5 Benefits of Using USPS Address Verification in Direct Mail Campaigns
Address verification is so quick, easy, and beneficial that you’d be crazy not to do it. Did you know that the US Postal Service (USPS) records and stores all valid US addresses in a standard format? This makes it simple to ensure your addresses meet these criteria and are valid and deliverable.
But you don’t have to manually scour your address list checking that each address is formatted correctly. There are tools you can use to automate this process! Use USPS address verification to make sure you always work with the most accurate, up-to-date address data in direct mail campaigns.
Is Direct Mail Marketing Even Effective?
Oh yes. Direct mail marketing is still effective. Although a majority of marketing has moved to online channels, the traditional mailbox still has its place—maybe even more so now.
Direct mail is making a comeback because of its high response rate, conversion, and ROI. Up to 90% of direct mail gets opened, and, apparently, millennials love getting mail…. Do you know anyone who loves getting emails?
And this isn’t just a trend. Direct mail has seen and continues to see positive results. It’s a breath of fresh air from what industry leaders call “digital fatigue”. Direct mail offers a personal, tangible connection that many people appreciate in this tech-driven world. So if you’re interested in launching a direct mail campaign, make sure you verify address lists first.
Why Do Addresses Need to Be Verified?
You need to verify addresses that enter your database either manually or electronically. Data entry errors happen all of the time whether it’s by you, your team, or customers themselves. And, unfortunately, some leads will intentionally provide incorrect or even addresses to protect their privacy and/or avoid unwanted marketing.
So with all of these opportunities for incorrect or unverified data to enter into your database, you want to make sure you correct it before using it. Furthermore, having a database complete with addresses in USPS standard format comes with a number of benefits in direct mail campaigns.
5 Benefits of Using USPS Address Verification
1. Save Time and Money
Of course you don’t want to spend a lot of time manually verifying customer addresses. But you also don’t want to waste time and money sending mail to undeliverable or incorrect addresses.
You put a lot of effort into curating targeted marketing campaigns based on customer data. But if you use direct mail marketing, that time and money is wasted if your target audience doesn’t receive your advertisements and promotions.
USPS address verification solves both of these problems. By searching the address fields you have for a customer, you can get useful information like the complete USPS standard address, address type, and address status.
For example, you might need to know whether an address is business, residential, or PO Box. And address statuses can be valid, vacant, undeliverable, or apartment number missing.
The more accurate the address is and the closer it is to USPS standard format, the quicker mail will be delivered—to the right person. This is particularly important if your mailers require time-sensitive action or include time-sensitive offers.
Getting it right the first time is time and money well spent.
2. Build Leads List
USPS address verification doesn’t just help identify undeliverable addresses. It also serves as a USPS address search which can be used to generate a list of valid addresses. This is useful if you want to build a leads list. By entering a street name in a particular city, state, and zip code, you can get a list of all valid addresses on that street!
Paired with a batch append tool, you have a wealth of information at your fingertips. Batch append allows you to upload your entire list of addresses and get associated names, numbers, and email addresses in return. This way, you can personalize your mailers and add other contact methods to your list.
3. Improve the Customer Experience
When you check your mail, what do you usually get? Mailers addressed to “Current Resident”? Mail with the previous resident’s name? Mail with your own name spelled wrong? How does it make you feel?
When was the last time you received a letter from a friend or business you regularly do business with? Wouldn’t you rather see a personalized message in your mailbox than a generic mailer with incorrect information? Which are you more likely to open, read, and keep around?
Most people receive personalized messages and mail much more positively than generic junk mail. In an age of social media, email, and text messaging, traditional mail has become an old-fashioned way to communicate. However, that makes it all the more exciting when receiving something physical.
Getting mail is especially pleasant when there is a gift inside, like a coupon, special offer, or sample.
4. Keep Up with Competitors
It’s easy to get lost in leads’ inboxes. It’s even easier to get discarded. But it’s also easy to stand out in someone’s mailbox filled with impersonal junk and bills…. And if that mail doesn’t make it to the trash can right away, you’re on your recipients’ radar until it does. When your lead is ready for what you have to offer, there you’ll be.
Successful marketing campaigns are made possible by reaching your leads. The more leads you can reach, the more competitive you can be. More than that, you have a better chance of beating the competition when you know your leads well, can reach them whenever you need to, and make as few errors as possible. The more efficient you are, the more time, money, and resources you have to scale your business.
5. Maintain a Positive Reputation
Benefits 1-4 culminate in a positive business reputation. Address verification allows you to minimize mistakes and maximize direct mail marketing campaign success. Demonstrate that you are organized, professional, and knowledgeable of your customers.
USPS Address Verification: An Affordable Solution
To use USPS address verification, just enter as much address information as you have. Search, and get the complete deliverable USPS mailing address, USPS address type, and USPS address status.
To use the tool as a USPS address search, you have a few options. You can search
- a street name with no house number plus the city and state or ZIP code to get a list of all valid addresses on that street.
- only a house number with no street name plus the ZIP code to get a list of addresses with that house number in that ZIP code
- a ZIP code only to get a list of all the street names in that ZIP code.
- a street name and one state to get a list of all cities and ZIP codes with that street name.
Address information comes from actual USPS records. Each search costs only $0.05 (which is paid for using Search Tokens), and there are no subscriptions or memberships to worry about. So there actually is a sixth benefit to this verify address tool: affordability.
Benefits of Using USPS Address Verification in Direct Mail Campaigns
If you use direct mail campaigns, USPS address verification and USPS address search can help. There are no drawbacks to verifying your data and even building your lists up more.
If you aren’t already using direct mail campaigns, you might want to consider giving it a shot. It’s a simple way to stand out from the competition. These days, when everyone is drowning in email, the traditional mailbox is a relatively untapped market.
Try USPS address verification today. If you never used Search Tokens ($T) before, your first results are free!
