Basics of Email Campaign Development > Where to Begin >
Choosing Your List
Mailing to the appropriate individuals is of the utmost importance. If you have an in-house list that you will be mailing to, you are ahead of the game on two counts:
- You know that your audience will recognize you (since they have already given you permission to send them correspondence from you), and
- You will avoid the possibility of high costs that come with renting a high-quality opt-in list.
If you do not have an in-house list to mail to, you can contact a list broker who can help you to choose the appropriate lists for your mailing. The list segments that list brokers offer are becoming increasingly specialized, so that you can really drill down to the types of individuals you would like to reach. As a bonus, many will allow you to test your mailing on a portion of their list. You can find out very fast if your offer is a dud, or if the list is a dud. Be aware that you may have to give up the control of mailing to the list yourself, and mail through their designated facility, as most reputable list brokers will not hand a list over to you or your mail house (or outsourcer). This may limit the types of messages you send to your recipients as well, so be sure to get all the facts about their mailing policies before signing on the dotted line.
Last but not least — if you use a list broker, remember to have at least a proof of the creative you would like to send, so that your list request can be approved in a timely manner.
|