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What details are missing from your database right now that could boost customer sales, prospecting and lifetime value? You may be surprised. In fact, almost every company's customer and prospect database has certain gaps: Phone numbers with no addresses Outdated information Valuable insight into your market area, such as flagging seasonally-occupied or vacant homes Missing details that could change your marketing and messaging strategies, including demographics such as homeowner, online households, presence of children, income level, marital status and more In addition, many house files contain data that is long out-of-date. Data hygiene services (sometimes called “scrubbing” your files) are an important facet of any direct marketing campaign. By improving deliverability, it saves you money on printing, mail-house fulfillment, postage and more. Why is address hygiene so important? Studies have found that on average, up to 20% of records within a typical house file are undeliverable, seasonal or vacant. In addition, up to 5% of records are identified as small- to mid-sized businesses, which may or may not require different messaging than a consumer campaign. Here's a prime example of the net benefits of data hygiene: AccuData America was enlisted to improve deliverability on the in-house database of a well-known Internet service provider. By identifying address errors, seasonal and vacant addresses and businesses in residential areas, AccuData found that of its client's 243,752 records, 67,000 were undeliverable. This simple hygiene process cost the client $700, yet the company realized $9,000 in savings on just one direct mail campaign alone. The company found the process so valuable, it has deemed the service a standard procedure to use before every campaign. Increase ROI with Data Enhancement Looking for another way to increase the effectiveness of your house file? Take the time to learn about the people behind those records. When you know who you're dealing with, you know how best to approach them. Step one: Enrich your data with appended information. Here's just a few examples of popular appends provided by the most reputable data marketing firms: Add postal addresses to records that only contain e-mail addresses. Or add phone numbers, names or business titles to your current files Add revealing consumer details, so that you can target your messaging for a higher response. You can find out whether your records include homeowners, parents, members of particular ethnic groups, or even customers who are connected to the Internet. Add revealing business details, including SIC codes, sales volume, business site type (for example, headquarters or branch office), number of employees, or contact names. How Data Hygiene and Enhancement Boosts Your Bottom Line Sales Results Saves you money on printing and mail-house fulfillment Allows you to control mailing waste and save on postage Gives you the opportunity to target your selling messages to the right audience at the right time Opens up new channels to reach your consumer or business customers using the methods they prefer Drives higher response through more specific, personalized offers (as opposed to generic, one-size-fits-all promotions) Helps build loyalty programs that drive up lifetime value Leads to more profitable prospecting, through modeling and forecasting Data enhancement and hygiene can open doors to new sales opportunities, make your marketing efforts more efficient and cost-effective, and help you get the most return on investment for any campaign. Clean house for the new year. You won't regret it. AccuTips editor Carolyn Petrie can be reached at petrie911@mn.rr.com. | ||||||||||
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Concept Marketing Group, Inc.