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NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF PRINT COMMUNICATIONS FROM I M AGESET
DATABASE
MARKETING:
It’s Worth Your Effort
One of the biggest misconceptions about
personalized printing is that marketers don’t have
the data to drive it. This might be true in some cases,
but it also can be more perception than reality.
Often, marketers have more data than they realize.
Maybe their data is not in great shape. Maybe they
don’t know how to access it. Maybe the data
preparation process seems too overwhelming.
Whatever the reason, marketers can have trouble
getting started.
SUMMER 2011
Putting Data to Work
Pellow suggests three ways you can put your data
to work right away:
• Resuscitate a dormant customer
relationship. If a retail customer hasn’t ordered
from you in a period of time, send him a
personalized postcard with a coupon
encouraging him to come back into the store.
• Proactively cross sell and upsell. If you are
an auto dealer and know a customer’s lease is
about to expire on a Toyota Corolla, send her a
personalized brochure trying to upgrade her to
a Toyota Camry.
In more places than you might think. Here are some
places to start:
The first step is understanding that finding, accessing
and preparing your data are all worth the effort. In a
recent What They Think Webinar, Barbara A. Pellow,
group director for InfoTrends, observed:
• Transactional data (both brick-and-mortar and
from the online store)
“The business market today is changing rapidly.
Those who
properly
understand
how, what
and why
customers
make
purchases,
and those
[marketers]
who influence
buying
decisions with
highly targeted marketing efforts, are those who will
come out on top. . . the ultimate goal is to identify
the best prospects and use strategic direct
marketing campaigns to cross sell, upsell and resell.”
• Customer care (found in your CRM system)
• Web contact forms
• Business reply cards (get that data back from
the fulfillment house!)
• Create continuity of purchases through a
loyalty program. If you are a local winery,
before visitors leave following a facility tour, ask
them to sign up for a wine club. Try to obtain
birthdates and anniversaries of their family and
friends so you can use the information to trigger
personalized reminders for gifts for special
occasions later.
Places Where Data Hides
Before you can leverage data, you have to find it.
Where is your data hiding?
• SMS/cell phone marketing contacts
• Responses to email campaigns
• Trade shows/events (get those “card swipe”
responses back into your system after postshow follow-up)
• Customer and prospect surveys
Any good database house can combine these
elements into a comprehensive marketing tool. If
you require additional data, you can append it with
external sources, such as lists from Acxiom, Experian or
InfoUSA to get a more holistic view of your audience.
WHAT WE NEED:
BETTER LIST EQUALS BETTER LIFT:
IMPR OVING YOUR RESULTS
THR OUGH LIST ENHANCEMENT
Successful marketing depends on understanding your customers and
knowing how to reach them effectively.
Most likely, your house list contains only a customer or prospect’s name and
address, and possibly information about his or her purchases from your own
company. But what if you were able to find out more about your in-house prospects,
such as what age, prior buying habits, home ownership, or even occupation, and
then use that data to add relevancy to your marketing campaigns?
Chances are, that data exists somewhere in the big wide world of consumer data, typically from
sources such as white pages directories, homeowner information, county courthouse records, and
transaction data from retail establishments. This data can be used to:
• Improve targeted marketing efforts
• Identify customer traits
• Increase response rates
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS: You provide your list to the data compiler, who takes your list and matches it
against other databases it has access to.
Each time a match is made, incremental information will be added to your file. Data enhancement is
not a perfect science. Keep in mind that while this tool is an excellent way to learn more about your
prospects, it is not flawless. Typically, when appending consumer data, you can expect that 70% – 80%
of your records will have a match made. The balance of records are simply those that do not match or
do not have any incremental information.
The cost for data appending can vary greatly depending on what type of information you are looking
for. The most common types of consumer data can often be appended for under $100 per 1000 records.
713 869 7700 • imageset.com
“Unclean” databases can delay your mail
project, and may even incur additional
charges. Here are a few guidelines for
submitting a database:
• Databases take time to review and
clean up. Please allow additional 1-2
days turnaround time.
• Recommended file formats: .xls, .csv,
.tab or any comma- or tab-delimited
file format
• When viewing the database, you
should be able to read down each
column and see only similar information.
For example, first names in the first
column, middle initials in the second
column, last names in the third, etc.
• Do not include both a P.O. box and a
street address. Use one or the other.
Separate city, state and zip into three
separate columns.
• Remove any unused spaces. Extra
spaces at the end of a field may not
show on the screen, but will
print with extra spaces
between two fields
appearing on the
same line.
Making Your
Da ta base The
Best It Can Be
• NCOA (National Change of Address). Running
your mail list through NCOA will replace old
addresses with updated ones. Not only is it
required for most postage discounts, it means
your mail piece is more likely to reach the
intended recipient. Although NCOA can
correct the majority of obsolete addresses, it
doesn’t make your list 100% deliverable, as not
all movers file change notices, and many are
filed incorrectly.
As SVP of Technology at
ImageSet, it’s my
responsibility to make
sure your database does
what it’s supposed to do: reach your intended
recipient in the shortest time possible, with minimal
postage expense.
Most databases I receive need a little “help” to
ensure maximum deliverability. Typical mistakes
are formatting errors, typos, and roving recipients.
Fortunately, I have many valuable technology tools
for cleaning up lists. Here’s a few:
• CASS CERTIFICATION (Coding Accuracy
Support System). This process will standardize
your mailing list, update outdated addresses,
and verify that addresses are valid and
complete. It also will correct many misspellings
and formatting inconsistencies. The list is then
sorted according to the carrier route giving
you discounted rates and faster delivery.
• DUPE DETECTION. Our de-duping software can
remove most duplicate names in your list.
While this is not a perfect process (i.e. John
Smith and Johnathon Smith at the same
address may not be detected), it definitely
reduces printing and postage costs.
As your full service mail provider, our goal is to help
you increase the number of mail pieces that reach
their targets, reduce your mailing services costs,
and ultimately boost response rates on your
mailing campaign.
Rachel Shepherd, SVP of Technology
NEWS MAKERS
WHAT’S NEW FROM OUR CUSTOMERS AND ASSOCIATES
Congratulations to the following award-winning ImageSet customers:
2011 AMA Marketer of the Year:
Arts – Institutional: Museum of Fine Arts/Houston
Education – College/University: Rice University
Energy – Transportation/Transmission: CenterPoint Energy
Real Estate – Commercial Builders/Developers: Hines Interests
Retail: Charming Charlie
GOOD STUFF TO KNOW
THE SHORTER THE BETTER? A limited time
offer can often move the skeptic and
procrastinator from prospect to customer.
Putting a drop dead date on an offer
frequently will move that hesitant person to
action. If there is only a short time to take
advantage of a special opportunity - often
you will enjoy more response.
http://www.melissadata.com
LOVE LOGOS? THIS SITE IS FOR YOU! With
over 165,000+ logos on file, LogoLounge.com
is an indispensable tool for any logo
designer. It’s the ultimate site for researching
logos, understanding trends, and finding
reference material for logos. Cost: $100 to
upload unlimited logos. The thoroughly crossreferenced database can be searched by
keyword, designer, client, industry or time frame.
MOBILE MOTIVATES More than one-half (56%)
of US consumers who have made at least
one purchase using their smart phone have
done so in response to a marketing message
delivered via mobile email, according to a
recent survey from ExactTarget.
LEARN HOW 2D BARCODES
CAN INCREASE RESPONSE
RATES AND GIVE YOUR
CLIENTS IMMEDIATE ACCESS
TO RELEVANT INFORMATION.
AMA 25th Annual Crystal Awards Winners:
Logo Design: Savage Brands
Public Relations – Single Market: Weatherford International
Public Relations Campaign – Multiple Markets: Helix Energy Solutions
Corporate Citizenship: Axiom
Newsletter: PremierIMS
Special Event: University of Houston
Advertising – Newspaper Campaign: Freed
Michelle LeBlanc of Blue Sky Marketing was recently engaged to David Henry of
iFilms, Inc.
Julie Key, of Keystone Resources has been busy accepting awards lately, including: two
Awards of Excellence and one Best in Division III Award at the International Association
of Business Communicators (IABC) - Bronze Quill Awards; WBEA Supplier of the Year Under $1 Million; and 1st Place Best Single Booth at the 2011 HAA Expo LIVE! Tradeshow.
Doug Parker has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at BoyarMiller.
USE THIS
713-869-7700 • www.imageset.com
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in
2D Barcode Technology
Another strategic tool for
effectively growing your business.
Want to enhance your marketing message, increase response rates, track responses, AND save money on postage?
2D barcode technology – commonly known as QR codes – is exploding as marketers discover its potential for interacting with
prospects. Adding a QR code to your marketing materials, direct mail, or signage, can help you:
•
•
•
•
Provide access to more information like a video or web page
Gather contact information
Track response rates in real-time
Expand your target audience using social media
Not sure how to get started? ImageSet can handle every aspect of your 2D barcode campaign, from strategy to code
generation to implementation and analytics.
GET 6% OFF THE COST OF POSTAGE: The US Postal Service is offering a 3% discount on postage of any mail campaign which
uses a 2D barcode during July and August 2011. ImageSet will match their discount; for a total of 6% savings on the cost of
postage if we print and mail your direct mail pieces. Scan the code with your smart phone or call Kathi Woolsey
(713) 869-7700 to get started.
Now that’s smart marketing.