Be honest. When you get a piece of returned direct mail, do you hop right on it and make the change in your database, or do you put it in a pile to take care of “later”? If you’re part of the “later” party, you’re not alone. But you’re also not doing your organization or your budget any favors.
You may think that a handful of bad addresses here and there can’t hurt you, but they do. Think about it. You probably mail those bad addresses at least a dozen times a year. That’s a dozen times you’re wasting money on a printed promotion you didn’t need. A dozen times you paid for postage, only to have the piece returned. A dozen times you could have started or grown a relationship with a client, donor, or member.
Running an all-out list hygiene routine once or twice a year is still important. You can take care of all the duplicate, incomplete, or incorrect addresses in one fell swoop. But it’s just as important to take care of those undeliverables in little swings, too.
Yes, updating addresses can feel mundane, but every step, every effort you make makes a difference in your marketing.