Do you have a direct mail marketing list and if so how many names do you have on it?
Thanks!

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-Amanda
www.virtualsolutionsmadesimple.com

Yes, I have one. It has about 130 names. It's a living document which gets added to the more I network.

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Julia

Do mailing list really work? I really want to build my cliental base but I am working on a limited budget.

I find it best to develop my own marketing lists. A building address (here in Canada) often reveals all tenant information. Office space for lease websites also list current tenants.

If you are looking to niche with lawyers, architects, engineers or whatever, go to their industry websites where they list members.

There's also your city's website which lists local companies.

I havent done any direct mailing with the VA business but I have with my decorative painting business and found that it was very expensive (considering other marketing choices) and didnt have the return I was hoping for. In fact 2 of my mailing campaigns which cost close to $600 each, didnt return 1 client.. that was a let down so I dont do direct mail anymore.

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www.sageva.com
Shelley Halpain,

Shelley I'm so sorry it didn't work for you. I have had success with it over time. I guess my original thought that it's all about demographics and the availability/density of local business that has some bearing on mail marketing. Perhaps it is different in different parts of the world?

A great resource is the Chamber of Commerce for your town or city. They usually have a website and list all the contact info for the members.

I agree. Chamber of Commerce is great. Take a day or 2 to visit some visitor centers and grab business cards. Send your info to those. Being a VA and Local is definitely a plus!

Another resource is at your local library. Check and see if your local library has access to the ReferenceUSA database. You will need a library card but can often access this online. The database allows you to filter your search by options such as business type (yellow pages heading, major industry group, etc.), Geography (metro area, state, radius, etc.) Business Size (# of employees, sales volume), Home-based, etc.

For example, I searched for all legal entities w/in 30 miles w/1-4 employees, home-based, and came up w/68 potential leads. You can download up to 50 records at a time so by repeating your search criteria you could download the entire group based on your filters. And the best part is ---- it's FREE! And we all LOVE free, right?

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Lily Chambers, The Virtual Office Goddess, LLC
Author "How to Do Your Own Small Business Bookkeeping"

I'm working on a mailing list right now, I would love to hear if anyone has had any great success from direct mail campaigns.

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Trena Stubbs of Apex Virtual Solutions
& Author of The Road to Going Virtual

Does anyone know where to get a list of new business openings in your area? I live in the Tampa Bay Area and have not found anything yet.

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Debra Hayter
Seaboard Business Services

I have a list of 550 local businesses that fit my criteria (financially, size, and location) spread out through my town and three surrounding towns. However, after addressing all of the postcards, I found that I could not at this time afford to mail them all out. So I dropped my list to 120 in my town. I mailed them out a week and a half ago. I put on the card if you would like to be removed from my list, please call... I have received three calls with that request, one return to sender and two cards that had "address is not found". I have not received any actual requests for more information, but I need to be patient. I am extremely hopeful however, because I have not had more requests to be moved.

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Erika Glem
www.advadminsol.com Let my administrative solutions be to your advantage.

Hi - Welcome.. It all about word of mouth. I have not done any direct mail myself - but did land a few project via word of mouth with friends, family and facebook.

Good luck!

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Virtual Express Inc.
Ramonita Comas

Thanks for the tip to use the library. I am also working on a direct mail list my target market right now is non-profit organizations.

Ivette

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Ivette Matos, Excel Virtual Services
http://www.excelvirtualservices.com

Direct mail campaign over time only return between 1% to 3% - if you only have a mailing list of 130 that will not prooduce much return. Also the rule of thumb is that people need to see what you have to offer 6 to 7 times before it catches their attention. You can increase the return with follow-up calls. Then an email special offer. People respond to a personal touch and you can learn more about their needs if you get to talk with them. If you have a limited budget, I would use emails and follow up with phone calls.