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Companies that publish specialized lists like Dun & Bradstreet can add credit information and both Market Data Retrieval and CMG Group provide enhanced school lists.

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5. E-Lists.

The newest addition to the list universe is the e-list, gathered either from e-mail or directly from the World Wide Web. The common standard for e-lists today is the "opt-in" list, indicating that the individual has agreed to have his or her e-mail address available for mailings. However, there are many slips between the "opt" and the "in" so tread cautiously.

As with hard copy lists, e-lists are being used most effectively when they are customer lists or at least inquirers to the mailer. The cost of mailing your own e-list is virtually (sorry!) free, so begin gathering customer e-mail addresses ASAP.

List Rental Costs

Speaking of costs, I frequently hear someone say they "bought" a list. You should understand that lists are rented for one-time use only. List owners protect their lists by seeding them with dummy names and otherwise monitoring their usage. Mail a list a second time without paying for it, and you'll be hearing from an attorney pretty quick.

Most lists are rented in minimum quantities of 5,000 names, which for most mailers is about the right test quantity per panel. Some very popular lists double that minimum to 10,000. You don't need to mail to all the names you rent, however.

Today, for budgeting purposes, estimate lists at $100 per thousand ($100/M) and you'll be pretty close. Some are more, some are less. Compiled lists may average slightly less, $85-$90/M. High-tech lists tend to start at $100/M and can double that.

For a current project, for example, a client plans to mail IBM AS/400 computer locations. A list of 5,900 locations (32,290 names or an average of 5.5 names per location) on CD-ROM costs $19, 425 or $329 per location. Each file includes detailed sales and contact data for each location.

Whatever the base price, special selections can increase that price quickly. State selections, male/female, income, and other segmentations each add $5, $10, or even $15/M to your base cost. Some negotiation on price may also be possible.

Net Names and Net Net Names

If you're renting a number of lists from one source, you may be able to negotiate a "net names" agreement, paying only for those names that survive a "merge-purge" or de-duplication process.

A "net net name" agreement runs the lists against certain specified screens for bad debt, certain zip code suppression, income, and other factors. Usually, you need to be mailing large quantities to make these types of screenings pay out.

Hotlines

"Hotlines" are those names that have come onto the file in the last 30 days or 60 days or whatever, depending on the list. That is, they are the most recent names on the file. Most list data cards will indicate the monthly hotlines available. Because hotlines normally pull at higher rates that the core list, they cost more.

If you determine that you can successfully mail a particular list's hotline exclusively, and are willing to pay the premium, that's fine. But beware the "hotline test" where a broker or list owner provides hotline names exclusively for a test, where you're planning to mail the core list. You'll get a skewed result in your test. It would be better, in my view, to mail the core list and anticipate a bump in response when you add hotline names later. Including both in your initial test will give you some indicators.

If there are sufficient hotline names coming on line each month for you to use them exclusively, use them. Lucky you.

Names vs. Titles

In mailing business lists, you'll need to decide how reliable your names are. If you're satisfied the names are accurate, mail them. If the names are doubtful, use the title instead, since the title will likely still be there, even if the person isn't, and the piece may get passed along to the new person using that title.