The copy is polished, the creative design is finalized, and the printed piece looks great. We’re ready to mail it! But who is the mailing going to? Who will be most interested in what you’re promoting? Targeting direct mail to a specific audience is as important as how the piece looks! There are two options here. We can mail to a database you provide or to a database Masterpiece Marketing secures for you through a reputable list broker.
Your specific target audience may be as general as “families in the 17603 zip code” or as specific as “customers who have purchased a car here in the last six months.” No matter how we are sending out the mailing, there is one thing a printer or mailing house will always need: a database. The database will contain a list of names and complete addresses.
YOUR DATABASE
When you would like to send a mailing to a list you’ve already collected (for example, past customers, school parents, church members, donors), you can send the database to us. Usually, it will be in Excel format (an .xls or .xlsx file) which can usually be exported out of your specific customer management software. Typically it is small enough to email. If you are submitting another database format, we may need to verify that the printer or mailing house can accept that file format.
We will need you to submit your database before the project goes to the printer so we can verify the quantity and make sure we’ll have adequate time to correct something if there’s a problem with the file.
NOTE: If you are submitting several databases for us to combine, you will need to be sure they all have the same fields. For example: First Name, Last Name, Address, City & State, Zip cannot be easily combined with Name, Address 1, Address 2, City, State, Zip. Some extra charges will apply if a mailing house is required to merge databases of unlike set-up.
LIST RENTAL
If you would like to target a new audience, Masterpiece Marketing would be happy to secure a list on your behalf. Our list brokers can sort and target lists by a variety of demographic factors in addition to sorting by location via zip code or radius. Demographics that can be used to sort include age, race, religion, household income, home value, and presence of children (and many more!). Additionally, lists can be rented to target a specific type of business, such as “real estate agents” or “dentists.” You may decide to include names at each address (Tim and Sandy Brown) or choose a less expensive rental option of just addresses and send the mail to “Resident.” Lists can be purchased for single use or multiple uses for different costs.
ADDRESSING THE MAILING PIECE
Once you have the database, one of the final decisions you will need to make is how to actually physically address the mailing piece. Depending on the information supplied in the database, it could show “Rev. and Mrs. Green” on the envelope and “John and Nancy” in the salutation. There are many choices here. While one is certainly not “correct,” we can help you weigh the options and determine the best choice for your audience.
VARIABLE DATA IMPRINT
Multiple locations on letters, response device, in line with creative design or simply on a mailing panel or envelope.
THE BOTTOM LINE
We’ll help ensure your piece hits the appropriate target market!
