Going Green

It’s the Data, Stupid

By Peter Nowack on July 30th, 2010

Guest Post by Sharla Neyland

The prepress mantra of “Garbage in, garbage out” perfectly states the importance of good data in any campaign – be it online or in print.

We know that with Variable Data Printing there are endless possibilities for personalized communications. But no one ever talks about it when personalization goes wrong. And ten times out of ten, the culprit is bad data.

You’re not doing your client or the environment any favors by taking a mailing list and plugging away with no questions asked. There’s no amount of recycling that can “regreen” all the undeliverable postcards sent as a result of poorly-managed data.

Pose some hard questions: Is the data relevant? Has the client asked prospects if they prefer to receive an email instead of a direct mail piece? And if so, has the database been updated to reflect those preferences?

If the client balks at the inconvenience of maintaining a “clean list,” then you need to use the leverage they best understand: Money.

How much can a client save on first class postage to 100 incorrect addresses? How many recipients will be turned off by a piece that misspells their names? That’s no way to build customer loyalty. Not to mention needless emissions of carbon on failed deliveries.

If you’re looking into data cleansing, make sure your service provider can support these processes for optimum performance:

• Data Standardization
• National Change of Address updates
• Delivery Sequence File preparation
• Locatable Address Conversion System updates       
• Coding Accuracy Support System capability
• Merge-Purge capability

And of course, promote the use of recycled paper for direct mail. It’s more expensive, but it also gives your client a chance to let recipients know that an effort is being made. Or, include a message to readers to “please recycle.” Using virgin fiber is no excuse to avoid a positive message about sustainability.