Top Tips for New Suppression Targets
Earlier this month the DMA announced that it has committed to the Direct Marketing industry increasing the use of suppression files by 25 per cent in 3 years time. Part of a series of tough green targets it has agreed with Defra, the DMA hopes this will reduce waste and fend off the threat of statutory regulation.
We all appreciate that the DM industry must show its commitment to reducing waste and that regulation would lead to a damaging reduction in mail volume. And we all understand that suppressing our data improves targeting, ROI and brand reputation. So in these challenging times and after spending years capturing, nurturing and interpreting the information you hold on your clients and prospects, it would be madness to continue wasting money mailing somebody that is no longer there and not try to re-engage with those that have moved on.
However, suppression should be carried out with intelligence and consideration, enhancing not penalising your marketing campaigns:
- Be careful when using suppression files built on assumption - you could remove an existing customer
- Don't rely on postal returns - they are notoriously inaccurate
- Test several different matching criteria - too tight and you risk mailing gone-aways and the deceased, too loose and over-suppression comes into play
- Try applying a relocation file to identify new occuppiers and get back in touch with customers
For years REaD UK has been promoting the environmental benefits of data suppression and welcomes the new government crack-down on the DM industry. In fact REaD UK invented the concept of suppression, when it built market leading files such as GAS and TBR, now renowned for their data quality and accuracy. So we like to think we know a thing or two about data.
For helpful tips and advice, read our best practice guides to suppression:
From No Suppression to Over Suppression
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