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Answer Upon - How Your List Affects Postage Costs
Avoid Ineffective AdvertisingLet’s examine the target market for a house cleaning business. The majority of your prospective customers will be upper-middle class, middle age professionals who do not have the time to clean, but do have the financial resources to hire a cleaning company. Other prospects will fall into either the 30 – 40 age group with younger children at home, or the 60 – 80 age group. They are looking for a professionally run cleaning business which guarantees customer satisfaction, and stands behind that guarantee.How do you advertise to such a broad age group? TV, Newspapers, Radio? Unfortunately, there is such a great variance in interests that it is impossible to reach all prospects with just one of these media. Therefore, an ongoing marketing strategy that incorporates all media sources is optimal.By keeping your company continuously in front of the consum
Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.
COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!
Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.
Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301 Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST
When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.
2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.
3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on you
Nevada corporation provides its customers with a wide range of benefits, such as legal benefits, financial benefits, asset protection and reduction of tax exposure. It is because of these services that individuals choose Nevada corporations. Corporate owners are protected from lawsuits and creditors very effectively by Nevada corporation law. It has mainly established to reduce home state taxes and to protect assets.As it has become a need of every individual to protect his assets from mounting regulations and tax liabilities, Nevada provides it with the perfect solution. Nevada corporations have the right information and used it to build up prudent strategies to protect the customer’s assets. They create a legal fortress around by using the right information and the law. Assets are shown as if it is leased from the Nevada corporation. The corporation files the assets in the home state and thereby avoiding t
The quality and accuracy of address information in mailing lists is one of the areas least understood and largely overlooked by most businesses using direct mail. To get an advertising message delivered the address must be correct! Many firms that use direct mail neglect this vital aspect. Is there a “printing” mentality of creating “one” and reproducing it “thousands” of times? The “one to one” aspect of valuing each individual’s information must be applied to every single record in a list.
Quality data entry and following input guidelines consistently generates accurate street, city, province and postal code information. Consistent data entry also improves the ability to match records and eliminate duplicates. Every duplicate mailed results in a poor company image and costs double in printing, mail processing and postage to reach the same person twice. Direct marketers need to be concerned about how many duplicates are in the list, determine how much it is costing and ask what can be done about it!
What may look like a correct address may not be true when compared against the Canada Post master list of all addresses in Canada. To receive the reduced postage rate for mailings of 5,000 or more, a list will go through a computer process to verify or “validate” that the addresses are deliverable. It must show a 95% rate of accuracy to qualify for the usual postage. A penalty of 5 cents each will be added to the regular postage cost for those records below 95%. What does this mean? On a mailing of 20,000 records, attaining an accuracy rating of 75% is 20% below the required percentage. 20% of 20,000 records is 4,000 invalid records x 5 cents = $200 additional in postage to send out mail that may not get delivered.
If it costs approximately $1.00 per record for printing, mail processing and postage for 4,000 addresses that may end up in the recycle bin anyway, you have now spent $4,200 more on your mailing with no sales results. It is cost effective to look at those records deemed “invalid” and correct or eliminate them before your next mailout.
Records are deemed “invalid” when the street, city, province and postal code information do not reflect a “deliverable” destination and can be caused by any of the factors listed below.
Common Errors Affecting Address Accuracy
- Obsolete postal codes
- Invalid or missing postal codes
- No street direction included in address
- Numbered street name entered incorrectly
- Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes
- Non address information in address fields
- Unusual characters and unnecessary punctuation
Obsolete postal codes Many rural delivery services have been restructured by Canada Post and now include the civic address and/or a new postal code. Re-development and growth of older urban areas, amalgamation of towns and growth of urban areas can create restructuring resulting in new postal codes being assigned. Therefore, addresses that were once correct may now be out of date and undeliverable.
Invalid or missing postal codes Data entry of postal codes could be incorrect or not included at all! The postal code can be tricky to input. Here is how a postal code should be input: V6P 2K7. There should be no hyphen between the first 3 and the last 3 characters, simply put one space not two or none and use capitals for the letters.
No street direction included in address You must specify the complete direction of an address. Examples:
34 AVE NE 800 GEORGIA ST W 24 ST E
There may be a 34 AVE NW so if it is input as 34 AVE or 34 AVE N, the postal code will not match. There could be an 800 GEORGIA ST E so without the full address and the right direction the record may be deemed “invalid”.
Numbered street name entered incorrectly Treat numbered streets like any other street name and enter them like this: 468 23 ST Do no put “23rd St”. That is old fashioned and confuses computer programs. Same goes for 25th, 22nd and 1st. Numbered streets with a letter attached to it like “23A ST” should have the “A” right next to the number.
Spelling errors Street names, city names and provinces must be spelled correctly. Streets like “Georgia” often appear as “Georgai”, cities like “Mississauga” or “Tsawwassen” can easily be misspelled. And provinces should be two letters only, with no punctuation. This has created confusion as previously there were province abbreviations like Alta for Alberta which is now AB. Nfld for Newfoundland which is now NL (and this has recently been changed from NF)!
Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes A postal station is identified by a “station qualifier”. Example: PO Box 436 STN C. The station qualifier “STN C” must be present along with the PO Box 436. There could be 20 postal stations in a city with a PO Box 436, but STN C tells the post office in which outlet the PO Box is located. Be sure and include that part!
There are also retail postal outlets in office buildings, 7-11 Stores, etc. The qualifier is usually an “RPO” designation. Example: PO Box 457 RPO Bentall
Rural addresses must include the “station”. RR 4 STN MAIN
Non address information in address fields Non delivery information such as the name of a building like “The Pender Building” is not considered to be “delivery information” and will confuse the Address Validation and Correction program. If you wish to include the building name, place it in the field above the actual street info. Computer processes read addresses from the bottom up starting with the postal code, province, city, street2, street1 information in that order.
Unusual characters and punctuation The post office uses high speed scanners to process machineable mail. A number sign # should not appear in the address.
Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.
COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!
Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.
Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301 Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST
When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.
2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.
3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on your
Are you looking for fundraising ideas for your nonprofit club, organization, school, or team? How about holding a yard sale?Garage Sales, tag sales, rummage sales, yard sales. Whatever you call them in your part of the country, we've all been to them, and we all know that people love to find a bargain at a garage sale. Some nonprofit organizations hold a yearly "spring cleaning" garage sale. Or, your club could also hold a sale twice a year, one in the spring and then again in the fall. Members of your organization can save things all year long and accumulate lots of items to donate to the cause. Most members are usually very happy to get rid of their unneeded items.Anyone who has ever conducted a garage sale knows that they require a lot of planning and labor but the rewards can be substantial. Your club should plan for it well in advance and allow about a month to gather al
If it costs approximately $1.00 per record for printing, mail processing and postage for 4,000 addresses that may end up in the recycle bin anyway, you have now spent $4,200 more on your mailing with no sales results. It is cost effective to look at those records deemed “invalid” and correct or eliminate them before your next mailout.
Records are deemed “invalid” when the street, city, province and postal code information do not reflect a “deliverable” destination and can be caused by any of the factors listed below.
Common Errors Affecting Address Accuracy
- Obsolete postal codes
- Invalid or missing postal codes
- No street direction included in address
- Numbered street name entered incorrectly
- Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes
- Non address information in address fields
- Unusual characters and unnecessary punctuation
Obsolete postal codes Many rural delivery services have been restructured by Canada Post and now include the civic address and/or a new postal code. Re-development and growth of older urban areas, amalgamation of towns and growth of urban areas can create restructuring resulting in new postal codes being assigned. Therefore, addresses that were once correct may now be out of date and undeliverable.
Invalid or missing postal codes Data entry of postal codes could be incorrect or not included at all! The postal code can be tricky to input. Here is how a postal code should be input: V6P 2K7. There should be no hyphen between the first 3 and the last 3 characters, simply put one space not two or none and use capitals for the letters.
No street direction included in address You must specify the complete direction of an address. Examples:
34 AVE NE 800 GEORGIA ST W 24 ST E
There may be a 34 AVE NW so if it is input as 34 AVE or 34 AVE N, the postal code will not match. There could be an 800 GEORGIA ST E so without the full address and the right direction the record may be deemed “invalid”.
Numbered street name entered incorrectly Treat numbered streets like any other street name and enter them like this: 468 23 ST Do no put “23rd St”. That is old fashioned and confuses computer programs. Same goes for 25th, 22nd and 1st. Numbered streets with a letter attached to it like “23A ST” should have the “A” right next to the number.
Spelling errors Street names, city names and provinces must be spelled correctly. Streets like “Georgia” often appear as “Georgai”, cities like “Mississauga” or “Tsawwassen” can easily be misspelled. And provinces should be two letters only, with no punctuation. This has created confusion as previously there were province abbreviations like Alta for Alberta which is now AB. Nfld for Newfoundland which is now NL (and this has recently been changed from NF)!
Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes A postal station is identified by a “station qualifier”. Example: PO Box 436 STN C. The station qualifier “STN C” must be present along with the PO Box 436. There could be 20 postal stations in a city with a PO Box 436, but STN C tells the post office in which outlet the PO Box is located. Be sure and include that part!
There are also retail postal outlets in office buildings, 7-11 Stores, etc. The qualifier is usually an “RPO” designation. Example: PO Box 457 RPO Bentall
Rural addresses must include the “station”. RR 4 STN MAIN
Non address information in address fields Non delivery information such as the name of a building like “The Pender Building” is not considered to be “delivery information” and will confuse the Address Validation and Correction program. If you wish to include the building name, place it in the field above the actual street info. Computer processes read addresses from the bottom up starting with the postal code, province, city, street2, street1 information in that order.
Unusual characters and punctuation The post office uses high speed scanners to process machineable mail. A number sign # should not appear in the address.
Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.
COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!
Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.
Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301 Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST
When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.
2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.
3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on you
It's not only customer service that businesses are concerned about. Everyone knows that a business is only as good as its employees. Clearly, hiring good employees is the key to a good business. Of course, hiring them is a different matter from keeping them, and a more crucial one at that. So don't be surprised if a notice or memo about employee surveys is making rounds in your office. Your employer just wants to gauge your satisfaction about the company. But more than simple yes/no options, employee surveys are meant to gauge your interest in staying with the company. Corporate longevity is determined by several factors that the surveys sought to address.But before sitting down to answer employee surveys with haphazard clicks and checks, consider what the surveys mean to you. These surveys could be your chance to let the management know about your work problems. On the other hand, this is also a chance to e
Invalid or missing postal codes Data entry of postal codes could be incorrect or not included at all! The postal code can be tricky to input. Here is how a postal code should be input: V6P 2K7. There should be no hyphen between the first 3 and the last 3 characters, simply put one space not two or none and use capitals for the letters.
No street direction included in address You must specify the complete direction of an address. Examples:
34 AVE NE 800 GEORGIA ST W 24 ST E
There may be a 34 AVE NW so if it is input as 34 AVE or 34 AVE N, the postal code will not match. There could be an 800 GEORGIA ST E so without the full address and the right direction the record may be deemed “invalid”.
Numbered street name entered incorrectly Treat numbered streets like any other street name and enter them like this: 468 23 ST Do no put “23rd St”. That is old fashioned and confuses computer programs. Same goes for 25th, 22nd and 1st. Numbered streets with a letter attached to it like “23A ST” should have the “A” right next to the number.
Spelling errors Street names, city names and provinces must be spelled correctly. Streets like “Georgia” often appear as “Georgai”, cities like “Mississauga” or “Tsawwassen” can easily be misspelled. And provinces should be two letters only, with no punctuation. This has created confusion as previously there were province abbreviations like Alta for Alberta which is now AB. Nfld for Newfoundland which is now NL (and this has recently been changed from NF)!
Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes A postal station is identified by a “station qualifier”. Example: PO Box 436 STN C. The station qualifier “STN C” must be present along with the PO Box 436. There could be 20 postal stations in a city with a PO Box 436, but STN C tells the post office in which outlet the PO Box is located. Be sure and include that part!
There are also retail postal outlets in office buildings, 7-11 Stores, etc. The qualifier is usually an “RPO” designation. Example: PO Box 457 RPO Bentall
Rural addresses must include the “station”. RR 4 STN MAIN
Non address information in address fields Non delivery information such as the name of a building like “The Pender Building” is not considered to be “delivery information” and will confuse the Address Validation and Correction program. If you wish to include the building name, place it in the field above the actual street info. Computer processes read addresses from the bottom up starting with the postal code, province, city, street2, street1 information in that order.
Unusual characters and punctuation The post office uses high speed scanners to process machineable mail. A number sign # should not appear in the address.
Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.
COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!
Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.
Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301 Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST
When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.
2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.
3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on you
Education verification is an important part of your general employee background check. If you believe that this has lesser importance than a criminal background check, consider the case of Laura Callahan who resigned as Director of the Department of Homeland Security in 2004.It was established that Laura Callahan’s doctorate was obtained from Hamilton University, a known ‘diploma mill’. That is a so-called educational establishment that offers diplomas and doctorates to students after little or no study. Subsequent investigation discovered that a minimum of 28 other senior employees had obtained their qualifications from diploma mills. In other words, they were not suitably qualified for the jobs they were holding.Diploma mills are commonplace, and Columbia State University, for example was shut down in 1998 after an advertising campaign offering degrees within 27 days! That was another diploma m
Station qualifiers missing for post office boxes and rural routes A postal station is identified by a “station qualifier”. Example: PO Box 436 STN C. The station qualifier “STN C” must be present along with the PO Box 436. There could be 20 postal stations in a city with a PO Box 436, but STN C tells the post office in which outlet the PO Box is located. Be sure and include that part!
There are also retail postal outlets in office buildings, 7-11 Stores, etc. The qualifier is usually an “RPO” designation. Example: PO Box 457 RPO Bentall
Rural addresses must include the “station”. RR 4 STN MAIN
Non address information in address fields Non delivery information such as the name of a building like “The Pender Building” is not considered to be “delivery information” and will confuse the Address Validation and Correction program. If you wish to include the building name, place it in the field above the actual street info. Computer processes read addresses from the bottom up starting with the postal code, province, city, street2, street1 information in that order.
Unusual characters and punctuation The post office uses high speed scanners to process machineable mail. A number sign # should not appear in the address.
Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.
COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!
Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.
Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301 Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST
When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.
2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.
3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on you
What’s Your Brand?A brand is a product/company personality that helps distinguish it from the competition. It evolves out of the product essence. So, what’s yours? Quality? Service? Price? Whatever it is it’s something your marketing must reinforce across all communication channels, from business card to TV spot. Even your office space. You can’t brand yourself as a cutting-edge ad agency if your office looks like a law firm. It also shouldn’t try to be all things to all people. "The best, cheapest, easiest, most fun" is not a clear brand. Above all, your brand must be truthful.What’s in a Name?For a start-up or a new product, don’t underestimate the value of a good name. Because once you decide, you don't want to change it. A good name should be more than something personal or catchy. It's a key part of your brand identity that must help define your business for a lifetime.d punctuation The post office uses high speed scanners to process machineable mail. A number sign # should not appear in the address.
Rural addresses like “R.R. #5 STN MAIN” should be input as “RR 5 STN MAIN”.
COMP 52 SITE 13 RR 5 is more easily scanned and matched than COMP. 52, SITE 13, RR #5. This format also saves keystrokes on data entry!
Commas and unnecessary inclusion of the period (.) should be avoided as scanners are looking for letters and numbers only.
Preferred input style for apartments: 345 MAIN ST APT 301 Acceptable style: 301 – 345 MAIN ST
When an address relates to a “4th floor” rather than a suite input it as: 400 – 341 MAIN ST or else place the “4th floor” in the street1 field and “345 MAIN ST” in the street2 field.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. Create quality data entry guidelines and maintain consistency of data entry.
2. Keep your list current and have it run through the Address Correction and Validation program at least once a year no matter what size your list is. This procedure will “correct” or “reformat” most addresses and generate a report showing your percentage of Address Accuracy. The updated list will include a new field coded in such a way to show which records were “corrected” and are “invalid”. You may then take action to update your database.
3. Eliminate duplicates with your updated, refreshed and reformatted addresses to save yourself lots of money on your next mailing.
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