Inviolable List Principles
Learn all you can about a list you want to test. Ask for mailing pieces or samples of recent ads that generated the list’s names. Find out where the ads appeared, so you get the “flavor” of the list. 4. Match the mailing file to the response file to understand the geodynamics of response.
Population redistribution is ongoing. In an ever-shifting society, some formerly high-revenue areas may be down in response. One possible reason: a new shopping mall was built in the area and is luring consumers away from catalogs. A fascinating exercise would be to match a list of major malls against geo factors. Suppress certain ZIP codes from your prospect mailings where major malls have been built.
Denny Hatch is the author of six books on marketing and four novels, and is a direct marketing writer, designer and consultant. His latest book is “Write Everything Right!” Visit him at dennyhatch.com.
