And you can dictate the type of matches you'd like to find in your database from names, addresses and city/state/ZIP structures to telephone mailing list numbers, customer numbers or email addresses. Step 4: Suppress it! According to the latest statistics available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005, 659,000 people under age 65 died.
Now imagine an insurance company sending out a direct mail campaign with a call to action "save 15% or more on car insurance" addressed mailing list to a young mother that had been killed two years ago in a car wreck? Ouch. While mail that is sent to deceased persons via relatives is a fraction of the overall amount of undeliverable mail each year, it is still costly - to your bottom line and your company image.
Before you mail, use a data service provider to mailing list process your mailing list and suppress names that are deceased, on the DMA's Do-Not-Mail List, or prison inmates. You can also create and maintain an in-house suppression file that enables customers and prospects to opt-out of your company's mailings on a selective basis.