The Seven Rarely Told Secrets About Mailing Lists

When direct mail experts get together to discuss what they learned through the years, they trade information with one another that's rarely written about or told to others.

Here are seven of their gems:

1. People over 35 respond better than people under 35. What this means to you: Targeting your mailing to an older age group gives better results.

2. Here's how to predict final results from your new mailing: Your total response will he twice as many more orders as you receive the first week. What this means to you: If you mail an offer for a special price on framing or a new limited-edition print by a well-known artist, your total orders will be double what you receive in the first week of responses.

3. A two-time buyer is twice as likely to buy as a one-time buyer. What this means to you: Have a customer buy their second purchase from you as quickly as possible.

4. The probability of a sale increases or decreases in relation to the time of the last purchase. What this means to you: Send an offer to customers as soon as possible after their last purchase, If you wait too long, the enthusiasm and excitement disappear.

5. Certain months yield a better response than others. What this means to you: There's a reason Publisher's Clearing House, Reader's Digest and American Express send multi-million piece mailings in January. That's the month that produces the greatest response.

6. Analyze the results. What this means to you: Few galleries do this. They mail, wait for results, and if they're not good, say either, "Direct mail doesn't work for me," or, "How can I do it better next time?" Check with your post office for ways to save on postage costs and with your printer for ideas to reduce printing costs.

7. Sending the same mailer to the same list in the same month will give you half the response of the first mailer. What this means to you: If you can make a profit on half the results of the first mailer, send it again. The first time some folks were away, out of town or had too many bills to pay at that time. Or they may have never received the first mailer--especially if you mailed it bulk rate.