Mailing list stampLists are the lifeblood of catalogers. The lists you carefully build enable you to efficiently reach customers and prospects, improve customer satisfaction, and increase sales. To ensure you begin a successful 2016, follow these practices to achieve a clean, productive data set.

  • Eliminate bad addresses. Eliminate or update addresses to reflect moves, deaths, marriages, and occupation changes. You also need to check for faulty data, such as misspelled names and duplicate entries. Jonh and Jasoon aren’t likely to feel a personal connection if you can’t address them as John and Jason, and a woman who has chosen to change her last name through marriage and then divorce won’t engage with a company that sends three catalogs — one each to her maiden, married, and divorced names.

    But realize that eliminating the bad isn’t the only step!

  • Look for engagement. Who has responded recently? Who hasn’t? Is it time to prune non-responders? Ensure you are relevant to your customers and prospects, and determine whether you need to trim those who haven’t checked in lately.

    It is crucial that you make sure your data isn’t just accurate, but also that it is of the highest value. Savvy catalogers cull and update lists based on response and purchase data. It is better to clean the list and connect with the customers who want to hear from you.

  • Reconnect. Can you re-engage non-responders? Use the data you have about your customers’ buying habits and patterns to your advantage, and develop marketing to target your customers who haven’t engaged for a while.

    The typical “current customer” is one who has made a purchase in the past 12 months. However, before removing data, realize that year-end and sales cycles might validate extending an offer to customers who have made a purchase in the past 24 months, allowing you to reconnect with past customers.

  • Foster the good. In addition, there’s much to be learned from matchback services that will help catalogers to determine where purchases actually came from — whether Web, digital catalog, print catalog, and so on.

    Reach out to regular buyers and offer rewards, discounts, and other incentives to keep those connections strong. These are your go-to customers; reward their loyalty.

With a well-organized and clean list, you’ll have the data you need to build current customer loyalty, re-engage past customers, and reach potential customers for a very happy New Year.

Your print catalog is the foundation for all your marketing efforts, so make sure it’s working for you. Talk with your Dingley Press representative about ways you can make both your print and digital editions interactive for readers. Contact The Dingley Press at 888-346-4539 or info@Dingley.com.