Why data cleansing is vital to successful marketing

You have prepared your latest newsletter / mail shot template, and are now ready to merge and press send.

Stop!

How accurate are your contact names, email or postal addresses?

Data becomes stale very quickly. Research has shown that up to 30% of data is out of date within 12 months. Always consider data cleansing before embarking on any type of marketing campaign.

Should i use data cleansing for my marketing campaign?

For large amounts of data you can use a specialist software cleansing company to help you. If you have a small database (under 1,000 contacts) a cleansing project using the telephone will work very well. Most telemarketing companies offer this service.

Businesses see data cleansing just as an extra expense. But consider the following:

1. The wasted effort on targeting the wrong person

2. The cost of returned mail marked ‘Gone Away’

3. Bounced emails

4. Sending information to the deceased.

By not data cleansing you are decreasing your success rate before you have even sent out your sales message.

Data Cleansing will:

1. Improve your success Rate

2. Provide a Higher Return on Investment

3. For a mailing campaign – stop wasteful mailings and protect the environment

4. Data cleansing by telephone: Provide an opportunity to introduce your company by opening a dialogue and creating a sales lead.

The Information Commissioners Office provides guidelines on holding personal data and the importance of maintaining accurate information. You must abide by these regulations for any information you hold on staff and if your target market is B2C.