After you write your long sales letter, you need to know who to send it to. In this article, you'll learn where to find an advertising list and trade organization listings to help with your IT marketing efforts.

Advertising Lists

For list selection, you have many choices. If you're looking for recommendations, especially in the U.S., it's really simple. You have list compiler companies like Zap Data (http://www.zapdata.com), and InfoUSA (http://www.infousa.com). For your IT marketing, they're a good place to start. Tip: For renting mailing lists outside the U.S., start looking at:

Accountable List Brokers - (http://www.listbroker.com.au) in Australia

List Angels - (http://www.listangels.co.uk) in the United Kingdom

InfoUSA also has Canadian lists (http://www.infousa.com)

To go deeper, look at the local chambers and the industry trade groups where you can skim out some additional contact information for your IT marketing list. And certainly don't overlook your local newspapers and business journals for additional leads.

Getting Involved in Trade Organizations

Over time, you will build up your IT marketing client list and end up with two clients that are, for example, dentists. You have experience in installing small LANs and setting up networks and all the X-ray, digital imaging software and all the patient chart management. You know exactly what to do with a dentist's office. So it makes sense to look for other prospects that are just like these dentists because it's a lot easier to sell to them.

Hang out Where Your Clients Do

The best way to reach those kinds of prospects is to look around for the trade groups that this particular occupation or industry would belong to. Go to their meetings and conferences, and take out a table in their local expos. Become active so you can be a panelist on something technology-related or write an article for one of their industry publications. The key here is to get referrals.

Don't Over-do It

Don't run out to join more than two or three industry organizations at a time because that can easily take up a big chunk of your week. Ease into this over the next couple of months and get reasonably active. Don't get to the point that it starts digging into your job like getting on the board of directors or anything thing like that. But you do need to go to the meetings. If you go a few times a year, you will start meeting enough people to make the word of mouth referral potentially significant.

The Bottom Line on IT Marketing

In IT marketing, finding your potential customers is paramount. To build your prospect list, buy or rent some advertising lists and go to the industry events of your customers. Become reasonably active in these organizations so you can build your referral business.