A basic guide to buying consumer mailing list

Have you analysed the potential returns from your mailing/telemarketing activity? If you are purchasing a large list it could be more cost effective than a more defined list.

For example, let’s say you have a target of 100 leads to generate, if you assume a 1% response rate you need to target 10,000 consumers. Even if you fine tune your targeting down to 2,500 households by specific interest, for example, it’s doubtful you will generate a response rate over 3 times that of our assumed average response rate. Higher volumes will generate a much lower cost per response as you’ll benefit from economies of scale in consumer list buying, print, design etc.

We’re not advocating a scatter gun approach, but it’s worth thinking about your level of expectation from your marketing campaign and the average cost per response. Balancing the volume of data and your target market definition will go a long way to maximising your return on investment.

Marketing Guru will provide you with realistic advice on what to expect from your consumer marketing campaign.

The timing needs to be right - have you planned in advance the data you will require for forthcoming campaigns? If you are purchasing a consumer list for the first time, do you know what delivery timescales are like? If you get the wrong list and it needs re-outputting, have you a contingency plan to account for further data processing? It’s worth allowing at least one week from point of order to actually importing the list in to your system.

Rushing your consumer list order will lead to costly mistakes. If you plan in advance and even order your lists in advance, you can save significant portions of your marketing budget for data acquisition.

Marketing Guru can offer significant cost savings for data acquisition, these are usually based on the volume you agree to purchase and can be split over a specified contract period.

Have you thought about duplication issues of the data you are going to purchase? If you’re targeting new prospects with a special offer, it might be more prudent to exclude your current clients. Most data providers should provide a de-dupe service free of charge and only change you for the fresh data.

Don’t pay for duplicates and don’t make the mistake of sending duplicate mailings. Marketing Guru can de-dupe against your data usually at no extra cost.

When you purchase a consumer list from most suppliers you may have two options - to rent on single use or to lease for 12 months. Either option is a legal contract with your data supplier. Renting a list means you can only mail the recipient or approach by telephone once. If you use the list beyond your license agreement, you are liable to at least the full cost once again depending on your suppliers Terms & Conditions.

A 12 month multiple use license equates to using the list on a multiple basis over the contract period. Again, should the list be used outside that contract period you will be liable for at least the original invoice value. If you are using the list on a continual basis you need to regularly MPS screen the data at least every 90 days. Similarly with telemarketing campaigns, the data should be TPS screened every 30 days. Confirm with your supplier the Terms & Conditions of your data to ensure you do not inadvertently break your contract

It’s advised to purchase consumer mailing lists on a single use basis to ensure the data is kept compliant with UK/EU regulations.

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