Wendy asks

   Hi, We are a new small business, and we would like to know the best way to reach and get new customers. Should we buy a name list? I know this can be expensive. Is there a better way? Thank you, Wendy/Owner

Hi Wendy - Thanks for the interesting question. Perhaps list rental isn't as expensive as you think.

A few starting words of advice: As you think about lists, think about your marketing plan. To get people to try a new business, you need powerful incentives because you are asking people to switch from their current provider. First time discounts, trial offers, buy-one-get-one-free, grand opening prices, etc. are all possible ways to go. Habit is a hard thing to overcome, especially if prospects aren't so dissatisfied that they are actively looking for an alternative. Direct mail is a great way to get those offers to people.

By "name" lists, I'm assuming you mean a list where a specific individual at a specific address is targeted. Let's start with pbmarketingservices.com per record cost for that type of list when you use the service to print a mailpiece. The cost is 6 cents per consumer name and 8 cents per business name. You can mail to as few as 50 names. You will also get discounts on postage from pbmarketingservices.com.

As a new business, introducing yourself to an area, you might also think about using an Occupant List, also known as a "Resident " or "Saturation" list. Your mailing would be addressed to the "Current Resident" at a particular address, not to a specific individual at that address. The idea here is to be able to reach every address within a specific geographic area at a minimum list cost. With Occupant lists, you can reach all businesses and/or households within a carrier route, zip code, or within a radius around an address at a lower cost per record than "name" lists. The cost per record is lower because the targeting is generic rather than specific. You may also be able to request a "contact name" when ordering the list but that request would incur an additional per record cost and would be available for maybe 70% or less of the list. If you're interested, just do a search on "Occupant list" and take a look at what's offered.

pbmarketingservices.com doesn't offer "Occupant" lists, but you could source such a list yourself and upload it to pbmarketingservices.com if you want to print and mail via the service. You can, in fact, do that with any outside list you rent or own.

If your service is more "niche" or specialized, you might want to target specific titles at specific organizations or types of organization. Then you will need to source more specialized or targeted "name" lists. You may have to look at controlled circulation lists of trade magazine subscribers or what are called multi-source marketing databases for specific industries. With these list sources, you usually have to order a minimum number of names to rent, sometimes show the list owner your mailing, and generally pay more per record, but not outrageously more. The minimum order on these types of lists is what takes the total cost higher for small businesses.

With all the lists mentioned, you are renting one time use of the list, unless otherwise negotiated.

For a new business to make an impression, you also need to do a mailing campaign. A one-off effort isn't enough to make an impact for a new business in a new market. You also want to look at other ways to introduce your business to your market along with direct mail. Use all the free methods you can leverage to introduce yourself to your market. Do your local papers introduce new businesses? Does your Chamber of Commerce have a "meet" new businesses event? Can you leave flyers at some locations? Explore it all.

Best wishes and let us know how it works out.

Sandra