What if I want to mail to a large multi-address complex but do not have access to the individual unit numbers?

Where can I turn for assistance with US Postal Service matters?

The US Postal Service maintains Postal Business Centers to assist small to medium sized business mailers with their questions. Please contact your local post office for the telephone number of the Postal Business Center in your area. Postal Business Centers can provide assistance in these and other areas:

• Establishing a corporate account for Express Mail.
• Mailpiece design.
• Preparing bulk mailings.
• How to obtain permits.
• Obtaining mailing supplies (trays, sacks, Express Mail and Priority Mail envelopes and labels, stickers, etc.)
• Providing postal publications and next-step help.

I'm interested in experimenting with direct marketing, where should I begin?

A logical starting point is to begin by defining the specifics of your direct marketing campaign. A series of screening questions is useful for this task. Among the questions to consider include:

• What is my budget?
• What geographic areas do I wish to target?
• Who is my target market?
• How do I wish to contact my target market? (Direct mail, telemarketing, a combination of approaches.)
• How much time can I devote to this marketing campaign?
• What quantity of prospect listings will I be able to contact effectively?
• How frequently do I want to contact my prospect listings?
• Do I want to use a computer for managing the prospect information?

Once you've defined the specifics of your marketing campaign, you should be on solid ground for evaluating the available offerings from potential suppliers.

What type of computer program is recommended for managing my prospect information?

A class of programs known as "personal information managers" (PIMS) or "contact managers" are recommended for managing prospect listings. Many of these programs include some of these popular features:

• Printing mailing labels or envelopes.
• Merge printing customized letters.
• Flagging prospect listings for follow-up contacts.
• Sorting prospect listings based upon specified characteristics.
• Adding notes to prospect records based upon feedback.
• Deleting obsolete records.
• Updating outdated information.

For more information, visit the websites for these popular programs: Lotus Organizer, Lotus Notes and Act! for Windows.

What information is relevant in evaluating potential data suppliers?

As with any other important purchase, it's worthwhile to find a supplier that you have confidence in. Among the questions that you may want to ask your potential suppliers are:

• How long have you been in business?
• What industry associations are you a member of?
• What sources are used in building your information database?
• Do you compile this information from the original sources or are you acting as a reseller?
• Will you send me a sample so that I may evaluate your data quality?

Most data suppliers are resellers of information (brokers). They do not actually compile the listings that they sell. Rather, they have contracts with a variety of list compilers to broker their information. The "good" list brokers purchase their data from reliable list compilers, mark the information up a reasonable amount and provide their customers with a good value. The "bad" list brokers acquire the least expensive file available (regardless of quality), mark the information up an excessive amount and provide their customers with a poor value.

Be cautious when talking with data suppliers on the subject of update frequency. Terms such as "continually updated" or "updated quarterly" should be viewed with a healthy skepticism. When in doubt, it's always best to request a free sample to verify the data quality.

Any recommendations on mailing to multi-address residential or business listings?

A sensible rule of thumb is that if there are 9 or more listings at a specific address, you should list the individual unit number on the mail piece (Apt. #17, unit 6b, etc.). Normally, if there are 8 or fewer listings at a specific address an individual unit number is not required.

What if I want to mail to a large multi-address complex but do not have access to the individual unit numbers?

Start small and test the results of mailing a few pieces to the complex at a time. For instance, if it is a 75 unit address, do not send all 75 pieces at the same time. Start with 2 or 3 pieces and measure the results. By releasing the mail in smaller quantities at a time, you will increase the odds of successful delivery.

Hill-Donnelly Corporation
2602 S. MacDill Ave.
P.O. Box 14417
Tampa, FL 33690-4417
Phone: 800-525-1242
Fax: 813-839-8420
E-Mail: CustomerService@hilldonn.com

Copyright © 1996 Hill-Donnelly Corporation