Posted by Brian Berg Google+
Most mailing list brokers label mailing list databases that are not compiled as “special”. The database tends to increase in value when begin labeled as such. But the fact is, most mailing list brokers do not fully appreciate the source of one database source or another. They tend to focus on the selects and pricing and maybe how the coverage is in their prospective direct mail marketer’s mail territory.
Ultimately, many a mail budget is spent testing a mailing list based on misinformation. The importance working with an experienced mailing list broker cannot be overly emphasized. You can never ask too many questions on how a potential mailing list has been compiled, when it was created, and when you are told of the update schedule, what exactly do they mean by update.
Specialty mailing lists are those more or less static databases of mailing addresses that more used by one vertical mail market. Because of their specialized nature, they are limited to the types of businesses that would possibility test the file on their direct mail campaign.
Therefore, there is a finite number of mailers, and a limited revenue potential for this “special” database. And the more “specialized” the database, the less total records available in any given market further making reducing the total potential value of such a list. So for the above reasons, you’ll typically find a hefty price tag for such a list, and perhaps a larger error rate for inaccurate data. Specialty mailing list data is “special” because for all its short comings, the cost to continually produce such a product is still justified.