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Prevention rather than cure

“Waste prevention is even better for the environment than recycling. For the direct marketing sector this means better targeting.”

Joan Ruddock, Minister for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Waste.

Many of our readers will probably already appreciate that…sending the right product to the right person at a relevant time is at the heart of a direct marketing campaign strategy. Furthermore, it is generally recognised that data is the lifeblood of our business in one-to-one communications. Yet, despite industry wide efforts, there are still far too any examples of mailings being thrown away as a result of poor or ineffective targeting.

In this day and age it is indefensible to send mail to people who have died, moved away or chosen (through the mailing preference service) not to receive mailing communications.

47% of consumers are put off from responding to offers that interest them if their name and/ or address details are incorrect.

Poor examples of targeting can only help to fast track an ‘opt-in’ system for the whole industry, which might prove to be damaging to the direct marketing industry. We should all be concerned about using ‘best practice’ techniques to safeguard our future and at the same time help protect the environment by reducing waste.

The task is not easy when you consider…

Every day in the UK 1,600 people die and 18,000 people move house
37% of an average sized business database will decay every year
1.2 million addresses change on the postcode file every year
A business moves premises every 6 minutes

Suppression costs should not be seen as an additional campaign expense, but a cost effective process. The benefits of having an up-to-date, accurate mailing database are clear – costs are reduced, return on investment is increased, and customer relationships are maximised.

Correcting entries within a mailing list, or removing / suppressing incorrect entries is a relatively straightforward process that ONEPOST can manage on your behalf. Many suppression files are available, including MPS, National Change of Address (NCOA), GoneAway (GAS) and the Bereavement Register.

Whilst commercial suppression files are readily available, companies should also keep their data up-to-date by processing any mailing returns. This is equally important, and can be managed either inhouse or outsourced.

"DDC Outsourcing Solutions handles over 3.6 million goneaways per year. Each letter that comes into us has either the name and address or a unique reference number captured from it. This data is then removed from the original mailing file resulting in a much more cost effective mailing campaign. Taking all of our clients into account they are collectively saving over £1.8 million per yer on postage costs alone. When you take into account the other costs involved such as printing and materials this saving is even bigger. Some of our clients had been spending almost three times more than necessary on a mailing campaign due to the amount of inaccurate data in their mailing file; not only is this going to waste money but the expected responses to your mailing will be much lower.

Ensuring that your database is up to date is essential with all mailing activities and results in a much greater return on investment."

For a free, no-obligation data report, send your data to us.

Mailing Preference Service (MPS)

Ultimately it is the consumer who decides on which messages they want to receive and via which medium. And, thanks to the creation of the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) back in 1983, the general public can choose to say YES or NO to receiving direct mail.

The MPS can remove names from up to 95% of direct mail lists OR consumers can have their name added to them…if they wish. Understandably the process might take a few months but consumers do then see a noticeable difference in the post they receive.

Whilst organisations are not legally obliged to use this file before deploying a direct mail campaign, it is a condition under the DMA’s code of practice and is also a requirement of the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing administered by the Advertising Standards Authority.

For more information, visit their site at www.mpsonline.org.uk. There you will find good advice regarding how to register
together with a balanced view on whether people should register. Currently 3.5 million of the 25 million households in the UK are registered on the MPS.