A database is a listing of names and addresses and sometimes includes strategic information for marketing. Most marketing companies use the information to generate postal forms to get discounts on postage and not much more. Baber Direct Marketing looks at databases and data in a very different way.

What's more important than knowing your name?

• Knowing that your daughter loves soccer and you love going to her games.
• Knowing that you ride motorcycles. Specifically Harley-Davidsons.
• Knowing that once a year you go fly fishing for a week.

All of this is data. And so is knowing your gender and your approximate age. Knowing what products and services you've bought in the past is also extremely important data to have. With all of this information, not only can Baber Direct create a campaign to sell more of the products you have purchased in the past, we can also use this same information to cross sell you on products and services that you've never bought before.

What's the best way to communicate?

Learning how your target audience wants you to communicate with them is some of the best data that you can gather. Mail. Email. Phone. Even Texting. Sending a relevant message to someone the way they want you to send it allows you to connect with them. That's what having good data can do for you.

Are there another other types of data?

Pictures are also a part of your data. Taking pictures during a big event and posting them is a great way to get people to visit your web site. But why not use those pictures in your next email to the client or on your next mailer? Veterinarians have begun taking pictures of their customers' pets and sending the picture to the customer when it's time to bring the pet in.

Having your customers' logos is also data. If you receive a message that contains your company's logo in it, you'll pay more attention.

All of these things mean that you know more about your target than your competition. All of these things mean you have a better chance to connect with your target and a better chance for your target to buy from you. Remember, sending relevant, personal information the way your target wants to receive it allows you to connect with the target.

Baber Direct manages and manipulates data. From the simplest forms that satisfy U.S. Postal Service mailing requirements to the most complex files containing variable data to changing headlines, body copy, pictures and images, Baber Direct can manage your data and your database. Ask us for recommendations on what data would be right for you to have and how it can be used in a strategic Direct Marketing campaign.