Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is one of many ways for a business to communicate with its customers and generate sales. Examples of direct marketing channels include direct mail marketing, catalogue marketing, telemarketing and telesales, door-to-door or face-to-face marketing, and online marketing. A mailing list is the first stop for locating your target audience - the key element of any direct marketing or direct mail campaign.
Information and Advice
Direct Marketing Association 
A range of services and information on direct marketing to members and to non-members. Some of their information and leaflets can be obtained free of charge.
Institute of Direct Marketing
A range of services and information on direct marketing to members and to non-members.
Direct Mail Information Service
Offer statistics, information and tips on using direct mail in both consumer and business-to-business markets.
Target Marketing
The website for this e-journal on direct marketing allows free access to a proportion of the current contents, along with an archive of articles from earlier issues, a daily industry news section, an online
discussion facility for articles appearing in the magazine or on any other related topic and a diary of forthcoming events organised by the publishers.
Royal Mail
Some useful pages - choose the Mail Marketing section.
Lists
CountyWeb
Information on businesses and doing business by county. There is an option to buy the data so that you can download and use the data for direct marketing purposes.
Data Now
Mailing/Marketing lists from AP Information Services. Lists include professional sectors such as Personnel, Training, Marketing, and the UK and International Pension Funds Industry. Users can view
sample data, refine searches and pay only for those records that they download. Pay-as-you go service.
Dun & Bradstreet
To access the pay-as-you-go UK marketing database, first make your way to the UK site. Then look down the left hand side of the screen and click on "Find new customers by targeting the
right prospects", and then on D& B Market Place UK - Order with Credit Card.
Listbroker.com
Another example of a site which supplies lists of all types: consumer, business to business, mostly in the UK but there are some overseas. All list details including prices available on this site.
Lists Now
Provides links to direct mail lists for the US and World-wide. The US Business section covers Centrus, Zapdata, Acculeads and Experian. The lists are searchable by a number of criteria including
SIC code. Charges are based on the number of records and amount of information per record that is downloaded. Payment is via credit card.
MarketingFile.com
Buy and clean mailing lists online for use in direct marketing.
The Prospect Shop
Buy UK business-to-business mailing lists online. Over 440,000 names to choose from. Includes over 7,300 people in charge of key business functions at leading companies in Wales. Search for
free. No minimum order. Their page of Handy Hints for Direct Marketing includes a few suggestions to help
your UK business-to-business mailings on to even greater success.
