Returned mail represents one of the major objections to executing a direct mail campaign. To get the best return on investment, prudent mailers should take steps to reduce the incidence of returned mail whenever possible, and understand what circumstances will increase the likelihood of returned mail.
Is it possible to check if a database has accurate addresses before a bulk mailing is sent?
Yes it is. The U.S. Post Office works with certain prescreened vendors to provide access to the most current domestic change of address records. Many, but not all, bulk mailing professionals pay a subscription to access this updated address information from one of the approved vendors. This update is not simply verifying that the address is a valid address, but it is in fact confirming that the addressee actually lives at the address listed. Accessing this information enables the correction of any bad addresses before the mail is sent. The added benefit of updating the addresses is that in most cases, it removes the justification for first class postage. On average, stepping down from first class postage to presort standard postage can save a minimum of ten cents a piece on the cost of postage.
Bear in mind that the information that the post office has is as good as the resident’s desire to update this information. In the scenario where someone is in a foreclosed residence and they are ultimately evicted from their residence by the lending institution, it’s unlikely that they will be concerned about updating their address with the U.S. Post Office; in fact, they may prefer not to update this information so it is more difficult for creditors to locate them.
Can mail be returned even with a good address?
Yes, there are a variety of reasons that mail can be returned despite a valid address for the addressee. Condominiums or high rises are particularly problematic in this area. In lieu of having mail delivered directly to their residences, most high rise dwellers have a physical mail box in the lobby with a limited amount of space. When condo dwellers leave town for a period of time, there’s a very good chance that their mail box will get full because of the finite amount of space. In this circumstance, the mail carrier has no option but to return the mail. A three week jaunt to Europe may not provide high rise residents with a logical location to have their mail temporarily forwarded, and thus may lead to returned mail. The bottom line is that not all returned or undelivered mail is indicative of a bad address; purging address records from a mailing list after a single instance of returned mail may be premature.
What about seasonal residents?
According to a recent conference that I attended sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, the states of Arizona, California & Florida have the highest percentage of seasonal residents. These states present particular problems when trying to reach audiences via direct mail in their respective off seasons. Although there is software available to access permanent address changes, there currently is not a solution offered by the U.S. Post Office for access to seasonal or temporary address changes. Seasonal residents are a specific example of when first class postage may be the only viable avenue for critical direct mail communication.
