ICS helps MSU reengineer its Direct Marketing Efforts
ICS Product/Service Area: Data Hygiene, List Strategy, Production
The Challenge
MSU was experiencing a high rate of undeliverable returned mail; as high as 10% for some mailings. MSU asked ICS for recommendations regarding:
- Increasing mailing list response rates and deliverability rates
- Ideas for tracking and analyzing responses to develop better list selection criteria
- Reducing postage expense
The Solution
- A simple recommendation paid large dividends for MSU. We recommended that we purchase its mailing list every six months.
- We recommended a re-engineering of their direct mail package.
- We have also established a response tracking and analysis technique.
The Results
- With six months of file maintenance work by the list compiler, additions, deletions, and changes to the business file resulted in a 50% reduction in undeliverables.
- Use of a custom envelope now allows MSU to mail more than one seminar brochure to a prospect for the same postage with a small increase in production costs.
- MSU can more readily determine the most responsive title categories and the most responsive types and sizes of businesses for their seminar promotions.