Question regarding direct mail marketing. Starting new business.

[FriedChicken]

The business I intend to start next year wouldn't be classified as a marketing/advertising service.
It would actually be a promotion and event planning company and sell sponsorships to businesses and utilize the event advertising to promote the sponsors.
Not really a new idea.

My intention is for this to be a service for the sponsors and almost function as a group buy for advertising and mailing campaigns - much more focused on attracting/directing business towards the sponsors than most events.

I'd really like to do a targeted direct mail campaign for each individual sponsor. Postcard mailer with event information on one side and sponsor information on the other. (not the best promotion for the event but great promotion for the sponsors).
Only one sponsor per postcard unless some of them want to team up and increase their coverage area. If their is too much overlap (I don't want to send multiple cards to the same address) then I'll have to figure something out.

This is the part I'm most clueless about.
I've never done targeted direct mail. To stretch the money further I'd like to organize myself rather than sub the job to business specializing in it but I don't know how it works.

Figuring out who your target audience is basic enough. But I don't know where or how to get the information (and what information is even available) about different residences in order to piece together where the targeted audience resides.
I also don't know why kind of program I'd want to use for storing the information, etc.

Basically I'd like to get a few pointers on how targeted direct mail marketing works and determine whether this would be a feasible service to provide for my sponsors.

I know there is some rather savvy people around here. Thank you very much!

[FriedChicken]

Example: When I bought my house I got lots of targeted mail at my new address.
Same happened when I turned 18, I got more mail that was targeted toward me based on that criteria.

Is the targeting process too complicated for a small business not entirely dedicated to that profession to take on?

[Schifference]

I owned a printing company among other entitites over the years. The cheapest way to do that is by purchasing a mailing list the meets your criteria. Then having your cards printed and mailed. Size & thickness of the card dictate the postal cost. Probably easiest thing to do is to have a direct marketing company arrange to do the mailing for you. They can use inkjet printing right off the list. They can even provide the list for you.

With all that being said, that is the old way of doing things. Very expensive. Most of your money is going to go to the post office. Much cheaper and more effective to market electronically directly to the consumer.

[tangent4ronpaul]

You can get a bulk mail permit if you have a business license. You will need to sort by zip before you drop the mailing off.

For someplace like a pizza joint, hire teens to canvas the area. If the client is someone like a gun store, use commercial databases like Lexis-Nexis or Dialog to find out who the gun owners in the area are.

-t

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

If the client is someone like a gun store, use commercial databases like Lexis-Nexis or Dialog to find out who the gun owners in the area are.

-t

FC, are you doing this type of work or need this type of service?

[FriedChicken]

I owned a printing company among other entitites over the years. The cheapest way to do that is by purchasing a mailing list the meets your criteria. Then having your cards printed and mailed. Size & thickness of the card dictate the postal cost. Probably easiest thing to do is to have a direct marketing company arrange to do the mailing for you. They can use inkjet printing right off the list. They can even provide the list for you.

With all that being said, that is the old way of doing things. Very expensive. Most of your money is going to go to the post office. Much cheaper and more effective to market electronically directly to the consumer.

Thank you very much for the information.
Yeah the numbers could shut this down if its too expensive. I know using google ads and stuff could be even more targeted and possibly be a better service to sponsors.
But seems that the business would need to have an online presence in order to benefit. I thought direct mail could possibly have a wider appeal to attract sponsors.

What may end up happening is offering a budget for either option to each sponsor.

FC, are you doing this type of work or need this type of service?

Currently the only type of work I do is construction and run tech for a ballet studio when they do productions. I use to do event promotion years ago but couldn't ever make money doing it but I didn't involve sponsorships like I intend on doing this time around.
The only marketing I did back then was social media, flyers/posters and word of mouth.

So I'm needing the service or needing to learn to do it myself.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

So I'm needing the service or needing to learn to do it myself.

Okay, I see. I do this type of thing as contract work, but maybe not what you do specifically. One job I do is compiling lists of businesses in certain industries. I can narrow it by geography, industry, company size, etc.

[FriedChicken]

Okay, I see. I do this type of thing as contract work, but maybe not what you do specifically. One job I do is compiling lists of businesses in certain industries. I can narrow it by geography, industry, company size, etc.

When I get things moving I will definitely shoot you a PM and see if there is something you can help with. Thanks!

edit: Help with meaning hire, not ask you to volunteer. lol. Just clarifying.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

When I get things moving I will definitely shoot you a PM and see if there is something you can help with. Thanks!

edit: Help with meaning hire, not ask you to volunteer. lol. Just clarifying.

Okay FC, that sounds good. Thanks.