3 Facts About Hotline Names

Fact #3: The Warmer the Lead, the Hotter the Response
Probably the one aspect of hotlines that marketers are struggling to reconcile with modern times is just how hot the new names really are.

"The difference right now is time compression," says Hennerberg. "Whereas back in the old days—which we would now characterize, in my mind, as two years ago—a direct mail hotline could be that 30-day or 60-day window. Within that window, you could be pretty confident in what you were doing. But I wonder if in the online world that compression has now gone from 30 to 60 days to 30 or 60 minutes ... or hours. And I think that's what marketers are having to respond to."

Although data processing technologies have advanced, the list update process hasn't changed so much that hotline names are any more accessible in the 21st century. "Because the process isn't fully integrated from the transactional side at the client (being the list owner) through the service bureau, through the datacard," DeMartine explains, the gap can be 45, 60 days between the transaction date and the data card update. "I'd say traditionally it's pretty close," he adds, "and it's gotten a lot better. But that's where it's important to deal with reputable data partners."

So, not all 30-day hotlines are exactly the same in terms of timing. But for each list, the 30-day hotline is the most recent segment of names available, and thus the most likely to respond. And that's good enough for many marketers.

In fact, says Hennerberg, for marketers in some verticals, being first in the mailbox is imperative to response; for them, it's worth the additional cost to process and mail hotline names the minute they become available. Some even mail at First Class rates to better ensure their likelihood of reaching these recent responders first, he notes.

Of course, you should only do this with tested, proven lists, he explains.

To truly capitalize on recent activity, DeMartine thinks the "real value is in real-time interaction." He calls the websert—an ad that appears on a customer's or lead's confirmation page—a "four-second hotline," and anticipates the industry will be heading toward more of those types of "rental" opportunities.

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