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We are continuing our series on cost reduction strategies with a tip about mail production. Each week's tip will help you develop direct mail campaigns with built-in savings.

Did you know that 17% of Americans change their address annually?  

Targeting old, invalid, or incomplete records in your mail file means you are spending money on a piece that will never reach its intended recipient. Bad addresses not only waste postage, but it affects response rates and campaign ROI measurements. 

What is Data Hygiene?

At a minimum, basic list hygiene should be performed before each mailing such as CASS^™ Address Validation, NCOA (National Change of Address) updates, and duplicate record removal. These three services will improve your ROI instantly, but statistics show that up to 40% of people who move do not update their address. So then what?

This is where PCOA and ARS data processing comes into play.

PCOA is the Proprietary Change of Address database that compiles address changes from private sources outside of the USPS^®. It retains information from the past 15 years by improving the listings, not deleting them.

ARS, also known as Address Resolution Service, reviews addresses deemed undeliverable during the CASS^™ process. The average restored address rate is 30% and includes Apartment Append service.

Savings

Learn how a hospitality client saved nearly $500,000 with advanced data hygiene services by downloading our case study.

Remember: most of these services are inexpensive, and the investment far outweighs the savings and increase in ROI. At Streamworks, our data team will send you the cleansed addresses so you can update your in-house database.  

If you would like to discuss ways to create efficiencies with your direct mail campaigns or are interested in a quote, contact us today.

Looking for more ways to maximize your direct mail ROI?

Download our free Direct Mail Production Checklist to identify steps that can save time, energy and resources on your next campaign.