Q1: How important are mailing lists in my direct mail efforts?

A1: They are crucial. In fact, most direct mail professionals regard list choice as the single most critical element for determining the success of a mailing program. Just how important? To illustrate: When using an identical direct mail package, the best list can pull ten times as many responses as a poor list. No matter how well crafted your mailing may be in other respects, if it isn't reaching the right people with the right message for your practice, the results will suffer badly.

Q2: How do I select the right mailing lists

A2: As you might have suspected, the art and science of list selection is a much written-about subject and there are many opinions floating around related to it. However, there are certain fundamental guidelines that can point you in the right direction.

For example, begin the process by forming a mental image of your ideal patients - the ones most likely to need your specific services and remain loyal through the years. Consider their demographic profile for hard data like age, income, geographic location, etc. Then consider their psychographics that are defined by lifestyle characteristics such as favorite activities, hobbies or affiliations. The best initial guide when choosing a mailing list is your hard-won knowledge of what your most desirable patients are like, based on your own experience. Use this knowledge to purchase lists of people whose characteristics match your "ideal customer" most closely. With this as a starting point, go on to fine-tune your list sensibilities through proper testing.