So, you are getting ready for an old fashioned B2B direct mail campaign. Don’t be ashamed, according to BtoB Magazine’s 2009 Marketing Priorities and Plans survey, 74% of B2B marketers are planning to maintain or increase their direct marketing budget in 2009. Here are 5 tips to help you make the most of your campaign.

Use your Merge Purge Wisely - Most b-to-b rental lists are purchased with one-time use only, but when possible, be sure to use them completely. If your mail-house runs a merge purge for 10 rented lists and 30% are duplicates, that’s ok - you can mail the duplicates again. If the same name shows up on six rented lists, you’ve paid for the name six times and can use it six times. Just be sure that you are mailing the approved mail piece within the promised timeline.

Minimum Use - You’ve made your selections for a prospective list and the name count of available names within your criteria comes back with 1,600 names but there is a minimum charge equivalent to having 5,000 names. Before you pay for more than you’re getting, or compromise and broaden your selections, consider if renting the list on a three-time use basis makes sense. Many list managers will allow you to use the 1,600-name list three times within the year in return for paying the 5,000-name minimum. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Track, Track, Track - Be sure to have each list key-coded so that when you receive responses you can track where they came from. You can code the data, include a code on labels or envelopes, use separate URLs for your landing page, etc. This will make the list selection of your next campaign a breeze. Just use your top lists and replace your poorly performing lists with new/test lists.

The Big Database – Many list management companies offer a large database, comprised of all of the lists they manage. Unless you are in desperate need of names and you are out of options, avoid the large multi-source databases. They are built for convenience. Most will not let you specify the sources you would like to pull from. If they will, great, but if not, walk away. It is entirely possible that the best sources are blocking your use, and in fact, many of these larger databases also fill with compiled names where you have no knowledge as to where the names are coming from. In general, think of the larger managed databases as one step up from a compiled list. For your targeted campaigns, you can do better.

Go Lumpy - With smaller target markets or where budget allows, consider a 3-Dimensional mailer as way to grab the attention of your prospects. While they have a higher cost per piece, they work. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t at least open a 3-D mail-piece, can you? For an even stronger impact, break a more valuable mailer into several mailings – this can grow anticipation and you just might have your prospect looking forward to your next mail piece.

Best of luck!