Effective List Management Can Save You Big

Let's talk about how to keep your postage costs down.

So far you have been following my advice and mailing to the same list more than once. At some point you find lists that will produce returns continually, but you notice that you are receiving more returns than when you started mailing to those lists.

You may see things like "Undeliverable as Addressed" or "Forwarding Order Expired." Every time you mail to an address and that prospect has moved or cannot be found for any reason, you have just paid for the postage with no possibility of getting a response.

Obviously it is a pretty big waste of money to continue to mail to this address, but what do you do about it? You could simply go into the list of names that you have purchased and delete the returns. No more bad addresses, no more wasted postage, right? That is one option but there is a better way to handle the situation.

The US Postal Service has an NCOA (National Change of Address) System that a limited number of companies are licensed to access. These companies are able to take the list that you have purchased, or compiled yourself, and check it against the USPS system. You will receive a report that will let you know if anyone on your list has moved, gone out of business, or even if the zip code that contact was in was changed by the Post Office itself. Along with the report you will receive a new copy of your list that has been cleaned and updated.

The cost for having your list checked is very economical (about $5.00 per thousand records) and will allow you to keep getting your message out to as many people in your list as possible.

At times you can see up to a 10% undeliverable rate, and it can even be higher on older lists that you have been using for a while. Average is more like 5% undeliverable so let's take a look at the numbers at that rate.

If you mail 10,000 and get 5% back for bad addresses: 10,000 x .05 = 500 pieces.

You will have paid postage on 500 pieces that did not reach their destination.

So if you mail to your list again without cleaning it you have just wasted: 500 x $0.23 = $115.00.

If you were to NCOA that list at a rate of $5.00 per thousand you would have spent: 10 x $5.00 = $50.00.

So you have three choices when faced with a list that needs cleaning:

1. Spend hours deleting every return that you receive from your list.

2. Waste $115.00 or more in postage every time you mail to that list.

or

3. Have the list checked by an NCOA service and get back in touch with customers that may have moved, for around one tenth the cost.

The NCOA service is the easiest and most effective way to keep your postage costs down.

Joy Gendusa founded PostcardMania in 1998; her only assets a computer and a phone. In 2004 the company did close to $9 million in sales and employs over 60 persons. She attributes her explosive growth to her ability to choose incredible staff and her innate marketing savvy. Now she's sharing her marketing secrets with others. For more free marketing advice, visit her website at http://www.postcardmania.com

---

Basic Marketing Dope

Sometimes the simplest data is the best. Marketing is not... Read More

Use a Guarantee In Your Headline To Increase Trust

Sometimes you can use a guarantee effectively in your headline.... Read More

Online Magazine Subscription Services Make Shopping Online Fun For Magazines

If recreating the old experience of subscribing to magazines by... Read More

Tradeshow Booth Cures - Ancient Cures for Modern Day Problems

At first glance, nothing seems more chaotic than a trade... Read More

Top 5 Ways to Generate Qualified Leads for Your Small Business

Do you ever wonder if you could be doing a... Read More

The Top 10 The Top Ten Signs That Your Marketing Message Needs a Facelift

Is your marketing plan dull, flat, and downright boring? Is... Read More

What Is Multi-Level And How Should It Be Worked

Multi-level marketing is really a partnership. You go into... Read More

Words that Sell

We all know the English language contains hundreds of thousands... Read More

After The Mailing Is Done, What Happens Next?

If you're doing any sort of marketing effort, whether it's... Read More

Are You Attracting or Repelling Prospects?

There are basically two ways in which you can either... Read More

Boost Your Business With Testimonials

When used correctly, testimonials can boost your response dramatically. They... Read More

Be Prepared for Marketing

For most businesses, making a sale is all important. However,... Read More

Shine a Spotlight on Your Professional Service Firm

As a life-long dancer, I know a bit about the... Read More

Private Practice Marketing: A Soaking Wet Marketing Marvel

Last week I took our two boys on an all... Read More

Too Much To Do: Four Keys to Effective Delegating

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what... Read More

Promotional Bags: Your Company Details on Parade

The trick to a good promotion is to attach your... Read More

Put Your Marketing To The So What? Test

Want to get Better at your Marketing today?For many service... Read More

The Top 10 Marketing Tools to Grow Your Business in 2004

Looking to grow your business? Make sure you have these... Read More

Comprehensive Marketing Details Not Found in Beginner Books

If this is the first marketing article you are reading,... Read More

It Takes Two - How to Cultivate Profitable Alliances

"Cross promoting with other businesses can give you a significant... Read More

The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy Available To Small Businesses

Most small business owners want to generate huge profits, with... Read More

To Swag or Not to Swag: Tip to Brand Your Tchotchkes on a Shoestring

It's interesting to see how resourceful people become when starting... Read More

How to Use Flyers to Increase Your Business

What benefits will you get from flyers?Flyers are much different... Read More

The Most Important Marketing Principles of All Time

As you have probably experienced there is a lot of... Read More

Stretching The String: Five Tips To Maximize Your Marketing When You Are On A Shoe String Budget

"I know I need to market my business in order... Read More

Get Personal: Letters vs. Direct Mail

One of the reasons direct mail works is the personal... Read More

10 Steps to a Great Newsletter

A newsletter can be a wonderful, economical way to communicate... Read More

Produce More Sales from your Email Promotions Five Ways - Part 1

Do sales come from your ezine regularly? How many well-written... Read More

Top 3 Reasons Why Your Headlines Fail

Many professional copywriters estimate that the headline contributes to 80%... Read More

Grab Your Audience by Focusing on Benefits

Have you ever chosen to pay attention to someone just... Read More

3 Simple Selling Tactics

The following 3 simple selling tactics produce sales by responding... Read More

Mobile Auto Detailers and Newspaper Companies as Clientele

If you are a mobile auto detailer or mobile car... Read More

Five Steps to Partnering with Companies to Build Your Client Base

Wouldn't you love a simple formula for easily growing your... Read More