Chelsea asks
Hello, I work for a small nonprofit school for adults with very limited resources. We would like to create a mailing list for residents in our zip code. Do you know what the cheapest way to go about this is? Thank you!
Thanks for the question, Chelsea. You're looking for compiled residential consumer lists that are selectable by state, county, SCF, zip code and carrier routes within a zip code. You can go online and get real-time list counts and price quotes, plus order lists online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Try searching using "cheap mailing lists" or "residential mailing lists", and you'll come up with quite a few resources.
The cheapest list you can get is an Occupant List. But Occupant Lists do not include a name field. So you do not have a personalized address area, and these lists don't offer any other targeting options.
A personalized mailing address, i.e., includes a name, is more effective. Other compiled lists do have names available along with addresses plus other attributes, called select factors. While you may just want to do a mailing to every household in the zip code, you could also narrow your targeting. Many demographic selections are available that make it easier to communicate with what you think might be the most responsive households.
Here's a list of common demographic and other selections: Age; Income; Homeowner; Renter; Single-Family; Multi-Family Dwelling; Length of Residence; Home Value; Mail Order Buyer; Credit Card Data; Donor; Gender; Marital Status; Children Present/Children by Age; Ethnic Surnames; Telephone Number.
Every "select factor" you opt for adds a cost to the list usage fee, but, on the other hand, you save on postage by mailing to fewer but more interested households, therefore increasing the probability of success.
Finding the most cost-effective list for your purposes will take a little research, but the online availability from the major list sources at reasonable costs makes it easier these days for small organizations.
Note: In fact, you might start by investigating Pitney Bowes Marketing Services. The service is designed for organizations like yours. Here's what the pbmarketingservices.com expert contributed in answer to previous question to Ask the Expert: "Pitney Bowes Marketing Services lets you create direct mail lists online. You can focus on either consumers or businesses. You're offered a variety of demographic factors to zero in on the target audience. Once you submit the select factors, the number of names available is reported back to you. You can then modify the select facors or proceed with the order. When the order is submitted, the created mailing list is sent to the printer for addressing of the direct mail pieces. The order is then mailed out to every name and address on the created mailing list."
www.pbmarketingservices.com