Purchasing or renting a mailing list to use to send out advertising or marketing may be more affordable than you think. This can actually be a rather easy and cost-effective way for a small business to do some direct mail marketing. Here are some basics regarding the renting and using of mailing lists:
Small trade publications, newsletters and magazines may be more than willing to rent their mailing lists for a fee. Generally, the lists are rented by the name, so you will be charged a fee per name and address ($.10 to .20 on average). There may also be a minimum order amount for you to be aware of. Larger organizations, companies and publications also rent their mailing lists, but they will have a broader market base than a smaller, more specialized publication. It will just depend on what you’re looking for and the type of market demographic you’d like to tap into.
Most lists are rented on a one-time only basis. This means you are not able to keep mailing materials to a list one you purchase it. You will likely be asked to sign a contract stating that you won’t do this. This means that unless someone you mail to off the lists contacts you as a prospect, you are unable to add them to your own database. However, if they do contact you, or come to an event, or make a purchase—they are now your customer or contact too.
Some companies and organizations are able to get rather specific in the search parameters for the lists they rent, while others will just be able to search and compile lists based on location, a certain time frame (subscribers or customers within the past year or two, for example), type of customer or how the person is affiliated with the company or organization, and other more generalized search criteria. You’ll be asked to specify what you are looking for so that your list can be created.
Turn-around on renting a mailing list can vary, but you should be prepared to allow 2-3 weeks for the processing time from start to finish. You may receive the names on disk or as an e-mail attachment, but they may also come to you as a packet of pre-printed labels. The list will be coded to prevent and identify if you misuse the list or break the agreements of your contract.
If you are considering renting a mailing list for a direct mail marketing campaign, do some research and try to find one that is able to target an appropriate demographic for your business. You’ll have to decide if you want to go with a local resource (a newspaper or other organization) or if you want to use a regional or national source to target (public broadcasting, a publication, etc.). Doing a little research and comparison will help you make the most of your foray into mailing list rentals.