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Your direct mail campaign is only as good as your mailing list. In order to achieve maximum results, your mailing list has to be “clean.” What does that mean? Clean? Here’s a quick checklist to help.
1. CASS Certification
The process whereby the deliverability and validity of a physical mailing address can be verified is known as CASS certification, or Certified Address-Matching-Software. It’s incredibly important step in ensuring that your mail actually gets to your consumer. “Grand Street” may not look that different than “Grande Avenue”, but it’s different enough to keep mail from getting where it needs to go.
2. AEC (Address Element Correction)
Sometimes, even CASS can’t match an address, and AEC has to step in and correct issues such as misspellings, improperly ordered or missing elements, nonstandard abbreviations, and information not relevant to an actual address located in the address lines.
3. NCOA (National Change of Address)
Did you know that over 40 million people move each year? And most of the time, their old addresses stay in your database. According to USPS, 8% of mail is often undeliverable, specifically due to incorrect addresses. Updating the addresses of your movers is a simple step that can save thousands of dollars.
4. LACS (Locatable Address Conversion System) Link
Sometimes rural-style addresses are converted to city-style addresses when a 911 emergency system has been implemented. And on occasion, street addresses are renumbered or renamed. The LACS link method allows your company to update addresses in cases such as these.
5. ZIPMove
When a ZIP Code realignment takes place, ZIPMove can update the new codes that have been implemented in your database.
We know that it has cost you a lot of time, money, and effort to create a great mailing list and maximize your reach to your prospects and customers. Don’t let those efforts be thwarted by shifts in address. We hope these 5 tips will help you “clean” your mailing list, and optimize your ROI in print media marketing.
If you need help cleaning and updating your list so that you can turn your marketing campaign around, give us a call. We’re here to help!
