Set Better Goals in 2021
This article appeared in the December 2020 issue of NPSOA Magazine.
Think about the direct mail campaigns you have run in the past twelve months. Chances are, some of them outperformed expectations, but can you quantify what made them successful? (Or, if we’re honest, what made other campaigns miss the mark?)
As a printer, you may not get the closed-loop reporting from the company that sent the mailing on the increase in sales that were attributed to the direct mailpiece, but that shouldn’t stop you from setting appropriate goals around your portion of the campaign – the mailing itself.
At the outset of a campaign, understand what is important to the customer for that campaign. Do they want to reach the most people? Are they looking to spread out the number of calls they receive to not overwhelm their in-house staff? Are they simply looking to raise awareness of their business or cause? Understanding their goals can help influence what your internal goals are for the campaign.
Deliverability
If the customer is only focused on consumer awareness, running CASS™ and NCOA® may be sufficient. However, if the consumer is looking to procure donations, utilizing additional data services would be key to avoiding Undeliverable-as-Addressed (UAA) mail. Running services like BCC Software’s COMPLIANCE+™ can ensure greater campaign success for the customer. COMPLIANCE+ expands upon CASS and NCOA services by including Address Resolution Services (ARS) and Proprietary Change of Address (PCOA). These additions make certain that record lists are comprised of clean data.
Using Data Services from BCC Software in tandem with your normal CASS and NCOA processing can help refine the audience that the mailer is sent to – but again, you need to understand the campaign’s goal.
Timing
Having firm in-home dates for their mailpieces can help customers staff their businesses correctly. Using a service like Track N Trace® from BCC Software can help determine where there may be delays in the mailing system that would impact the in-home date for the campaign. Tracking updates are reported multiple times a day to BCC Software’s secure, password-protected servers and are accessible to Track N Trace customers.
In addition, through BCC Software’s Reseller option, you can provide your customers with a branded website that allows you to provide mail-tracking functionality directly to them.
A Partner You Can Trust
At BCC Software, we’re committed to helping printers to meet their deliverability goals. With over four decades of industry experience, our team of industry experts is active and involved in advocating for our customers’ needs. Backed by unlimited access to our legendary team of USPS® Mailpiece Design Certified professionals, BCC Software is the smart choice in postal software. To learn more, visit our website at www.bccsoftware.com or by calling 800-624-5234
