The current economy has just about everyone scratching their heads trying to figure out how to drum up more business, and fill the gaps left by existing customers who have cut back or gone out of business. Using business mailing lists to target new customer prospects is a cost-effective and proven method to solve this problem.
What type of data is available on these business to business lists? Business lists have much more robust levels of information available than standard residential mailing lists. Business lists typically provide the name of the CEO, president or owner, the number of years in business, the number of employees, and estimated annual revenue. The U.S. Federal “Do Not Call” legislation does not apply to businesses, so the business’s phone number is almost always included with the address records as well.
As a result of this high level of information, business lists are not only suited for direct mail campaigns, but they are also well suited for phone campaigns. In order to increase the response rate of new business prospects, the most successful formula involves sending a series of direct mail pieces to introduce services and then following up by phone with the decision-maker that is listed as the contact.
How can business lists be targeted?
Target by geography: As with residential databases, geography can be used to target business databases. This includes specifying zip code, city, county or state, and also includes the ability to target prospects within a certain radius of a listed address.
Target by industry: For a business whose products or services cater to specific industries, it certainly makes sense to target the list by industry. For those that are more technical, an industry can be defined using either a SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) code or NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code, but typically this level of technical information is not necessary to request a count or acquire a list; most list vendors will allow anyone searching for a business list to simply provide the name of the industry or industries that are being targeted.
Who should consider purchasing a business database? Any business with other businesses as targeted customers should consider purchasing a business database. Businesses of any size with well-defined vertical markets are especially good candidates for purchasing business databases. For instance, instead of just targeting medical doctors, a business list could focus more specifically on pediatricians, cardiologists or plastic surgeons.
What are some recent examples of business to business mailing lists that have been requested? I recently worked with a small business owner who was targeting medical doctors; his company offers solutions to transition doctor’s offices to federally mandated electronic medical records. This business list focused on just 2 specific counties in Florida and excluded certain types of medical professionals. A series of introductory mailings were used to invite the doctors to several educational seminars, and then telephone follow up was done to each office to reinforce the message, and to further identify the decision makers and influencers.
In another example, I worked with an insurance professional who offered a specific commercial policy for landscaping professionals. The policy was best suited for companies with at least 10 employees, and the agency had discovered that is was a better use of their time and resources to target only landscapers who had been in business for at least 3 years. The insurance company then applied these criteria within the geographic areas where they had licensed agents.
As an added benefit, targeted business lists invariably lead to more relevant messages for the target audience. It made a lot more sense for the insurance company in the example above to say “We specialize in landscape businesses” instead of “We provide business insurance.”
For anyone considering acquiring a business list as a way to grow their business, keep in mind that most list providers will provide a free count of any requested list. For more information, see my post from last week, “How to Find the Right Mailing List.”
