A client came to us recently with an idea for a campaign for which they already had the "perfect" list -- the membership file from an engineering organization focused exclusively on the market niche that their product served. Better yet, the list was free. We insisted (successfully) that they also test three other lists -- all from targeted industry publications -- as part of the same campaign.

When the results were in, the membership list had performed the worst of any of the four lists -- half the response of the top-performing subscription file.

The moral of this story? The list is the most important ingredient of a successful campaign. Perhaps 50% or more of your success depends on first mailing to the right people. Free lists abound -- membership lists, trade show attendees, partner customer lists, free names given as advertising credit, etc. First, the names aren't "free" -- you're still likely to spend $1 and up per name (on copy, design, printing, postage, etc.) putting those names in the mail. Evaluate free lists the same way you evaluate any other -- by asking: "does this list enable us to target precisely the audience we wish to reach?"

If you use a free list, ALWAYS test it against other files. That way, you'll have a benchmark to measure against if your campaign doesn't meet expectations.