Print and direct mail2 min read Which mailing list is right for your healthcare newsletter?

Who should get a printed copy of your healthcare newsletter? That's a question you've probably been thinking about as you wrote your articles, chose your photos and approved your layouts. When it's time to distribute your newsletter, a mailing list can help you find the readers you've been thinking about.

You have plenty of options when it comes to rented lists. And you'll want to understand those options in detail so you can choose a list that helps you reach your goals. Here are a few of the options available, along with details about how each list might be used.

Consumer name lists

What they are: Consumer name lists contain name and address data that have been compiled by the list company from a wide variety of sources. The data is updated frequently.

These lists may come with demographic information, including:

• Age ranges.
• Estimated income.
• Gender.
• Homeowner or renter.
• Presence of children.
• Duration of residence.
• Dwelling type.

You can use this data to help refine your list. Or you can choose a list that contains specialty demographics—such as new movers or new homeowners—so your selections are premade.

When they're ideal: Trying to reach a specific person by name? These lists are good options for you. Even if you don't delve into demographic information, you'll find the families you're looking for due to their names.

Resident lists

What they are: Resident lists contain address data without any names, and they're compiled with data from the U.S. Postal Service. Instead of a recipient name, your piece is addressed to "Resident" or another variation. You may be able to personalize the recipient line; for example, replacing "Resident" with "To our neighbor at."

Resident lists can be refined with geographic and demographic selections, such as:

• Type of delivery route (city, rural, P.O. Box).
• Single-family or multifamily dwelling.
• Businesses.
• Median income.
• Home value.

These selections are available at the carrier-route level, rather than at the individual household level. That means you'll make broad selections, rather than choosing between individual households.

When they're ideal: Resident lists are perfect for reaching the greatest number of households at the lowest cost, as rental fees are low. Postage will be at the lowest available rate when you use a resident list too.

Specialty lists

What they are: Specialty name lists are highly targeted, and they contain a wide variety of demographic information, such as:

• Ethnicity.
• Religion.
• Occupation.
• Buying habits.
• Behavioral data.

When they're ideal: A specialty list may be just right if you need to reach a very specific segment of people.

Even more options available

Once you've settled on a list, you have a few more decisions to make. You can rent the list for one-time use, or you can rent it for a set period of time and use it over and over.

Also, you may have lists within your organization that you'd like to add to your purchased list. Prior patients, employees or donors might all like to see your publication. But if you add them to the list, you'll need to be sure to sort them so you don't send the same newsletter to the same household more than once.

There's a lot to consider, but thankfully, you don't have to do this work alone. At Coffey, we have decades of experience in direct mail. We can help you understand your options, and we can help you execute your plans. To find out more, call us at 888.805.9101 or email us.