DBSLists.com - Mailing List News Blog

Postage Increase takes effect this Sunday

2012-01-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

Don’tForget………. the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) isincreasing their prices for both market-dominant and shipping services mailclasses. This increase takes effect this Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 22, 2012, include:

Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents
Letters additional ounces – unchanged at 20 cents
Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents
Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents.
Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05

USPS Issues Advisory About Bogus Emails

2012-01-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

The Post Office has issued an advisory to be on guard against bogus emails that people are reporting about having a package delivery. I have seen these same bogus emails saying there is a UPS delivery. If you are not expecting a package, do not click on any link about package deliveries.

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/consumer/SpamAlert.pdf

There is more opportunity than ever to get your advertising message out!

2012-01-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

Internet and social media has fast become an alternative method of advertising but...... Direct Mail is still one of the best methods for getting a good return on your advertising budget. Studies show that receiving a physical piece in the mail will improve the chances of it actually getting read. The trick is to mail to those people who are most interested in your product or service and use smart mailing techniques to reduce costs.

Using a list brokerage like DBSLists.com can help target your mailing to those that most likely to be interested in what you have to sell by using demographically enhanced or direct response lists. The best example I can use is one of my clients who sells fishing supplies. Rather than mail to a broad base of people in a given zip code or geographic area, we find lists of people who are actually interested in fishing. On the other hand, a local restaurant or hospital might want to mail to every household in a given radius or apply other demographic overlay, like age, income or home value.

Your direct mail costs can be reduced by cleaning and updating your in-house database. DBS can standardize your address list, check for people who have moved, remove duplicate addresses or people who are deceased, update for zip code changes and more.....

DBS can help you mail smarter -- call us to see how we can help.

2012 Here Already

2012-01-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, who know that time would fly by so fast. Since the last post, we've had Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.

Hope everyone had a great holiday time and now ready to get on with business in 2012.

I know we are! Let us know how we can help with any of your your data and list needs.

2011-11-10T17:35:00.001-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day --

To all who gave service to our country -- and those currently serving --

We appreciate your service

Thank you

---------------------------------------------

While we celebrate this day to give thanks to ALL of our soldiers, don't forget the origins of this day and why it is celebrated on November 11, at 11:11 in the day.

In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh month, the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of bitter war, an armistice was signed. The "war to end all wars" was over.
November 11, 1919 was set aside as Armistice Day in the United States, to remember the sacrifices that men and women made during World War I in order to ensure a lasting peace. On Armistice Day, soldiers who survived the war marched in a parade through their home towns. Politicians and veteran officers gave speeches and held ceremonies of thanks for the peace they had won.

Postage Prices Increasing in 2012

2011-10-31T10:19:00.000-07:00

On October 18, 2011, the USPS announced another postal increase scheduled to take place on January 22, 2012. See the full announcement at 2012 Postal Increases

Highlights of the new single-piece First-Class Mail pricing, effective Jan. 22, 2012, include:

Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents
Letters additional ounces – unchanged at 20 cents
Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents
Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents.
Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05

Prices also will change for other mailing services, including Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services. Today’s announcement does not affect Express Mail and Priority Mail prices. More information on the new pricing is available at

Is there good news about this for business mailers?

According to the USPS............

For business mailers, today’s announcement offers good news for First-Class Mail Presort mailers. When the new prices go into effect on Jan. 22, the second ounce for presorted letters will be free. “This gives companies expanded opportunities to advertise new services and products to their customers as part of bill and statement mailings,” said Paul Vogel, president and chief marketing/sales officer.

QR Codes

2011-06-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

QR Codes are being seen everywhere - are you using one?

A QR Code (it stands for "Quick Response") is a mobile phone readable barcode that's been big in Japan forever, broke into Eurpoe a while back, and is now getting traction in USA.

QR Codes are scanned from "Smart" phones that have a free downloadable QR Reader App.

This QR Code sends an email to me for information on our services.

You will soon be seeing these used to enhance marketing activities everywhere. What are some ideas where this can be used?

Business Cards with embedded v-card info

Business Card with embedded Google Map

Invitations - with embedded RSVP response

Real Estate For Sale Signs linking
to Realtor's website listing

V-Card encoded temporary tattoo
for booth scanning at trade shows

These codes can be used for just about anything - use for linking to marketing text, websites, v-cards, facebook pages, email responses.

Check out this link for all the many uses that other companies are using for their marketing:

http://tinyurl.com/3onrcf6

Let us know if we can make one for you!

Post Office Sneaks Postage Increases

2011-05-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

Did the Post Office sneak a price increase by everyone?
Not that you would notice at first -- but postage rates have in fact increased. There was a postal increase that happened in April that wasn't publicized very well and may have gone unnoticed by most people.

The cost of 1st class letters stayed the same - for the first ounce - still .44/ea.

The increase, however, came for 1st-Class letters that are more than 1 ounce -- now .20 for each additional ounce. This is an increase of .03/ea over the old rates.

There was also a one-cent increase in 1st class postcard rates - now .29/ea.

Who does this affect the most? That's right - businesses get hit again!

Is there good news? Well yes - in fact using direct mail, even with the increase in costs, is STILL one of the most cost effective ways to market - especially by targeting your mailing to those people most likely to want your product or service.

DBS can help you mail smarter -- Let us help with your next project.

Ordering Medical Lists? Things To Know.

2011-04-20T07:03:00.000-07:00

There are many things to consider when ordering any list, but medical lists have some unique things to consider. Some questions to ask yourself:

1) Do you want counts for research purposes (knowing how many doctors are in a given area regardless of whether they have valid mailing address), or for mailing purposes (reducing number of doctors to only good and mailable addresses).

2) Do you want to mail to a physician at his office address or his home address.

3) Only office based physicians, or do you want to include hospital based physicians? Do you want hospital based physicians to include Residents?

4) Do you want to mail to each individual physician (coming from specialty files) or one mail piece per office location (data coming from business directory file) Note: Specialty medical files are much more expensive than business directory files)

5) Do you want the mailing list for one time use, or a one year license to use multiple times.

What are the differences in the various sources for physician data?

Business Directory Files:

These addresses are compiled from various business directories, including phone book listings, city directories, state business filings, plus other proprietary sources. These addresses are the least expensive, but also have a higher rate of returned mail. A 10% return rate is industry standard. The rate of returns is so high because, for one reason, when doctors change locations, they are not always putting in a change of address with the post office, which is where the list compilers would pick up that a doctor now has a new address. Also, some of the directory sources gives the physical address, but not always the full mailing address - this can result in undeliverable records. The post office might recognize the address as being a mailable address, but if it is within a medical center or some other large facility it might not get delivered if it doesn't include a suite number or mail stop number.

AMA (American Medical Association)

This file contains data from doctors belonging to the AMA. Keep in mind that not every doctor belongs to the AMA, but the file is also overlaid with data sourced from state licensing files as well as other proprietary sources. About 50% of the AMA file is the home addresses of the doctor instead of the office address. The address given to the AMA is their "preferred" mailing address for communication coming from the AMA. A large majority of state licensing files also include home addresses as this is the address a large number of doctors use when getting their license. The AMA file has a much higher deliverability rate so number of returned mail should be much lower. Orders for this file requires a 5,000 record minimum order (or same price equivalent) and requires a licensing agreement to be signed. If you mail frequently to doctors, but in very small quantities, there are some new programs available that can save you money. Call us to ask more about about this program.

Medical Specialty Files

There are a large number of medical files available that are sourced from directories, licensing files, subscription based files (ie subscribers to medical journals or associations). These are the most reliable as far as valid mailing address, but are also the most expensive with higher minimum costs.

None of the sources guarantee that every doctor will be on any particular list. The compiled business directories have the highest chance of reaching most of the doctors. The AMA and other specialty lists only have doctors that subscribe to a particular service or association. Direct Response lists, like attendees of conferences or subscribers to medical journals would be limited to actual subscribers or attendees.

Of course this doesn't cover everything there is to know, but hope this helps in identifying some of the issues and things to think about when ordering physician data. We also offer other mailing lists for reaching households with specific demographics or businesses in your surrounding area.

Call us to help identify the best list for your marketing needs or to place an order.

480-346-1114 / 303-257-2923 / Info@DBSLists.com

New Service Available for AMA (American Medical Association) Data

2011-02-28T13:12:00.001-08:00

A new service has become available for getting mailing lists of doctor's addresses from the AMA. The AMA list, while usually a better quality list over compiled directory lists, is quite expensive with minimum orders of 5,000 records or more. In those cases where you only want a small quantity, the cost is the same as if you ordered 5,000 records. But now, there is a prepay service available to that makes it easier and cheaper to order those lists that are smaller when mailing to a small regional area.

With this service, the minimum order is 20,000 records on a prepay basis, but those records can be accessed and downloaded at any time during the course of a year. This means that say, you want to only mail to 150 physicians in a specific regional area, the cost of that list would be around .20/ea so that the true cost for 150 names would be $30 instead of the $500 minimum cost that would normally be charged for a one-time order.

The benefit of pulling a small list without paying a high minimum makes this a real plus.

DBS has access to many different sources of medical mailing lists:

Business Directory Files:

These addresses are compiled from various business directories, including phone book listings, city directories, state business filings, plus other proprietary sources.

AMA (American Medical Association)

This file contains data from doctors belonging to the AMA along with data sourced from state licensing files as well as other proprietary sources. About 50% of the addresses from the AMA are doctor's home address.

Medical Specialty Files

DBS can also supply you with all of your other list needs if you want to market to the general population - maybe everyone in a specific radius, or zip code area with demographics that include age, income, net worth, gender, marital status, and more.

Let us help you with all of your list and database needs!

Follow Up - When Things Don't Go Right

2011-02-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

So, as it turns out - the postcards DID in fact get delivered - but was received at various addresses between 4-6 weeks AFTER the event. Since different people received the postcards at different times, it would tell me that they got hung up with different carriers at separate post office locations. This would make sense if the postcards were sent at bulk rates, but they were sent 1st Class Mail - absolutely no reason they should not have been delivered prior to the event. Doesn't help the non-profit that was holding the event though :(

When things don't go right.......

2011-01-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

I recently took on a very small project of printing and mailing a postcard for a local non-profit group - under 150 pieces. I donated my time and costs for getting a mailing list for them. Because it was so small and virtually no budget, and the local printers had minimums, setup fees, etc. that made it not feasible to order from them, I ordered postcards from an online East Coast print company that was offering a great deal - and they provided mailing services as well with a guaranteed two-day turnaround. Sounds like a great solution, right? Except it was for a specific event and the postcards never arrived in time for the event even though the postcards were sent 1st class.

The print company dropped the postcards into the mail stream when they said they would (two day turnaround) The Post Office said they did not think we allowed enough time. WHHHHAAAATTTT? Eight days for delivery not enough time???????

So what's the moral of the story??? Not sure if I should focus on the fact that the Post Office now believes eight days is not sufficient time for 1st class mail to get delivered OR to extol the virtues of using local printers who would drop the mail locally. On the other hand.... the nonprofit didn't have the funds to use the local source, so the alternative was not to do the advertising to start with.

In the end......... the event didn't get the promised advertising, the donor who paid for the mailing is out some money and I look bad for suggesting a service that didn't pan out. Hmmmm - sometimes ya just can't win :(

Give Thanks to our Veterans

2010-11-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Happy Veteran's Day --

To all who gave service to our country -- and those currently serving --

We appreciate your service

Thank you

---------------------------------------------

While we celebrate this day to give thanks to ALL of our soldiers, don't forget the origins of this day and why it is celebrated on November 11, at 11:11 in the day.

POSTAL CHANGES ARE COMING - MAY 2011

2010-10-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

WILL YOU BE READY?

IMB – Stands for Intelligent Mail Barcode and replaces the current Postnet ™ and Planet™ barcodes that are currently used for processing high volume mail for automation discounts.

This required new change will impact all volume mailers that get automation postal discounts including:

First-Class Mail - letters and flats
Standard Mail (Bulk) - letters and flats
Periodicals - letters and flats
Bound Printed Matter - flats
Business Reply Mail

You should immediately start thinking about........

--Who prepares your mail – do you process in-house or is it outsourced to a mail service provider (also known as mail house, or lettershop).

--Does your mail service provider plan to have the software installed and be fully compliant before May 2011 to print IMB and will their capabilities include basic or full-service.

--If your mail is processed in-house, steps should be taken now to get your mailer ID code and make sure software is installed and compliant prior to May 2011.

--Do you need to change providers based on capabilities?

--Compliance with IMB could result in needing to make design changes that could include more white space for addressing and the barcode on business reply mail

--Has your database been cleansed and updated? NCOA (National Change of Address) is required now for all automation discounts and is currently enforced.

Failure to comply with IMB will result in loss of automation discounts on your mail – result: higher postage.

Diversified Business Services (DBS) is already working with our mail service providers to make sure your mail will be fully compliant before next May. Make sure your outsourced providers are aware of this new requirement and fully on board – this includes printers, graphic designers, mail houses and lettershops, and database managers.

Go to the USPS site for more information on Intelligent Mail Barcoding:

http://ribbs.usps.gov/index.cfm?page=intellmailpresentations

Is Direct Mail Still Alive?

2010-06-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

The rising costs of doing a direct mail campaign have made some mailers hold back on how much advertising they do by mail and have increased their advertising with social media instead.

Has social media taken over? Even with the explosion of social media, reports show that direct mail is still one of the most effective way to advertise - and advertisers are increasingly coming back to what they know works.   Advertising by mail gives you the opportunity to personalize and target your advertising to the specific group of people that you are trying to reach in a way that social media can't.

Having something tangible to touch and hold on to gives direct mail a distinct advantage. Getting an advertisement in the mail for something you have an interest in having tends to be saved for the most convenient time for the consumer to respond to it.   Whether it is for the local pizza joint, 5-star restaurant dinner special, or a notice from my local hospital or other business, I get to choose the time to look over the offer.

There is a place for all forms of advertising - whether it be direct mail, print, radio, tv and social media - when it comes to reaching a specific audience for your product or service, direct mail is still the best way to reach them. DBSLists.com has access to thousands of mailing lists whether it be consumer (with demographics like age, income etc), business lists, or direct response lists (for specific comsumer buying patterns) -- let us help with your next mailing project.

Are you mailing to dead people?

2010-04-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

I was talking to the receptionist at the assisted living facility that my Mother lives at and she told me about the mountains of mail she receives daily for people who have passed on to the great beyond and asked if there was anything that could be done to get it to stop. I explained that most reputable list compilers pass their data against the deceased file, but once that list has been sold to advertisers to use, it would be up to the advertiser to keep the list updated. A deceased name can come back on when people don't remove the person's name from telephone directories, utility billings etc. perpetuating the problem.

Are you mailing to dead people?

Unless you are routinely cleaning your list, then there is a good chance you are. We can clean your mailing list by running your data through a process that identifies deceased people. At the same time, we can pick up new addresses where people have moved and remove bad addresses.

It costs a lot of money for printing and postage -- don't waste your money -- statistics show dead people never order. Increase your ROI - only mail to people who are breathing.

When is it a bad thing to NOT be on a mailing list?

2010-03-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

When it is your own project - that is probably the one time you actually want to be on a mailing list. We just completed a project for a client who had us obtain a mailing list for them that was pretty broad based and her name was not on the list that she ordered and she questioned why wasn't it there - it should have been, according to her. Since her name didn't show up, she wondered whether the list was even good at all - after all, if it was any good, her name would be there.

Well, the bottom line is that the list compilers don't know everything about everyone (contrary to popular belief). The names on a mailing list come from a variety of places - from directories, telephone and utility hookups, warranty registrations, subscriptions, purchases etc. Does it mean the list choice was a bad one -- not at all - especially if it meets the criteria and quantity that the project calls for.

Problems with Databases

2010-02-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

A lot of our clients don't understand how important it is to keep their in-house databases in good shape - and it starts with making sure data is entered correctly to start with. Bad data can result in unnecessary postage and print costs when there are a lot of duplicates, addresses that aren't deliverable, and worst of all....   comments entered into an address field.   No kidding - we get databases in that have comments like "he's an idiot", "owes money" or "don't deliver to this address" etc.   Can you imagine the person getting your mailpiece delivered to their home with the comment in the address field?

Data that is inconsistent will prevent proper deduping -- for example, business names or department names entered in an address field instead of the address. The front line people entering data get pressed for time when they have customers on the phone and don't always have time to be careful about where data is entered or whether it is entered correctly.   We recently processed a file where 1/3 of the data was either duplicates or undeliverable because of data entry errors.

Zip Codes change over time - is your database up to date? Having a wrong zip code on your mailing can delay delivery time or not be deliverable at all.

Some of the processes that we use to clean up databases are:

NCOA - Up to 20% of the population is in the process of moving each year. We will run the data through the National Change of Address software making sure new addresses are picked up.   New postal requirements require NCOA to be performed if trying to qualify for postage discounts or to have "or current resident".

CASS - Coding Accuracy Support System - This system standardizes addresses and assigns zip+4 coding. Passing data through this process prior to deduping the file will help catch more duplicate entries.

DMA/NoMail - The Direct Mail Association maintains a list of people who want their names removed from mailing lists and do not want to receive advertisements in the mail. Removing these people from your database will help ensure you are not wasting money on postage mailing to people who don't want to receive it.

Deceased - Does your file contain names of people who are deceased? Nothing irritates families more than getting mail addressed to their family members who are deceased.

DBSLists.com can scrub your database before you mail.

Save Money - Mail Smart !

1st Class Mailings and Returned Mail

2009-09-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Mailing at 1st-Class rates can result in mail being returned and not being deliverable as addressed. There can be a lot of reasons why mail could be returned as not deliverable. Some of the biggest reasons could include:

The person addressed moved and did not file a change of address with the post office
An apartment number or suite number was not included as part of the address.
An internal mailstop number wasn't included - some large companies require this before their internal mailroom will deliver it.

Most reputable list compilers keep their lists updated on a regular basis - but
there will always be a certain portion of a mailing list that may not be deliverable. The Post Office statistics say that 20% of the population is in transit at any point in time. A return rate of up to 10% is considered to be industry standard and should be factored into your budget. An even higher percentage of people leaving their positions at businesses do not file change of address forms. Returns can be minimized by mailing at bulk mail rates rather than 1st class or by adding “Or Current Resident” to the address or in the case of business addresses - mail to the department rather than a specific person, i.e. Attn: Marketing Director.

Consideration should be given if it is more important to follow the person to their new address or if a change of address wasn't filed, to get the mailpiece returned - OR is it more important for the mailpiece to get delivered to a specific address rather than to the specific person.

Some thought should be given to these issues prior to mailing -- talk to us and let us give you strategy advice.

Zip Code Changes - Phoenix Area

2009-06-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

When the U.S. Postal Service changes central Arizona ZIP codes next month, the hardest hit may be the small-business owners struggling to survive in a slow economy.
ZIP codes that start with 852 will switch to 851 in much of Pinal County, Queen Creek, and some unincorporated areas of Maricopa County beginning July 1.

Click here to read rest of story: http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/clicktrack/email.php/8789504
Source: The Arizona Republic
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DBSLists.com / Listfinders.com

2009-05-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

DBS is now affiliated with Vertical Response

Whether you're an email marketing pro or just starting out, VerticalResponse lets you create, send and track professional-looking emails quickly and affordably.
Vertical Response, Inc. is the leading provider of self-service and customized direct marketing solutions, empowering small and medium sized businesses to build, control and measure their own direct marketing campaigns.
Vertical Response offers an easy-to-use web-based tool that gets you up and running with opt-in email campaigns in minutes - and gets your email delivered.
Did You Know? VerticalResponse doesn’t burden you with contracts, surcharges or hidden fees. Just pay-as-you-go and realize volume discounts for buying in bulk.

Click here for more information - or to get started creating your email campaign !

New Postage Rates - as of May 11th

2009-05-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

USPS has raised their rates again --

First-Class - single piece 1 ounce letter rate increases:2 cents from .42 to .44
First-Class - single piece 1 ounce flat rate increases:5 cents from .83 to .88

First-Class - single piece postcard rate increases:1 cent from .27 to .28

Click here to see rates for bulk mail and other categories: http://dbslists.com/Index_files/Page1183.htm

What kind of lists are there?

2009-05-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

LIST BASICS

There are two main types of mailing lists available:

Compiled Lists

Direct Response Lists

A Compiled List is comprised of names that have been gathered from a variety of sources that simply list those names that fit a given criteria, i.e. all Phoenix residents; all Insurance Agents, Restaurants, or Used Car dealers. A compiled list can also include expanded information such as all people living in a specific zip code with incomes over a certain level and within specific age ranges. There are many types of compiled lists that reflect lifestyles and professions.
These lists are meant to be used by advertisers wanting to reach all people within a given market segment without qualifying if those people are actually interested in the product that is being sold.

A Direct Response List more specifically targets those people who have a demonstrated interest in the product line that is being advertised, and have already responded to the offer by direct mail. For example, if you are selling health products, you want to target your mailing to people who have already purchased health products by direct mail. Or, if you are selling fishing lures, it would be important to mail to people who have purchased fishing supplies by direct mail. It is important to direct your mailing to those people most likely to purchase by direct mail – a direct response buyer .

Go to http://www.dbslists.com/ or http://www.findamailinglist.com/ for more information. We welcome all calls -- 480.346.1114