So what’s all the fuss about the New Move Update with the United States Post Office?  Well, BB Direct offers a simple explaination to help clear matters up.

Since November 23rd, 2008, the Postal Service have revised the Move Update standards in an effort to reduce the mail that ends up forwarded or returns when the mailing address provided had previously been changed.  The gist of the staying compliant is that you now must be sure to update your mailing address within 95 days of your mailing.  This includes all Standard Mail (letters, flats, parcels and Not Flat-Machinables), as well as automated-rate and presort-rate First-Class Mail.

The autorized methods for Updating your mail to stay compliant are:

~  NCOA Link processing
~  FASTforwar...

The 18 month NCOA Link processing provides National Change of Address processing for the last 18 months.  This process will not correct those people who have relocated from 18 to 48 months ago.  This processing was designed to satisfy the most common file updating.  The processing is perfect for files that have already been NCOA’d within the last 18 months, or if the database you’re going to mail has been purchase within the last year and you are planning to mail again.

USPS New Move Compliance
To satisfy the United States Post Office require...

Direct mail marketing businesses rely on accurate sales leads to grow their business.  Without accurate mailing list data, many businesses miss out on lost opportunity.  Overtime, the best mailing list can become stale.  People relocate and mailing list records change.  That is why it’s so vitally important to keep your mailing list updated and current, track these changes, and avoid missed opportunity.

Mailing list data hygiene processes all you to keep your internal customer mailing list clean and healthy.  Like visiting your doctor for a regular check-up instead of just when problems occur, keeping your mailing list clean avoid potential problems from ever occurring.

This also holds true with regard to telemarketing record data.  As people relocate, their...

Customers new to the direct mailing industry may not understand common issues that occur in mailing list compilation and the direct mail delivery process. Following are some common questions and explanations.

It is important to note that mailing list accuracy is only one aspect of deliverability. Production processes and creative execution also impact mailing list deliverability rates.

What deliverability rate should I expect with my direct mail campaign? What is an acceptable direct mail deliverability rate?

The industry average typically quoted is 90%. Reasons for delivery errors are primarily due to the issues addressed below.

Why are there deceased individuals on my mailing list?

The main source for the Dece...

Is the mailing list you are about to rent updated?  Good question.  Many believe that at each update, a marketable database is compiled from scratch with new names added and any inaccuracies eliminating.  There is a common belief that should you mail to an acquired list, there will be no undeliverable mailing addresses and 100% of your list will be delivered to the people who the homes in which they are addressed.  Every compiler of data, no matter how “freshly” updated the list, will have errors.

The facts
Let’s set the record straight.  No database, no matter how frequently updated is 100% accurate.  On average, a consumer mailing list will be between 5% and 7% undeliverable at any gi...

No matter how well the mailing list originated, there will always be a number of inaccuracies with every mailing list. So when a list broker says their list is updated every 30 days, what exactly does that mean?  How do deceased records remain on a file for years?  Is income range accurate?  Why is it that the list isn’t 100% deliverable?

The above questions cause a great many mailers concern.  The simple fact is that no one list is entirely perfect at any given time and there are multiple reasons for inaccuracies.  Let’s start with the most common.  At any given time, a portion of the population in Read the rest of this entry »