List Brokers for Direct Mail or Direct Marketing??

8 replies
I am looking for contacts of List Brokers for either direct mail campaigns or direct marketing.

I have a very active list of recent buyers of the diet industry (over 20k addresses, names ect.) that I would consider renting to if offered the right price.

If anyone has any contacts pls let me know.

Thank you in advance.
#brokers #direct #list #mail #marketing
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    • Profile picture of the author jeffdobkin
      Free Catalogs of Mailing Lists
      As appearing in my book, UNcommon Marketing Techniques
      Jeff Dobkin

      I wanted to know what's available in compiled lists, so I dredged out a few of my direct marketing trade journals from under the mass of papers, old pizza boxes and the few remains of previous lunches on my desk and called all the list vendors in each. Here's what I found out: pizza is only good for three, maybe four days without refrigeration, but the pepperoni still remains tasty for up to a week. Also:

      Edith Roman (800-223-2194) publishes an excellent glossy 95 page catalog of both consumer and business response and compiled lists. Lists are alphabetically arranged, also shown by S.I.C. code and geographic breakouts, and counts are included for each list. You can easily find lists of almost any industry: 27,827 stone clay glass and concrete products manufacturers, or any niche: 2,822 ophthalmic goods wholesalers, 2,711 ventilating systems cleaners, 3,086 tattoo parlors. Their catalog is easy to use for both the experienced and others, with a logical layout and explanation of how to use each section. Perfect bound, 8-1/2" x 11".

      Dunhill International List Company (800-DUNHILL) publishes an easy to use 77 page 8-1/2" x 11" catalog on bleached newsprint. Dunhill offers specialty lists shown in alphabetized sequence such as 25,921 foundations with officers, 811,000 health insurance agents, and 2,825 single parent organizations; as well as master files of, for example, 2,225,214 women investors, or 588,482 lawyers. They also break out lists by alpha and SIC. As expected, you can get businesses or business executives by state, income, title, type of firm; and attorneys or medical doctors by specialty.

      American Business Information (800-555-5335, 402-592-9000), the firm that went about buying up almost every list company that would sell just a few years ago, offers 11 million businesses by yellow page heading, number of employees, SIC, Sales volume, phone number, credit rating code.. They also offer 195 million consumers by age, estimated income, home value, and other selects. Their 72 page, 8-1/2" x 11" catalog is easy to use and like some of the other catalogs offers a few speciality lists like 12 million executives by ethnic surname, 3 million fax numbers, 663,000 work-at-home businesses, 3 million businesses in affluent neighborhoods to name a few. They also offer lists by SIC, some pretty darn esoteric like 1,068 beverage dispensing equipment wholesalers and 403 bronze table manufacturers. They offer free counts if you call them. When I called and gave them my phone number, they gave me my mailing address and asked if it was still correct.

      Acxiom/Direct Media (203-532-1000) had the most pages of advertising in the trade magazines, so I called them. But their 48 page spiral bound catalog paled by comparison to the ease of use of other list catalogs. Their book, mostly response lists, was separated into Business and Consumer sections, showing 30 lists to a page. Only the list name was shown which was sometimes confusing (ie. "Extensis" or "Jasune,") and sometimes not ("Eddie Bauer Baby Furniture") along with the Acxiom customer service rep and sales rep name and phone number. All lists shown in this 8-1/2" x 11" book were managed by Acxiom.

      American List Council (800-403-1870) sent a 60 page, 8-1/2" x 11" catalog broken down into segments containing consumer lists, business lists, lists by S.I.C. and their proprietary response lists - which included some weird ones such as a master file of ailment sufferers, a few of which I wouldn't want over my house: 537,458 gastritis sufferers, 404,990 bladder control/incontinence sufferers and 790,470 ladies with yeast infections, ouch - that's just gotta hurt. As most of the other major list vendors, they also handle lists for some of the larger mail order houses: 1,337,167 L.L. Bean Buyers M.O.B., 2,695,137 Spiegel M.O.B., and 4,856,781 Victoria's Secret M.O.B.; and some of the larger magazine subscription lists such as 925,243 PC Magazines Subscribers. The catalog is nicely presented and easy to use.

      Hugo Dunhill Mailing Lists, Inc. (888-274-5735) puts together a well-designed and extremely information-intense catalog of lots and lots of lists. Arranged alphabetically then referenced in S.I.C. order, the Hugo Dunhill catalog goes deep into some wells that are dry in other list house's catalogs. Along with the traditional: 108,472 accounting firms, you can get tax preparers broken down by specialty: 144 associations, 4,305 attorneys, 558 bankers, 25,478 CPAs and so forth. You can also get some esoteric lists: 129 Daughters of the Nile; or a selection of Church Societies (women's) selected by denomination: Methodist Women's Church, Lutheran Church Women's Clubs, or even 84,092 churches with video equipment. Pretty much if you can name it, you can get a list of all the people in it. If you can't name it, call Hugo and speak to him like I did - he's a lot of help in a short amount of time.

      Dun and Bradstreet (973-605-6457) is one of the granddaddies of the list industry and they warehouse a master file of almost everything and on everybody. They have a full resource file on your credit even if you don't want them to have it. That credit information is available in a list, even if you don't want your competitors to get it. You can also get a CD-ROM with 11 million businesses on it - so you can analyze and manipulate your own data, then pay for only the list of names or businesses you use. Their 48-page catalog is organized by S.I.C.

      Compiled lists are a common source of names and records that have been gathered, collected, and entered into a database. Most commonly the names may have been acquired through public records such as vehicle owner registrations or high school teachers; or through directories, such as a directory of plant maintenance engineers. One of the most common sources of information for compiled lists are from yellow page headings: the names are gathered from all the phone books across the U.S. Examples would be all the luggage dealers in the United States, or all the plumbing supply dealers.

      Compiled information - like fish - gets old rather quickly and doesn't age particularly well.

      Just a note in passing: on the other side of the list industry there are response lists. These are lists of names of people who have responded to offers, most likely inquired or bought something from a catalog or space ad. Response lists are measured by different criteria: how RECENT the names are, how FREQUENTLY they purchase through the mail, and how much MONEY they've spent on a purchase. Names and lists can also be targeted with others who may have made purchases of similar items or are responsive to offers from certain industries. Logic applies: if you are selling a new type of fishing rod, buy a response list from a fishing catalog or a fishing magazine. Response lists are best when they are available for your target market and you are making a direct-selling offer of retail products. Purchase compiled lists to reach your target market when response lists aren't available.

      Between response and compiled lists, you can get almost anything you'd like in a list. If you would like to mail to only the people who make the little tiny screws that fit in your eyeglasses, there's a list out there, somewhere, with just the names of those folks on it. It may be a short list, but it's available.

      The list catalogs mentioned - and the scores of list catalogs I didn't mention - all have their own ease of use and level of service they provide to their customers. Between the different list houses there are also significant differences in pricing, return policies, and freshness of lists and names. Some vendors clean their lists more frequently. Some offer hot name files that are one month old; some offer hot name files that are 6 months old - you never know until you ask.

      Different vendors offer different service levels, too. Some give good marketing advice, others, well... you know. Each list house has its own counts and numbers for different selections, and each treats merged data in different ways. Most list houses have their own particular specialty - so it pays to shop around. My advice: call around and talk to each list house - see who you feel comfortable with. I'll make you this guarantee: the more questions you ask up front, the more response you'll get when you mail.

      When you need a great mailing list, just dig. These catalogs - and this article - are just the tip of the iceberg.


      Hope this is helpful. Jeff Dobkin
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron.
    Contact John Gainis at Merit Direct. He's really good. I knew nothing about lists until he took me by the hand and explained everything to me. He never once tried to "close me", if he did he was so smooth I never saw it coming.

    Just for the record, I never bought a list from him because I decided it was not cost effective for the project I was working on. When I do buy a list, he will be the only guy I contact. He's a executive at Merit Direct not just some sales rep. trying to "score".


    I heard him at a workshop he did with copy writter Bob Bly. He's Bob's go to guy for lists.
    Signature
    "Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody"
    -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron.
    Jeff,


    Good stuff.

    Thanks. I can add a few of those to my "Tool Boox".
    Signature
    "Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody"
    -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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  • Profile picture of the author jeffdobkin
    12 Places to Buy a Mailing List
    Jeffrey Dobkin

    This article can be found in one of my other books, ummm... er... I forget which one.

    Anyhow... There are two types of lists, determined by their origin: compiled lists and response lists.

    Compiled lists are a common source of names and records that have been gathered, collected, and entered into a database. The names may have been acquired through public records such as vehicle owner registrations or high school teachers. Directories, such as a directory of plant maintenance engineers, are usually compiled lists. Many lists are compiled from categories in phone books across the U.S. Examples would be all the photography shops or all the luggage dealers in the United States. Or all the plumbing supply dealers.

    Keep in mind that compiled information - like fish - gets old rather quickly and doesn't age particularly well.

    Response lists are data from people who have responded to an ad or who have purchased from a catalog, direct mail package, TV ad,or other offer.

    With any mailing you are considering, first ask precisely what groups or what characteristics make up the perfect audience. Then try to find a list that matches these definable characteristics closely.

    Good delivery percentages of your mailing piece to a specific audience can usually be found in lists of magazine subscribers. These lists are usually very targeted to their audience, and good because most publishers are extremely prompt with their name and address corrections. Call a magazine publisher and ask if their subscriber list is for sale, then ask for the name of their list broker.

    There are over 10,000 magazines published so you can probably get a magazine subscription list that goes straight to your perfectly targeted buyers. If you're not sure what magazines would be best, there are some easy-to-use periodical directories found in most reference libraries. The best directories of magazines are Burrelle's Directory of Magazines (800-USMEDIA), Bacons (800-621-0561), SRDS (800-851-SRDS), and Oxbridge Communications Standard Periodical Directory (800-955-0231). If you can't find the exact targeted magazine filled with the eager-to-buy-your-product subscribers you are looking for in any of these directories, the publication doesn't exist. You can find any industry - and all the magazines that are sent to that industry - in under 10 minutes in these useful directories.

    Catalog houses earn a good portion of their revenue from the sale of their lists. Call the catalog and ask for their business office, then ask who handles their list sales. Almost all catalog houses sell their lists. Catalog houses can be found in the Catalog of Catalogs from Woodbine House Publications; 800-843-7323; $28.95 PPD), and The Directory of Mail Order Catalogs from Grey House Publishing (800-562-2139; $350).

    Trade associations are usually an excellent source of mailing lists. Better associations always list the industry's major players. Local associations like the Chamber of Commerce in your area are usually good for local business names. You can select by business size, number of employees, SIC code (the government's industry classification of each business), or any of a multitude of other selection parameters. Two great sources for finding associations are reference books from Columbia Books, Inc. (888-265-0600) publishers of the State and Regional Associations Directory ($79) and The National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States ($99). Mailing lists of the associations are $100/M and are available on labels or disk.

    Association lists and data are also available in the Encyclopedia of Associations by The Gale Group (800-877-GALE) on disk, CD, and on-line through Lexis-Nexis. This hardbound, three-volume set ($505) is the motherload of associations - showing detailed information on more than 23,000 local, state, national, and international associations.

    Trade show lists are also great marketing tools - lists of both attendees and of exhibitors. The Tradeshow Week Data Book (213-965-5300; $355) is a great tool published by the editors of Tradeshow Week Magazine. Another great trade show directory is the TradeShows and Exhibits Schedule from Bill Communications (800-266-4712, 856-619-5800) - organized by industry, by location, by date, and in alphabetical order for fast look-ups.

    Two excellent resources for investigating lists at the library are the SRDS Direct Marketing List Sourceâ„¢ (800-851-SRDS) and the Oxbridge Communications National Directory of Mailing Lists (800-955-0231). We use both in our own office - they're thorough and exceptionally easy to use. These reference tools are each about the size of the Manhattan phone book and contain nothing but list data: who owns what list, number of records in each, source of names and, list pricing. Both tools are available in major libraries.

    List brokers are found in the phone book in every major city. They can be heaven, supplying incredible information, or hell, looking for that fast buck. Make sure you ask tons of questions before handing over any money. While you pay the broker, he actually works for the list owner - so take that into consideration when you ask questions and negotiate price.

    A plethora of list managers of mailing lists can be found in the direct mail trade magazines such as Catalog Age & Direct Magazines: 203/358-9900, Target Marketing: 215/238-5300, Direct Marketing: 516/746-6700, and DM News: 212/741-2095.

    Some list brokers sell through their own catalog of mailing lists. These handy reference tools will give you an idea of just what's out there - what kind of lists are available and counts of how many records exist in the thousands of different list categories. Want to know how many dentists there are? It's a piece of cake: 190,168 are members of the ADA. Want to know if there is a list of picky ale drinkers? Find the list of "Ale in the Mail-Continuity Members:" 70,973 of them. Selling an accounting product? Try the list of Accounting Institute Seminar Attendees - all 78,634 of them. Looking for college professors? Did you want the 43,347 who teach English, or the 18,184 who teach history, or the 8,477 in marketing, or the 9,194 philosophy teachers, or the...

    If you need additional information - like how many doctors who specialize in allergies and are the head of their practice with four or more employees can be found in Pennsylvania - call any of these catalog houses and ask them to run a count. You'll be able to get that information in about ten minutes. Hugo Dunhill: 800/223-6454, American Business Lists: 800/555-5335, Best Mailing Lists: 800/692-2378, CompilersPlus: 800/431-2914, and Edith Roman: 800/223-2194 to name just a few. More phone numbers can be found in my books Uncommon Marketing Techniques and How To Market A Product For Under $500!

    Several companies now offer lists of every business or every person in the U.S. on CD-ROM. These products allow you to create your own list criteria and generate your own precisely targeted mailing lists. Some of the better programs make it easy and fast to use their CD-ROM products. Mailing list CDs are available from InfoUSA: 800/321-0869, and Global Business International: 407/568-5037 to name but two.

    One of the best resources for lists is the Internet. There's no getting around it now, the Internet is here to stay -- you might as well get on and get used to it. It's a great - probably the best - research tool available for almost anything, if you can filter out the crap from the good stuff. But... isn't that the way with all research tools: you gotta figure out which is the good stuff that you can use, and which is the bad stuff that you've just spent the last two hours looking over and have now figured out is pretty worthless.

    You'd be surprised how many of your competitors will sell your their customers' names. If not competitors, how about asking other businesses who serve your market if you can purchase their mailing lists.

    Of course, the best list of all - bar none - is your own house list of current and past customers. These are the folks that know you and trust you; they've experienced that great customer service you offer and are now willing to buy something else from you if you would only let them know it's available.

    Spend some extra time in this most important area - list research: tighten your list criteria, do your homework, spend time in research, and find the best lists you can possibly find. Then test several. It's worth the extra time and money to target your audience with precision and increase the chance you'll come up a winner at the post office. There is no single more important factor in creating a greater response to a mailing than mailing to the best possible list. Whatever you do, don't settle for a mediocre list unless you want mediocre results.

    Hope this is helpful, also. Nuff said. Jeffrey Dobkin
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  • Profile picture of the author rachelle123
    Thanks everyone.

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author gregj
    Hi,
    This is Greg Jones, Online Marketing Executive with Business Emails Lists. We are a List vendor company and can help you reach your Target audience through different channels like Email, Phone & Direct mail.

    With updated database of over 32+ Million records from north America and 15+million from Europe with complete contact information, we can provide list of any Industry according to your requirement.

    If you could provide me with the target criteria (industry type/ SIC codes, titles you wish to reach, geographic area etc.). I can get back to you with relevant information of those particular lists you may be looking out for and most probably with some samples for your review for no cost.

    Decision makers Titles : Top-level executives like CEOs, CFOs, CTO's, COO's, CIO's, Presidents, Chairman's, GMs, mid level Managers, Sales and Marketing Managers, HR Managers, Finance Managers etc.

    Other Services we offer:
    Email Appending: We add email addresses and other data to your existing database.
    Custom List Building: Any industry list you can purchase from us. Our list includes contact information like First Name, Last Name, Company Name, Company URL, Title, Physical Address, Phone Number, Fax Number, Industry, Revenue and email address.
    Email Campaigns (Lead Generation): We send out email campaigns on your behalf and charge you on a CPM (Cost per Thousand) basis. We track and report the campaigns real-time to you online.
    Thank you and let me know your thoughts.
    Regards,
    Greg Jones
    Business development coordinator
    832-932-8725
    OL marketing
    E-mail Append I Reverse Append I E-mail Hygiene I Fax Append I Phone Append I Mailing Address Append
    Custom Lists I Specialty Lists I Pre-packaged Lists I Telemarketing Lists I List Management I E-mail Marketing
    PS: Send us 25 to 50 customer records with Contact name, Company, address, phone# etc and we will append missing data like email, website, SIC code, Industry, Sales etc. Increase Sales by contacting your existing customers and prospects regularly via email .
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  • Profile picture of the author gregj
    Hi,
    an y one looking for optin email list and email appending services.we are one of the major list vendor in this industery.We have 60 million+ B2B and 300million+ B2C records.

    832 932 8725
    Thank you.
    Greg Jones
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