For the purposes of this article, we will discuss direct mail, telemarketing, and email marketing. With direct mail, you can send a simple letter, a colorful postcard, or a small package with a sample of your product. Telemarketing allows you to talk directly to your prospects and tell them about your product or service. An email campaign can be as simple or elaborate as you like, giving your prospects quick links to your website.
You can also try doing all three! The key to marketing is repetition. By communicating with your prospects using different marketing methods, you strengthen your initial message. This also gives your prospects a variety of ways to respond, which will improve response rates.
Of course, the costs associated with each direct marketing method will vary for each form. Whichever way you choose, there are a few things to think about when setting a budget for your direct marketing campaign.
The first cost will be the list you use. Unfortunately, there is no absolute cost to a direct marketing list. The cost of your list will vary depending on the type of list (mail, telemarketing, email), how many records are on the list, what data elements it contains (how specific it is), and how it was obtained (compiled, subscriber, direct source, etc.). etc.). There are also variations in costs from one list owner to another, as their compilation methods vary, as does the cost and procedure involved in maintaining data accuracy.
Depending on the type of list, a mailing list is often cheaper than a telemarketing list since it is just a name and email address. A telemarketing list will have a name, mailing address, and phone number. The additional cost of the telemarketing list is the additional element of the phone number.
An email list that has a name, postal address, and email address will also usually be more than just a mailing list. There are email lists that contain just your name and email address, and they tend to be cheaper. Depending on the type of marketing campaign you are planning, you may want to stay away from these email lists as the source of this information may not be entirely reliable.
The more registrations there are in a direct marketing list, the lower the cost per registration. For example, you can pay $0.05 per registration when purchasing a mailing list with 5,000 names. That same list could cost $0.02 per record if you buy 1,000,000 names. This is because list owners will offer volume discounts.
List owners also impose list minimums. If the number of registrations falls below their minimum, they will charge a flat fee. This means that if they charge $250 for a minimum of a thousand records and you only want 500 records, you will still have to pay the $250 minimum.
If you want more specific lists or specialized lists, these will cost you a little more. In general, the more data elements, the higher the cost. A simple list of women in Seattle is going to cost less than a list of nurses in Seattle with good credit who have cats. Although a narrowly targeted list may cost more, it should work better than a broadly targeted list. You’ll need to determine if the increased response rates are worth the extra cost.
After the cost of the list, the next expense will be the delivery of your message.
If you choose to send your message by direct mail, you will need to factor in the cost of printing and postage. By using postcards instead of envelopes, you can cut your postage rate by almost half. If you buy a big enough mailing list. you can mail in bulk, which allows you to qualify for bulk rates.
If you decide to use telemarketing, the size of your telemarketing list will help determine the cost of your campaign. If your list is only 1,000 names, you can probably call the list yourself, keeping the telemarketing campaign in-house, which will obviously cut costs. If you’re working with a large telemarketing list, you may want to consider contacting a call center. A single caller in a call center typically makes around 100 calls per 4-hour shift. Of course, you will have to pay for the service.
The costs associated with an email marketing campaign are probably some of the lowest. You will have two options, you can buy an email list and send the emails yourself or you can have the list owner deploy the list on your behalf. The size and frequency of the emails should help you decide which option is best for you. If you plan to send emails to the list very frequently, it would be more cost-effective to send them yourself. However, if you plan on sending emails to a large list, you may want to have the list owner send the emails on your behalf, as they have dedicated servers that are whitelisted, allowing for better ability to communicate. delivery.
As mentioned above, there is no straight answer to what a direct marketing campaign will cost. It’s like going to a car lot and asking how much a car costs. There are many variables that go into the cost of a car: year, make, model, etc. The same goes for direct marketing. The best advice is to find a knowledgeable list broker who can explain all of these options and help you figure out the best direct marketing campaign that works for you. List brokers do not charge for their services and will know the most profitable method of direct marketing for your product or service.