List Roundtable: How can direct marketers boost their list rental revenue?

September 2006 By Lisa Yorgey Lester

multipage

Finally, have you evaluated your exchange business? Are the lists you are mailing less expensive than your list? If so, you could be losing more list revenue than you’re saving on acquisition costs by exchanging with certain list owners.

Tina MacNicholl, president, The Catamount Group

Take a look at self-reported data points. Are you collecting phone numbers? Ethnicity? Are you able to break out names by source? Many segments are valuable even if they are small because they can be sold at a premium. New segments also bring new mailers.

Overlay your data. If your file is large enough, most service bureaus can overlay your data at no charge. This gives you information about your list you may not have had before, as well as adding potential new selects.

Review your prospective mailer list. Any time a manager takes the time to work on prospecting, it usually means a new look at the file, its usage and a new surge of attention. Also, don’t always rely on tried-and-true mailers and brokers. Get creative and call appropriate mailers directly to see if they are mailing. Make new contacts.

Identify cross-selling opportunities. One of the best ways to look for new prospects is by looking at usage on similar lists that your list management company has.

Analyze usage. Is there a new category that has cropped up that can be expanded? Review the tests that have turned into continuations in the past year to see if a new category should be expanded.

Gather competitive intelligence. What are your competitors doing? Check out usage and selects—it will give you a feel for some do’s and don’ts.

Know your counts and spot check them. Take some time once a month to check out your numbers from your computer house and make sure they are correct. Sometimes something as simple as a formatting issue can cost you list rental revenue dollars.

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