Ever wonder why your mail sometimes does not get delivered in a timely manner? Yes, sometimes, a mail piece is lost, or destroyed. That is no secret. It does happen. Sometimes, a mail piece may even get stuck in a mail tray and pop up years later...That's no fun. BUT, those are rare occasions. I'm talking about your in-house data base. Do you have a mail list that you've been sending to for years? Or, are you thinking you'd like to send to a list of canceled customers or leads that you haven't heard from in a while? When is the last time it was cleansed? Like, REALLY cleansed? Before you begin to mail to these lists, it's best to make sure they are as accurate as possible in order to get the best delivery times and the best postage!
We want to give you a few tips for cleansing your database before you start up that mailing program. We don't want you wasting any money!!
Duplicates:
It's best to make sure you don't have duplicates in your list. There's nothing like combining a few lists of leads together, sending out a mailer, and finding out that some of your leads or old customers were listed in your databases multiple times. That's a waste of printing, mailing services & postage money.
Sorry, we've moved!
If your lists are old, and the mail pieces you send are specific to the person to resides in the house at the address you have, you want to make sure you are mailing to their correct address. All databases should really be run through NCOA (National Change of Address) every 90 days. That will give you their new addresses!
VACANT Addresses:
So many people move each year and some homes stay vacant for quite some time. By having your lists professionally cleansed, vacant addresses can be pulled out so you do not waste your marketing dollars!
Snow Birds:
When you are mailing, you don't want to mail to people who are simply not going to be back at their residence for months at a time. And if you do, you don't want it to take extra time to get to them. By having your list cleansed, those addresses that have a temporary move will be changed to their current address. That way, the mail will be addressed directly to their current address, instead of taking more time in the system before delivery.
Dual Addresses:
Do you have 2 addresses in your database? Maybe a physical address and a PO Box? The USPS prefers that you only include 1 address on the mail piece so there is no confusion. However, if both addresses are included, here is how to determine how to address the mail piece. When including a physical address & a PO Box in the address, the mailing address is the address directly above the city, state and zip. The other address is just "extra" information. For example, if you want your mail piece delivered to the PO Box, you need to put the PO Box directly above the city, state and zip code.
Mindy Hack
123 MAIN ST
PO Box 1234
ANYTOWN, ST 00000-0000
If you want the mail piece delivered to the physical address, then you should make sure to address the piece as follows:
Mindy Hack
PO Box 1234
123 MAIN ST
ANYTOWN, ST 00000-0000
Addressing to a Company:
What comes first? Contact name or Company Name? When addressing, the proper way is to have the contact name and/or title above the company name. For example:
JANE DOE
PRESIDENT
ACME COMPANY
123 MAIN ST
ANYTOWN, ST 00000-0000
Addressing with a Suite# or APT#:
The delivery address should always reside right above the city, state and zip code. So, if the address includes a Suite number or Apartment number, it should look like this:
JANE DOE
ACME COMPANY
SUITE 1245
123 MAIN ST
ANYTOWN, ST 00000-0000
OR
JANE DOE
APT 100
123 MAIN CT
ANYTOWN, ST 00000-0000
If you need assistance with cleansing your list, please give us a ring at 847-658-5090 or email us at sales@vcpprint.com.
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