Normally, I talk a lot about copy on this blog, but as a direct response copywriter, I think the quality of your list needs to be discussed for a second. I’ve whipped together lists and rented lists many times over the past few years, and I’ve learned that services like InfoUSA just don’t cut it, especially if you are targeting businesses.

There’s no point in spending the money and energy marketing to a lousy list. If you have a list full of unqualified leads that won’t be interested in what you have to offer, what’s the point?

Here are a few things that your list needs to be successful:

1. Your list needs to be targeted.

Don’t try to please everybody. Pick an industry or a location. Many successful B2B marketers ask, "Would you rather have 10% of 100 or 1% of 1,000?" Shrink your list down to a couple hundred and massage it regularly until the leads start falling out. You’ll have a much higher success rate than if you just send a blanket sales letter to 5,000 businesses.

2. Your list needs names.

You are not marketing to a company – you are marketing to a person. Get a name to send that packet or letter to. You can use LinkedIn, Jigsaw, or even a good ol’ fashioned Google search. This will also help you focus your copy – it’s easier to write to a person than write to a company. It increases the chances your stuff will get read.

3. Your list needs to have people that will want your services.

Does this seem too obvious? You’re not just looking to sell your widgets to any business that will buy from you – even if you’re desperate. Figure out what kind of business needs your services the most and target them. That, again, narrows your focus, which leads to sales.

4. Put it together yourself.

With the sheer amount of information you can find on the internet, you don’t need to be spending your hard-earned money renting a poor-quality list. Use a service like Jigsaw to put together a targeted list of companies in a few minutes. If you don’t want to pay for Jigsaw, use it to just get the company names and addresses, and then use LinkedIn and Google to figure out who you need to market to within the company. If you work through the list yourself, you have a better chance of having good quality leads rather than trusting a third-party service.

You could have the nicest car in the world, but if your map sends you the wrong way, it doesn’t matter where you’re driving – you won’t get where you need to be. Likewise, you can have the best marketing materials in town, but if you are targeting a worthless list, you’re wasting your time (and money!).