tips Self Publishers & Business Owners Must Know
A marketing message without relevance is useless. It’s a waste of your time and money. But more important than that, it’s a wasted opportunity, a wasted chance to communicate effectively with would-be or present buyers of your Stuff, your products or services.Let’s take a look at the three primary areas of relevance. For a marketing effort to be effective, your message – the point you’re trying to communicate – has to be relevant to your audience – the people who see or hear that message – and, at the same time, relevant to your product/service – whatever Stuff you’re trying to sell.It may be easier for you to understand the importance of relevance if I share with you some examples. We can do that by taking a look at a few ads you’ve almost certainly seen on TV. I’ll be discrete and not mention the advertisers by name. But I’m sure
When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you're mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.
The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since d
As a business owner, one of the most important business decisions you'll make is choosing the design of your logo. Whether you design the logo yourself or hire a designer, you'll have to make some decisions during the design process.But you want to make sure that the logo you decide on will work well. Many business owners make the mistake of basing their logo choices on their personal preferences. But your 'likes' should have very little to do with your logo design.Before I go into why this is the case, let me tell you a story of the most difficult logo designs that I ever did. This logo was for an entrepreneur who was running a very small spa.Now, this project didn't start out difficult. I'd done several logos for spas in the past and during the course of those projects I had learned a lot about the industry. The business also ha
First of all, generally, you rent, not buy mailing lists. They remain in the ownership of the mailing list company and are usually not for sale.
Many business owners rent lists but don't use them right away, which is a mistake. Most lists change considerably in 30 days or less. Some lists, like mailing lists of public libraries, prisons, hospitals, hospital gift shops, elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, daily newspapers, TV stations and radio stations will have very few changes. They are fairly stationary so not as likely to move. Bookstore lists, new age bookstores lists, organization lists, specialty lists, MLM lists and business mailing lists may have a high rate of return. To avoid a lot of returns, rent the selected lists just prior to making your mailing.
Be careful about renting any mailing list that goes to individuals: consumer mailing lists, seniors mailing lists, residential mailing lists, homeowners mailing lists and opportunity seekers mailing lists, for example. With 20% of the population moving every year you may get significant returns.
But do expect some returns. As often as we mail using lists, we always get returns (called 'nixies' in the trade) from the post office. People move, forwarding orders expire, people expire, post office boxes close, and businesses close their doors.
Mailing list management and upkeep is expensive. It takes a lot of time and labor for companies to compile, add to, clean and mail to their lists and other necessary maintenance. They also use expensive mailing list software programs which can have costly bugs of their own.
To help you plan ahead, before you order your mailing lists, ask when you can expect the order to arrive. This can vary considerably from company to company. Some companies can take up to two weeks or more.
Mailing lists can usually be ordered in at least three formats - peel and stick (pressure-sensitive) labels or Cheshire (18 pound, spreadsheet-size computer paper--less common these days) or on a floppy disk (used less often these days) or CD. You order peel and stick labels if they're going to be affixed to your mailing piece by hand. Or if you know how to import the lists you can order them on CD. If your mailing house is going to do your mailing they'll probably prefer the floppy disk or CD - check with them on this before you order.
Mailing houses used to require the Cheshire format instead of peel and stick labels before the advent of computer technology and CD ROM. They have machines that cut the printed Cheshire sheets into labels and glue them to the envelopes. When ordering lists on CD, specify the format you want to use for conversion, usually ASCII comma-delimited. You must know how to import it when you get the disk though. The mailing lists will always be for one-time use only even if they're on a CD or disk. And some mailing list companies offer instant downloads of lists.
Also if a mailing house is going to do your mailing, they may want the labels to be merged if there is more than one list, or bar-coded, which will save considerably on postage. If you can't answer their technical questions, have your mailing house call your mailing list rental company to work out the final details.
Consider the cost to mail out your mailing piece. You might want to test a small number on the list first if you have an expensive or heavy package.
When you do mailings First Class, you'll get returns from the post office at no additional charge. If you mail Third Class (bulk mail), you won't get returns. They will be tossed out at the post office, UNLESS you've printed 'Return Service Requested' on the envelope. Then each return (nixie) will cost additional postage (based on first class), or 'Change Service Requested' (cost based on piece regardless of weight.) Make sure to check current costs with the post office because they change their rates AND rules periodically.
Always send any nixies back to your mailing list company, even if there aren't enough for a credit, which is almost always offered. This is a good practice especially if you plan to mail again to the same list soon. They usually have a time limit as to when they can accept the nixies for credit because the lists you rented will become outdated fairly soon.
When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you're mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.
The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since de
Salary and Benefits NegotiationOne of the most difficult aspects of job searching for many people, especially those who are just starting out or who are making a mid-career change, is actually the salary and benefits negotiation aspect. This is true partly because some people are just naturally uncomfortable with negotiation in general and also because they may not feel knowledgeable enough about the job market to be able to effectively negotiate for better pay and benefits. In other cases, certain job seekers may not feel confident enough about their talents and skills in order to attempt salary and benefits negotiation.For the most part, employers expect that there will be some negotiation regarding salary and benefits packages. Today, this tug of war has become somewhat of a game where both sides take pride in honing their skills. In
Be careful about renting any mailing list that goes to individuals: consumer mailing lists, seniors mailing lists, residential mailing lists, homeowners mailing lists and opportunity seekers mailing lists, for example. With 20% of the population moving every year you may get significant returns.
But do expect some returns. As often as we mail using lists, we always get returns (called 'nixies' in the trade) from the post office. People move, forwarding orders expire, people expire, post office boxes close, and businesses close their doors.
Mailing list management and upkeep is expensive. It takes a lot of time and labor for companies to compile, add to, clean and mail to their lists and other necessary maintenance. They also use expensive mailing list software programs which can have costly bugs of their own.
To help you plan ahead, before you order your mailing lists, ask when you can expect the order to arrive. This can vary considerably from company to company. Some companies can take up to two weeks or more.
Mailing lists can usually be ordered in at least three formats - peel and stick (pressure-sensitive) labels or Cheshire (18 pound, spreadsheet-size computer paper--less common these days) or on a floppy disk (used less often these days) or CD. You order peel and stick labels if they're going to be affixed to your mailing piece by hand. Or if you know how to import the lists you can order them on CD. If your mailing house is going to do your mailing they'll probably prefer the floppy disk or CD - check with them on this before you order.
Mailing houses used to require the Cheshire format instead of peel and stick labels before the advent of computer technology and CD ROM. They have machines that cut the printed Cheshire sheets into labels and glue them to the envelopes. When ordering lists on CD, specify the format you want to use for conversion, usually ASCII comma-delimited. You must know how to import it when you get the disk though. The mailing lists will always be for one-time use only even if they're on a CD or disk. And some mailing list companies offer instant downloads of lists.
Also if a mailing house is going to do your mailing, they may want the labels to be merged if there is more than one list, or bar-coded, which will save considerably on postage. If you can't answer their technical questions, have your mailing house call your mailing list rental company to work out the final details.
Consider the cost to mail out your mailing piece. You might want to test a small number on the list first if you have an expensive or heavy package.
When you do mailings First Class, you'll get returns from the post office at no additional charge. If you mail Third Class (bulk mail), you won't get returns. They will be tossed out at the post office, UNLESS you've printed 'Return Service Requested' on the envelope. Then each return (nixie) will cost additional postage (based on first class), or 'Change Service Requested' (cost based on piece regardless of weight.) Make sure to check current costs with the post office because they change their rates AND rules periodically.
Always send any nixies back to your mailing list company, even if there aren't enough for a credit, which is almost always offered. This is a good practice especially if you plan to mail again to the same list soon. They usually have a time limit as to when they can accept the nixies for credit because the lists you rented will become outdated fairly soon.
When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you're mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.
The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since d
What is the 80/20 Rule?More formally the 80/20 rule is also known as the Pareto Principle. To Quote Wikipedia: "The Pareto principle… known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few…Business management thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of income in Italy went to 20% of the population."We hear the 80/20 rule as it is applied to business and sales. Twenty percent of your employees produce 80% of a companies problems, 80% percent of your corporate sales are produced by 20% of your sales force and in network marketing, 80% of your profits may come from 20% of your distributors. We hear of it as it relates to wealth and wealth accumulation: 80% of the money is controlled by 20% of the people.Joseph Duran was born in 1904 and he credited this p
Mailing lists can usually be ordered in at least three formats - peel and stick (pressure-sensitive) labels or Cheshire (18 pound, spreadsheet-size computer paper--less common these days) or on a floppy disk (used less often these days) or CD. You order peel and stick labels if they're going to be affixed to your mailing piece by hand. Or if you know how to import the lists you can order them on CD. If your mailing house is going to do your mailing they'll probably prefer the floppy disk or CD - check with them on this before you order.
Mailing houses used to require the Cheshire format instead of peel and stick labels before the advent of computer technology and CD ROM. They have machines that cut the printed Cheshire sheets into labels and glue them to the envelopes. When ordering lists on CD, specify the format you want to use for conversion, usually ASCII comma-delimited. You must know how to import it when you get the disk though. The mailing lists will always be for one-time use only even if they're on a CD or disk. And some mailing list companies offer instant downloads of lists.
Also if a mailing house is going to do your mailing, they may want the labels to be merged if there is more than one list, or bar-coded, which will save considerably on postage. If you can't answer their technical questions, have your mailing house call your mailing list rental company to work out the final details.
Consider the cost to mail out your mailing piece. You might want to test a small number on the list first if you have an expensive or heavy package.
When you do mailings First Class, you'll get returns from the post office at no additional charge. If you mail Third Class (bulk mail), you won't get returns. They will be tossed out at the post office, UNLESS you've printed 'Return Service Requested' on the envelope. Then each return (nixie) will cost additional postage (based on first class), or 'Change Service Requested' (cost based on piece regardless of weight.) Make sure to check current costs with the post office because they change their rates AND rules periodically.
Always send any nixies back to your mailing list company, even if there aren't enough for a credit, which is almost always offered. This is a good practice especially if you plan to mail again to the same list soon. They usually have a time limit as to when they can accept the nixies for credit because the lists you rented will become outdated fairly soon.
When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you're mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.
The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since d
In Part 1 of this article we explored goal setting as a tip to finding a new job. Part 2 will wrap everything up for you.3. Set a timetable for the action items and steps that you need to take to get to your end result goal. By setting a timetable to accomplish the action items you have written down it will keep your job search on a specific timetable.Getting a job or a job offer maybe a little different story when it comes to setting a timetable, you are not typically in control of when you will get a job offer or you will find that perfect job. If you do set a timetable to follow the action items in the steps it takes to get the job you will be that much closer.4. Once you have found a new job, go back and review the goals to see how closely the job that have taken resembles goals you wrote. I'll be willing to bet that they are
Also if a mailing house is going to do your mailing, they may want the labels to be merged if there is more than one list, or bar-coded, which will save considerably on postage. If you can't answer their technical questions, have your mailing house call your mailing list rental company to work out the final details.
Consider the cost to mail out your mailing piece. You might want to test a small number on the list first if you have an expensive or heavy package.
When you do mailings First Class, you'll get returns from the post office at no additional charge. If you mail Third Class (bulk mail), you won't get returns. They will be tossed out at the post office, UNLESS you've printed 'Return Service Requested' on the envelope. Then each return (nixie) will cost additional postage (based on first class), or 'Change Service Requested' (cost based on piece regardless of weight.) Make sure to check current costs with the post office because they change their rates AND rules periodically.
Always send any nixies back to your mailing list company, even if there aren't enough for a credit, which is almost always offered. This is a good practice especially if you plan to mail again to the same list soon. They usually have a time limit as to when they can accept the nixies for credit because the lists you rented will become outdated fairly soon.
When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you're mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.
The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since d
At one time or another in every life, one decides that he or she would like to open a business. You may be tired of someone else getting rich from your efforts or maybe you want the freedom that goes with owning a business.But, is it enough just to want your own business. What does owning a business mean? What does it take to be an entrepreneur? What do you need to open a successful business? There are thousands of businesses that open one year and within a few years are closed. Everyone has been to a restaurant or store one time and when they return in a few weeks, it is no longer there and something else has taken its place. It seems as though it is a never-ending cycle.Today, I want to tell you what I believe it means to be an entrepreneur and to own a business.The most important thing that one must have is guts! Are you
When you contract to rent a list, some mailing list companies may require a sample mailing piece. This is so the company can determine if you're mailing a competitive or objectionable piece.
The business of mailing list rentals is based on the honor system to a degree, but this honor system also has a built-in alarm: owners protect their data by planting decoy names (seeds) in the mailing lists they rent. If a renter contracts to use a list on a one-time basis and uses it a second time, the decoy will receive the unauthorized mailing and report the misuse to the list owner. The decoys are often friends or relatives of the staff of the companies. Also, many mailing list companies employ companies that specialize in tracking or monitoring mailings to detect any misuse. Since decoys are different for each list order, the renter who abuses a contract is easy to trace.
Mailing lists are protected by copyright and trade secret law. Any violation of a list agreement is strictly upheld by the courts. Once a list rental contract has been broken, the list owner has legal recourse to sue for compensatory and punitive damages. Punitive damages could amount to as much as three times the value of the list and more.
All list owners have good reason to be so protective of their data. List rental is a multibillion-dollar business. There are literally thousands of lists available for rental in the United States alone.
If all else fails, you can enlist the help of a mail list broker. Brokers usually collect their fees from the mailing list company. Check this out first.
In any case caveat emptor! In any case you can reap rewards handsomely from sending out fliers, press releases, press kits, review copies of books and other materials via the direct mailing lists you choose.
These tips and trade secrets should help self publishers, book publishers, entrepreneurs, home based or work-at-home and small business owners make better decisions when working with mailing lists, mailing list rentals and mailing list companies.
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