What Is Your Call To Action?

No matter what kind of marketing material you are sending to your mail list, it is a good idea to include a call to action -- a clear instruction of what you want the prospect to do - and something that creates a sense of urgency about taking the action.

Here are some examples of a call to action:

• Call for more information
• Bring in this coupon
• Buy this and we'll include that for free

A call to action can be made even more powerful by adding wording that notifies the reader that there is some risk in failing to act immediately. Expiration dates, a statement of limited supply or scarcity, or a qualifier are all ways to create a sense of urgency.

See what happens if we add a sense of urgency to the call to action:

• This is a limited-time offer - call by next Tuesday
• Coupon will be redeemed for the first 50 people
• Buy this and we'll include that until supplies run out

What Kinds of Mail Lists Are Available?

In the most general terms, there are two kinds of lists: a house list consisting of information about your own customers and prospects; and a rented list consisting of information that has been gathered and offered for use. Here is a description:

• House list: a house list includes the names, addresses and other information for the customers of a business. It may also include the same information about prospects -- people who have responded to marketing efforts or share characteristics with customers. As a general rule, a house list provides the best response rate from a direct mail campaign.

• Rented list: a mailing list that has been compiled from various sources.

Most house lists are compiled by the business of organization itself, while rented lists are compiled from public information sources or from respondents (those who have purchased a product or service or subscribe to a publication or have answered a survey). Some rented lists are privetely owned and require the list renter to meet criteria for list use.

Mail list brokers differentiate between a business list consisting of commercial establishments and organizations and a residential lists of homeowners and renters.