Your direct mail campaign relies more on your mail list than anything else. I’m sure you already have great copy, artwork, and a terrific layout, but without an effective mail list you’re not going to get the results you’re looking for to grow sales.mailbox

Spend the time up-front to review your house file mail list. These should be your best customers and prospects that have previously purchased from you or responded to your campaigns. If your house file isn’t pulling at least double an outside list, something probably isn’t right. When was the last time you updated your list?

If you use an agency or list broker be sure to get them involved early in the process. Many suggest the catalog shouldn’t even be designed until the right list is pulled together. Of course, that’s not always something you can do, but remember to do it as early in the process as possible so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.

Did you know that people in the U.S. move quite frequently? It’s estimated that anywhere from 10% to 25% of household addresses change each year. In addition, nearly 1/3 of these people don’t report their new address to the post office. The last U.S. census showed 282,556,000 households and 40,093,00 of them moved. That’s 14.19%.

Remember, in direct marketing, your mail list is not just a way of communicating with your market. It is the market.