The How and Why of Mailing Lists
Mailing lists are tools that businesses and salespeople use to generate business leads. Mailing lists are generally purchased from companies that compile and sort potential clients according to various criteria. The business or salesperson then mails marketing material to each name on the mailing list in the hopes of acquiring their business.
A mailing list is exactly what it sounds like. It is a list of names and addresses compiled for the purposes of mass marketing through email. These names can be solicited by a business directly or purchased from a company that specializes in providing business leads.
If a business solicits their mailing list directly, it is usually through voluntary requests. The business will generally have a brochure or sign-up sheet at their checkout registers or customer service desks soliciting people to sign up for their targeted mailing list. They may also have places to sign up for their mailing list on a website or have booths at job fairs, business expos or trade shows.
There are also businesses that specialize in compiling mailing lists according to specific demographic information. They may solicit people for their lists through surveys, websites, sweepstakes or a number of other means. They compile their lists according to things like age groups, interests, location or income. They then sort these names into lists and sell the lists to businesses and salespeople looking for business leads.
A business or salesperson may use a mailing list for mailing out newsletters, sales fliers or other marketing tools. By sending these marketing tools through the mail, a large group of people can be contacted relatively quickly at little cost to the business.
The goal of using a mailing list is to generate business, so mass marketing through the mail is cost effective marketing. The return rate on mass mail marketing is less than 25%, so, in order to be cost effective, mailing lists need to be a specific as possible to reach the appropriate market, yet contain enough potential customers to provide the business with enough leads to still make a profit. Businesses that can provide mailing lists with a consistent high return rate will receive a lot of return business.