| Understanding
the subtleties and nuances of buyers of high-tech software and
hardware product types can uncover new and responsive list universes
for a mailer's customer acquisition efforts.
In this article, we'll examine a few markets that can be
addressed using high-tech lists. Let's step back for a moment
and look at consumers who have personal computers at home.
From a marketer's point of view, should we classify this grouping
as "high technology" computer users?
Hardly. Computer ownership does not categorize these individuals
as "high tech," although 10 years ago, that would have been
a qualifier. The PC market has matured, moving from the hands
of the technophiles to broad-based consumers and businesspeople.
Analysis of demographic data indicates that the socioeconomic
status of PC owners has moved closer to the mean. Understanding
this fundamental shift is key when using microcomputer software
and hardware lists for a variety of consumer and business-to-business
offers.
For example: Home office. Individuals with a home office
are typically white-collar workers who are completing projects
in the comfort and privacy of their own home. Mailers selling
into this market typically offer paper products, office supplies,
furniture, consumable items (diskettes, tapes, ribbons, etc.)
and more.
Buyers of business productivity software, at home address,
are the key to targeting the home-office market. American
Heritage Dictionary, a combined spelling checker, dictionary
and thesaurus, and WriteNow, a full-featured word processor,
are powerful productivity tools that are used for document
composition. Both lists contain names that target individuals
who are tackling above-average writing tasks. The consistent
theme of productivity (i.e., word processors, spreadsheets,
database applications, etc.), at home address, unlocks a variety
of lists that are excellent for targeting the home office.
We also can use lists that target buyers of "office grade"
hardware at home address. For example, the Fargo list is comprised
of buyers who have purchased color printers capable of producing
photographic quality output. With an average unit of sale
between $600 and $800, we can infer usage that is beyond casual
printing.
Product functionality combined with a high unit of sale
makes specific hardware lists attractive to direct marketers
of home-office products.
Home-based business. Whereas home-office users continue
and complete work at home, individuals with a home-based business
are actually operating a company at a consumer address. One
method for targeting this market is accounting
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software lists. It is a fair assumption that anyone purchasing
and using this sophisticated software at a home address is operating
an entrepreneurial start-up and actively buying products and
services to help expand the business.
Sales and marketing execs. Mailers offering executive self-improvement
products, sales-oriented books, magazines and seminars can
find a highly responsive audience via the rental of contact-management
lists. For example, a program like Sharkware, which aids aggressive
sales techniques, is designed to track contacts, sales calls
and maintain a calendar of events. It is indispensable for
individuals whose livelihood is dependent on sales.
Another grouping of high-tech files that are excellent for
sales-oriented offers are portable computer lists. In most
scenarios, salespeople run their contact-management programs
on laptops so that their contact database can travel with
them. Ask your list broker to research the various hardware
and controlled-circulation magazine lists for portable computer
selects.
Investors. PCs are vital portfolio-management tools for
both personal and corporate investors. Financial-oriented
software programs can lead you to a very serious group of
investment-minded individuals. WealthBuilder, by Reality Technologies,
is specifically designed to optimize an individual's investment
portfolio and execute a personalized, goal-directed investment
strategy. Signal/Data Broadcasting sells portable stock-quotation
systems and tracking software that lets professional investors
get a continuous stream of market data, regardless of their
location. These lists provide prime prospecting ground for
financial newsletter offers, financial-oriented books/magazines,
brokerage services and more. Once again, the technology represents
only an underlying foundation, yielding universes that are
valid for financial offers.
Audio/video. Buyers of CD-ROM entertainment software are
actually buyers for their own personal enjoyment -- which
is exactly the mind-set of those who purchase audio CDs and
prerecorded movies. Continuation usage from the music continuity
clubs on CD-ROM entertainment-software lists supports this
rationale. It is interesting to note that these same music
clubs have adapted their business model to include the selling
of CD-ROM software, leveraging their market position and goodwill
as resellers of entertainment-oriented content.
These examples only scratch the surface. There are many
underlying markets and purchasing affinities that can be addressed
with software and hardware lists, once you know how to look
past the technology. How about tapping buyers of software
that teaches you how to speak a foreign language for travel-related
offers, or contacting information-hungry modem owners/Web
surfers for book and magazine offers? Insurance offers and
home/family services can test edutainment lists targeting
families with young children -- and the lists go on.
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