How Outsourcing List Management Can Pay Off
Just four or five years ago, outsourcing list management for not-for-profit association publications was virtually a no-no.
Just four or five years ago, outsourcing list management for not-for-profit association publications was virtually a no-no, Ilia Rodriguez, list sales manager, IEEE Media, says. “Most of us handled our lists in-house because there was a paranoia that someone would abuse the lists, and since our members are very vocal, if one person complains, you would have to close up shop.” And as a result, list managers were unable to sell email lists or phone numbers, which hindered revenue.
Rodriguez was also hindered by a restricted budget. “We were only able to do simple stuff,” she says. “SRDS listings and such, unless we had a little extra in the budget. We were then able to get a quarter-page ad in a magazine.” And to make matters worse, as opt-out mailing preferences became hugely popular with consumers, the association’s flagship title IEEE Spectrum’s list revenue continued to decline as a result.
Things turned around, however, in 2005 when IEEE Media outsourced its list management. The vendor was able to provide the resources that IEEE Media didn’t have access to before. “At that time, there were only two of us in the list rental department,” Rodriguez says. “And we spent all of our time data processing and shipping labels. To proactively seek out new revenue streams was very difficult. That’s where having an outside list manager came in handy.”
The list manager was able to market IEEE Spectrum’s lists at trade shows, in magazines and to other list brokers. They were also able to create and send out fax and email promotions as well as segment the list based on job title and function. Since 2005, the company has brought in 58 new customers, 14 returning customers and averaged over a 14 percent yearly increase in net sales.
“They used a lot of strategies to boost the revenue that we had never thought of doing before, Rodriguez says. “And it’s great because, for the most part, I don’t have to get very involved. I just let them do what they need to do and they do it well.”
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