A zip code area map outlines the boundaries of each zip code in your data set and helps you see the insights buried deep inside your numbers. With Maptive’s mapping software, you can bring your data set to life and create beautiful, custom zip code maps. So for me I ended up buying the data from TRUCK ADS® U.S. Designated Market List 1 (800) TRUCKAD™ You'll get 400+ excel files for each DMA. I then used a macro to merge them all into one very large excel file. We all use Google.com/maps for directions, but this takes it to another. The tool allows you to do exactly that. Type it in, press ‘Map 3 Digit Zip’ and you know the boundaries immediately. Also, note that it allows you to enter in multiple 3-digit zip zones. Suppose you have 25 addresses to visit and need to find the optimal way to do so. OptiMap allows you to do just that.
Don’t you know that you can boost your company’s sales without increasing cost by using free mapping software?
Marketing professionals use this kind of program to monitor their field territories for efficient distribution. Presentation of sales progress through the software will also help you determine the current status of your company’s sales accurately.
Instead of giving the responsibility to your field agents, why not look at these 10 affordable and almost free territory mapping applications?
10. Territory Mapper
TTG published this program to help marketers in realigning, managing, and monitoring of their company’s sales area. The software features free updates of ZIP code for one year with real-time support from its developers. It allows you to directly send your templates to your printer or convert them into PDF and PowerPoint presentation. Full license costs $499 but you can always download the evaluation copy for free.
Free Zip Code Dma Mapping Software Free
9. Analytics in Focus Sales Territory Map
Sales Territory Map, created by Analytics in Focus, requires installation to prevent you from waiting for the internet to load your map layouts. Its database is integrated with an Excel’s spreadsheet, immediately updating your template as soon as you enter data in the database. Your sales progress’s privacy is secured because you don’t need to upload your map in a cloud server. It comes in 2 editions (free and premium) that you can download online.
8. Flashmaps
Flashmaps features a lot of map templates, ranging from US national levels to different country maps with full provincial details. It helps you connect with your database in real-time, allowing you to access your up-to-date distribution progress anytime. You can even designate colors to areas for presentation purposes with mouse-over summaries for each area. The price is $399 but you can request for an evaluation copy online.
7. MapTron
Designed as an interactive flash software, you only need to edit a text file to configure your mapper. There are tons of free mapping tools online and you can create your own tools as well. You don’t need to install other third party programs to maximize its features. You can buy it online or download its free trial before purchasing.
6. Badger Mapping
Free Zip Code Dma Mapping Software
Badger allows you to put customers on your map templates with specific details such as sales volume and account type. You can also add potential customers on your map with their contact information. The program can guide you through the best route to your customers when planning for field visits. You can immediately start your free trial by visiting their website.
5. Microsoft MapPoint
MapPoint is in full integration with MS Office, allowing you to create map templates with Outlook, Access, PowerPoint, and Excel for presentation. It helps you make information-rich data with information like business trends and business opportunities. You can bring the program anywhere by integrating it with your mobile devices. Order it online or start your free mapping software trial now.
4. AlignStar
AlignStar features mapping, optimization, analysis, and alignment of territories for any type of business. It gives you instant summary of sales data on any map template you currently use. Smart Label technology allows you to see specific details whenever you zoom in your map. It comes in 3 editions (small business, corporate, and enterprise) that are all available online.
3. eSpatial
eSpatial allows you to create interactive territory maps in less than a minute. It features graphic tools to help you build tables, graphs, and heat maps. You can also add real-time activities in each area to help you monitor your current sales development. You need to register first before you can use the software for free in 7 days.
2. GeoMetrx
This program has built-in datasets such as location, climate, crime risk, and traffic count to help you efficiently plan before field selling. You can easily export these data, together with your map, via HTML for public presentation. There are additional map tools coming from Google Earth, Yahoo Maps, and 3D model from Virtual Earth. Free demo software is available from their website through pricing page.
1. SmartDraw
SmartDraw is designed to enhance your company’s sales with the use of flowcharts, marketing diagrams, and visual presentation. It has map templates where you can add detailed markers, texts, and symbols to plot your territory areas. It’s compatible with most MS Office programs for more accessible presentation materials. Both business and enterprise editions are available via official website but they also offer demo versions for free.
Your Turn
Do you know other programs that can help businesses in their sales process? Post affordable and free mapping software under the comments section and don’t forget to tell why you like them.
Web maps can add tremendous value to direct marketing processes by providing fast geographic customer visualizations, territory management options, and route-planning. Web mapping software is a widely available and affordable cloud services solution that can improve marketing response rates and helps drive results.
Direct marketing is so intimately connected with addresses, streets, zip codes, and jurisdictions; it seems unbelievable that web map services are not used more by marketing professionals. If you don’t add web mapping software to your array of marketing tools then your business may be missing a competitive edge.
Common applications of web maps for direct marketing include the creation of marketing and sales territories, tracking deliveries by zip code, and the visualization of measured results by zip code or county. But there are many advanced direct marketing strategies that web mapping makes possible.
Targeting by Region
Testing your marketing approach is a proven strategy that improves overall direct marketing results. Web mapping software can add geographic categories to your campaign testing, helping to speed up the process and fine tune response rates. A good start is simply importing your complete prospect and/or customer lists and observing where the greatest densities of clients or potential clients are located. Visualization of target customer/prospect locations can quickly help determine an area of market focus. Perhaps testing in one or more rural and urban areas at the same time will reveal interesting response trends? Perhaps testing counties vs. zip codes is more effective?
A few years back, I worked for a consumer GPS company. We found, through testing, that response rates to consumer direct mail campaigns were higher in areas with more extreme topography. Not all geographic test results will be so directly related to mapping, but testing your product or service based on geographic categories will often reveal surprising outcomes, or perhaps confirm suspected ones.
Segment Your Lists
Web maps can be an effective way to target your direct marketing activity to a specific segment of your audience. A full prospect list, imported and displayed on a web map, is a pool of potential recipients for your messages and calls to action. By segmenting a prospect list geographically you can fine tune your message to appeal to a regional audience – to regions as small as zip codes. Regional segmentation can be very effective for products with variations that may sell better in specific areas. For instance, certain flavors of chewing gum may sell better in Louisiana while others sell better in New England. A variable message matched to regional tastes may drive more effective response rates. Additionally, price discounting can be applied by region to encourage the sale of products outside of the areas where they traditionally dominate.
An example regional marketing need might be: which metropolitan areas outside of New England are more likely to purchase Boston Red Sox merchandise?
Web mapping software offers a variety of ways to segment purchased prospect lists or in house customer lists. Radius maps or radius searches are a basic tool offered by the best web mapping software solutions. A radius search is when you draw a circle, at varying radii, around a section of your imported data. The search results can be exported to third party applications.
Thinking baseball again use your business mapping application’s radius search tool or radius map to create zip code areas within fifty miles of six large baseball cities. Any prospect accounts that fall within these zip codes are targets for direct marketing test campaigns.
Map Filter Your Data
Another approach to list segmentation is to filter your prospect data by county, zip code, or state regions. Some web map applications will allow a filtered search of your total prospecting database. Returning to our Red Sox example again, in your map application select your prospecting database and filter the data by those target zip code areas around metropolitan centers. Now your test data will reflect only the zip codes you chose to review. Filtering your data by zip code, or county, can expose areas where response rates are particularly low, perhaps skewing results of the whole test.
Census Data
Analysis of your direct marketing test areas can be expanded by adding Census data to your selected target areas. Census demographic data is specifically organized by zip code, county and state, making it extremely user friendly for web mapping users. A few clicks within your mapping application will reveal population densities and average house hold incomes for your most critical prospecting zip codes. Perhaps there are densely populated zip codes with higher average household incomes you haven’t tested yet?
Many mapping applications will analyze zip code and county demographic breakdowns. This provides a quick way to show the zip codes with the highest amount of expendable income – ripe for Red Sox paraphernalia. A quick query by county regarding the population density at a specific age bracket can provide an array of target markets for a new product. Will Blue Red Sox hats sell better in Maine or Florida? And will they do better with teens or octogenarians? A good web mapping application can help visualize the market targets and the results. You can save your marketing results as web maps for quick visual references. Name the file, “Red Sox Nation – True of False?”
Direct Marketing Gold
Web mapping cloud services are common today. The term “Cloud Services” implies the application is easy-to-use, required IT support is minimal, and overall application costs are low. With a little shopping you can find all the functionality we’ve talked about in this white paper plus the security you require to protect your data.
So whether you’re a small, in-house direct marketing organization or a large consulting firm supporting many clients, there are web maps available to support your work flows and to help measure and improve your direct marketing results.
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The Alternative Board (TED), an advisory board creation service for business of all types and sizes, used MapPoint to import customer locations, create and manage territories, and for visual market analysis. When MapPoint left them high and dry, they began looking for a MapPoint replacement. This process led them to MapBusinessOnline.
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