TYPES OF LISTS: 

You can purchase a variety of different types of lists...

• Subscriber lists (e.g.,  names and addresses of people subscribed to Parenting Magazine or some other magazine that matches what your target market would read)
• Purchaser Lists (e.g. an appliance repairman can purchase a list of names and addresses of people who recently purchased a new appliance)
• Compiled lists (e.g. a list that came from multiple sources such as the ones mentioned above.  You'd have someone who reads Parenting Magazine and also that made a specific type of purchase)

For any of these types of lists, you can get it sorted geographically (e.g. zip code), income level, men or women only, only people with kids, folks with kids of a certain age, people who have a history of shopping online, people who purchase a lot of self-help books, people of a specific age, etc).  The criteria is endless so that you can fine-tune it precisely who your target market is.

WHERE TO GET LISTS

Lists are pretty easy to get...

• Online:  www.InfoUSA.com is one that I've purchased a few lists from to do direct mailing and find the site incredibly easy to use.  There are countless others as well. Another great resource for all types of lists is www.srds.com.  That site is used by direct marketers (which is what you become the minute you start using lists to market your business).  For a yearly subscription cost, you can use keywords to search for a list that best matches your target audience.  At this site, you can find contact information for many lists that matches your criteria.

• List brokers:  These are people from whom you can purchase lists. They sit down with you to understand your specific needs and help you determine the best list for you.  You can do a google search for list brokers online or in your area.  Personally, I've found www.InfoUSA.com to be quite excellent.

PURCHASE OR RENT A LIST

Rent:  You can rent lists for as little as $49 per thousand names & mailing addresses.  But when you rent, you must commit to using the list once only.  There are names and addresses planted in the list so that if you try to use it more than once, someone on the list reports you and you essentially get flagged and banned. And you definitely don't want that.

Purchase:  Some lists you can purchase for multiple or unlimited use.  These are typically a bit more expensive.  www.InfoUSA.com sell lists that you can use repeatedly.

WHAT TO SEND TO A LIST

When you have your golden list of ideal prospects in hand...