As Direct Marketing continues to advance, it is clear that new technologies are making it easier to pinpoint targets and prospects. In an earlier post I discussed the ability to purchase one name at a time, in this post I will look at co-registration AKA Co-Reg in the B2B market space.

It is always fascinating to see consumer driven promotional programs evolve into B2B marketing tools. Co-registration has been around for a while in the consumer market and over the last few years has made its way over to the B2B side.

If you are not familiar with co-registration, essentially this is a way to reach people who are signing up for industry related publications, newsletters and other various online offers. For the sake of brevity and also because I believe them to be a trustworthy source, I will be focusing my thoughts on co-registration with trade publications.  

Here’s how it works:
After potential subscribers submit an online application for a renewal or subscription to a publication (i.e. fills out an online bingo card), a screen pops up confirming receipt of their application and asks them if they would like to receive information about companies ABC or XYZ. Every co-registration program I have seen is set up as at least single opt in. What is vital to the success of any lead generation program is that you are getting the names of targets who have raised their hands to learn more about your company.

Some Co-Reg programs will then offer a series of additional questions that must be answered correctly in order to be passed along to the advertiser. This helps to ensure that even when a candidate raises their hand, if they don’t meet the qualifications, their name is not passed along. It also increases the value and the level of prospect you are receiving. If they answer each question correctly, the name and contact information is forwarded in real time to the advertiser to follow up.

Okay, where is the catch?
While co-registration is a great way to build your database, it is not inexpensive. Another major drawback of some co-registration programs is that they are set up on a minimum basis. This means that if you want to set up a program for your top industry publication – forget about it, you need to pick a larger group of publications. Also, co-registration mimics direct mail in that list managers have contracts with different publishing houses, so you cannot approach one list manager for a co-registration program across all of your industry publications.

Who is this right for?
If your company is a sales-lead focused organization or if you are looking to grow your own targeted database then this just might be the right vehicle for you. If so, give it a test, kick the wheels a bit and let me know how it worked out.