Recommendations, updates, and thoughts from the NextMark executive team.
Love this video, Auto Tuning, by Casey D at Vimeo that comically illustrates the friction between the business project manager and the software developer. Of course, nothing like this ever happens here at NextMark with our silky smooth development process š Best lyric:
It’s gonna be done right quick, oh yeah.
It’s gonna be done so soon.
It’s gonna be done in two weeks.
Hilarious!
NextMark just helped Infinite Media to relaunch its MailingLists.com website. It now provides marketers with a free mailing list search engine coupled with free mailing list advice from live experts.
It's an interesting adaptation of NextMark's mailing list search technology and data card database. See for yourself at http://www.MailingLists.com.
To recruit for his 1914 Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton placed the following advertisement in a London newspaper:
"Men wanted: for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."
Shackleton's offer was not very enticing, to say the least, but he certainly understood his target audience and his need for others to be equipped for the journey.
Although streamlining the mailing list acquisition process is not worthy of comparison with Shackleton's initiative, there is a leadership lesson to be learned from his recruitment effort — you don't go alone. Fortunately, for us and our clients, we have much better odds today than Sir Ernest did in 1914.
In addition to the 250+ industry leaders who recently joined the NextMark groups on LinkedIn and Plaxo, a select few also joined NextMark's advisory board to provide counsel and feedback on a present initiative to bridge the gap between data cards and data. This effort will also be focused on streamlining the count request process as shown below:
The group's responses are encouraging:
"Cross Country Computer is very excited to be part of the NextMark Select initiative. As data geeks and technology lovers, we always want to be on the forefront of innovation. NextMark Select will help the list industry improve communications, resources and turnaround — and ultimately improve ROI," said Nora Brophy, Vice President of Business Development at Cross Country Computer.
"NextMark is once again leading the charge to streamline the direct marketing process online. Their innovative bridge between data cards and data will allow marketing professionals to obtain pertinent information at lightning speed — thus saving time and money. Most importantly, this new technology allows marketing professionals to gain more control over the deliverability of data," said David Dotson, Managing Partner at ALC.
"NextMark is taking a leadership position on an initiative that has great potential for the direct marketing industry. It's great to do business with a company that places such high value on innovation, collaboration and customer service," noted Mary Miller, Director of Marketing at dm2 Decisionmaker.
"The list industry has been aching for efficiency for years. Cross Country Computer is proud to be a part of this initiative to provide an infrastructure that allows the brokerage community to serve their clients more effectively, and gives list managers the ability to focus more on cross/up-sell opportunities and less on paper-shuffling," said Greg Jarrow, Manager of Business Development at Cross Country Computer.
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The following individuals added valuable, empirical insight to the development of an integrated count request engine for next generation direct marketing:
Nora Brophy, Vice President of New Business Development, Cross Country Computer
David Dotson, Managing Partner, ALC
Denise Hubbard, Director of Sales and Marketing, Specialized Fundraising Services
Greg Jarrow, Manager of New Business Development, Cross Country Computer
Heather Maylander, Managing Director, Lake Group Media
Mary Miller, Director of Marketing, dm2 Decisionmaker
Joanne Petrone, Controller, Blue Hill Marketing
Mike Reckinger, Vice President, ALC DataCentrix
Jerry Reisberg, Vice President of Business Development, MCH, Inc.
Joe Robinson, Senior Vice President, Lake Group Media
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The NextMark executive team would like to thank these individuals for their contributions towards bridging the gap between 60,000 data cards and the data. Check out the following video on the YouTube 'findlists' channel for a sneak preview of what is to come:
Did Al Gore invent the Internet? Here is the History of the Internet in an 8 minute animated video by PICOL. It's not a complete history and is a bit revisionist, but information-packed. Geeky, too!
This is screen cam the of alpha version of NextMark Select interface. This shows how we are solving the problem of slow counts. Still lots of work to do, but thought you would like this sneak peek. Also… Here's the High-Def version at vimeo.
NextMark just released a new feature in its mailing list research system that enables you to block lists and list managers from your search results. This feature is handy for hiding bad lists or list managers that you will never recommend. The block lists video (see above or click here for the High-Def version) shows you how to use this new tool.
Good mailing list purchase decisions depend on a good data card database, and NextMark ensures the quality of its data card database through the Data Card Quality Report and other monitoring tools. While it is important not to confuse data card quality with list quality, counts are changing all the time and a neglected data card could be a warning sign of a neglected list. This blog entry is primarily for list managers who are looking for insights on how to keep their data cards up-to-date most efficiently using NextMark's data card publishing tool.
How are data cards scored?
The scoring process is reviewed on a quarterly basis, and subsequently refined to address list specific criteria. Individual data card scores are calculated using a weighted average of thirteen attributes, with an emphasis on last update (the date when the card was last updated and/or confirmed by the list manager). The basic principle is to create a quality data card from the start, and to manage the update process efficiently. List managers may also contact NextMark to learn how these updates may be processed automatically on their own web site, and integrated on a search engine optimized platform to be indexed by Google and the other search engines.
Seven secrets to scoring high on data card quality:
#1 Review your data card quality report: select either 'Data Card Quality Spreadsheet' or 'Data Card Quality Print View' from the 'CHOOSE A REPORT' menu on the Lists – Management tab. You must be signed in to NextMark under your list management organization to run this report.
#2 Use the 'next update date' field: by populating this field you get the benefit of receiving an e-mail reminder (to update the data card) seven days prior to the date you enter. The next update date must be greater than or equal to the current date in order to receive full credit for last update. If you decide that you do not want to update this field, then be sure to leave it blank and manage your edits based on the update frequency.
#3 Check the update frequency: it is important for list brokers to know how often the names on a mailing list are updated. If the next update date is not populated, then the data card quality score will be based on the update frequency and the last date and time when the data card was updated by the list manager. For example, a data card representing a list that updates monthly should be confirmed every 30 days. However, if the update frequency is semi-annually, then you would only need to update the data card twice per year. Of course, this assumes that there have been no pricing or other changes to the file during the update cycle.
#4 Populate all scored fields for postal list types: make sure that every one of the fields representing the 13 attributes are populated with valid information. There are a few exceptions to this, for example: if a list is available for email addresses only, then you would not be required to select outputs; or if a list is available on exchange only, then you would not be required to enter a base rate.
#5 Audit your list type selections: the scoring process for an insert program is slightly different than it is for a postal mailing list. The same holds true for other types such as blow-in or statement stuffer programs. It is important to make these selections carefully to make sure that your data cards are scored by the most appropriate criteria.
#6 Create a high quality list description: although there is a minimum character length required for a high quality list description, the scoring process also considers your creative efforts as part of the grade. The html is also credited in a manner similar to the text length of your data card description. Therefore, you are able to focus your efforts on the quality of a list description and not solely its length. You may also create and edit custom tables in the description area to provide counts and/or other information about the list. These tables are also considered as part of the overall data card description score. It is also important to remember to populate the short description field, as you be unable to achieve a perfect grade without that.
#7 Select three relevant categories: you'll need to select at least three categories on the data card that would be relevant to the broker or mailer who is renting the list. Excessive categorization is discouraged because it not only dilutes the uniqueness of a list, but also makes it difficult to determine the target audience for the list. However, you are not required to limit the number of categories, especially in cases where a list or database is enhanced with additional data for targeting specific demographics or psychographics.
The next update of the top list managers by data card quality will be run and published in April for Q1 2009. If you need help with understanding the terms on the data card, then please reference the direct marketing glossary for more information.
Mary Elizabeth Hurn referenced the following search trend in her March 10, 2009 DMNews article titled "More words in average search query: Hitwise".
"Longer search queries are becoming more popular year over year according to a report put out by Hitwise. Though the majority of searches are one, two and three word queries, these length terms are down 3%, 5% and 1%, respectfully. But queries with four to eight words and over are all up year over year in growth ranging from 3% to 20%."
So what does this mean for you if you are a list manager? It may be good news for you if your data cards are on a search engine optimized (SEO) platform. Every mailing list data card indexed by Google as a unique web page contributes to a successful long tail SEO strategy. List managers, who focus on creating a list marketing environment and data card quality within a certain domain, will ultimately benefit from this trend. Yes, list managers do have long tails.
Every list title, segment, selection and description is a target for the web robots (bots). The more of your data card content they find, the better your chances are in getting noticed on the search engine results page (SERP). The most visited web page, other than your home page, may account for less than 1% of your traffic. However, it is the sum of all of the traffic from all of your web pages that you want to maximize. Winning the battle for the long tail will not only improve your search traffic, but it may also improve your conversion rate.
For example, an attorney looking for a mailing list of small business owners in Rhode Island searches on "small business leads" using Google and pages though 76,800 results. She subsequently clicks on a link that registers her for a third-party lead service that fills her voice mail and litters her in-box with responses from various sales agents. She is not a happy camper, but she knows from experience that it's not worth suing them.
Her paralegal comes to the rescue and runs a search on "small business owners mailing list and RI". He gets one targeted result linked to a data card showing over 12,000 small business owners in Rhode Island. He calculates the cost using the base rate directly from the data card, clicks on 'get more information' receives an e-mail with the contact information, places the order on his company credit card, and delivers the list to his manager that same day.
See the Hi-def version of "This count is sucking your blood" on Vimeo.
Thereās a count thatās sucking your blood. No, itās not Count Dracula. Iām talking about mailing list counts. Slow counts are sucking the lifeblood out of your direct marketing programs.
When prospecting for new customers with direct marketing, you generally need to rent mailing lists. But you donāt usually rent the whole list. You order the subset of the list that matches your target audience.
For example, when ordering from a list of doctors, you might select the subset of doctors that are brain surgeons practicing in New Hampshire. So the question isā¦ How many names meet your criteria?
To get this count, somebody has to run a database query to get the answer to your question.
Time for a pop quiz: How long does it take to get the count?
Believe it or not, 2 days is the industry standard. I know what you are thinkingā¦ āNo way! It only takes 2 seconds to run that simple query!ā Youād be right about that. But this was a trick question. I didnāt ask you how long it takes to run the query. Instead, I asked how long it takes to get your answer.
So why does it take 2 days to get your answer? The slow turnaround is a result of a series 0f delays in the processā¦ So letās review the process
With all the delays and hiccups, this process typically takes two days!
Why is this process so slow? Itās disconnected from the workflow. Itās a low priority because nobody makes any money running counts. Itās error-prone, time-consuming, and disruptive. Itās just very difficult to manage.
What do slow counts cost you?
It drives up your personnel expenses. The slow service makes you look bad and forces hasty decisions. Those bad decisions hurt the performance of your direct marketing campaigns which lowers your revenue which, in turn, lowers your return on marketing investment. All of this combined reduces the demand for your services, which puts you into a viscous cycle of lower profits and reduced service.
Whatās missing is infrastructure.
Whatās missing is a bridge between the data card and the data. Data cards are central to the daily workflow of list brokers and list managers. They use data cards all day every day to get their job done. If we bridge the gap between data cards and the data, then we will dramatically streamline the workflow
Consider the data card. If we add a counts button to the data card, then it would enable buyers to request counts electronically in a consistent way.
And because the count requests are electronic they can be handled efficiently and tracked automatically. In most cases, the query can be run automatically once approved.
The result of this technology is a dramatically streamlined process that cuts turnaround time to hours, minutes, or even seconds!
This simple act of streamlining counts has many benefits. It will drive down your personnel expenses. The fast service makes you look good and enables better decisions. Those good decisions will improve the performance of your direct marketing campaigns which increases your revenue which, in turn, increases your return on marketing investment. All of this combined increases the demand for your services which now puts you into a virtuous cycle of higher profits and improved service.
This technology isnāt some far off pipe dream.
NextMark Select is the name of this technologyā¦ and itās very real. And it will soon be available to you. Stay tuned.
The Winterberry Group has just released a white paper reporting the first decline in direct mail spending in recorded history starting in 1945. The white paper, entitled A Channel in Transformation: Vertical Market Trends in Direct Mail 2009, is the New York-based consulting firmās fifth annual study of trends in direct mail media. It stresses the importance of the trends away from "mass" and towards "targeted" direct mail programs:
"Squarely impacted by the ātriple assaultā of the recession, rising postage rates and growing marketer preference for low-cost digital communications, total U.S. direct mail spending declined sharply in 2008āfalling 3.0 percentāand was accompanied by an even more significant cutback in mail volume"
[…]
"The accelerating shift from āmassā to ātargetedā direct mail programs has been enabled by an increasingly powerful array of marketing automation technologies, many of which are making their way into the toolsets of marketers both large and small."
[…]
āThe dramatic events of the last few years have come home to roost for direct mail. Postal shocks, environmental pressure, recession, media consumption shifts and enhanced targeting tools have brought about an end to the ābatch-blastā era of direct mail,ā said Bruce Biegel, Winterberry Groupās senior managing director. āIn the face of exceptionally challenging conditions, it is apparent that mailers have shifted their focus to lower-volume, more targeted and higher-value campaigns, with traffic generation to the store, Web and call center being the primary objective. In turn, this shift is generating a realignment of the supplier community and the marketing operations processāopening the door for more and better integrated marketing over the next several years.ā
A Channel in Transformation: Vertical Market Trends in Direct Mail is available for complimentary download via the Research page of Winterberry Groupās Web site, located at http://www.winterberrygroup.com/research/.
So what are these automation technologies that will enable you to survive and thrive in this scary new world?
First, consider the fact that your choice of mailing lists is a very significant factor in the outcome of every direct marketing program. Experts attribute more than 40% of the success of direct marketing to your choice of mailing lists:
As Winterberry reported, it's even more important than ever to be targeted in your marketing. Direct mail is one of the few channels that enables this level of precision.
Good news!… in the last few years, there's been innovations in technology that can help you find better mailing lists. A great example is NextMark's Mailing Lists Search Tool.
And the best part? It's free.
Access to this information and technology used to be hidden behind passwords and high user fees. Now, thanks to Marketing Freeconomics, you get it for free.
Now is a great time to be in the mail. There's less noise and competition. There's better tools. If you do a good job with your targeting, you will be positioned for growth. Start today by finding some great mailing lists!
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