EDITOR’S NOTE VOLUME 32, ISSUE 3 MAGAZINE STAFF President Chad Griepentrog Publisher Ken Waddell Editor Amanda Armendariz amanda.c@rbpub.com Editorial Director Allison Lloyd allison.l@rbpub.com Contributing Writers Adam Collinson, Wes Friesen, Rob Hanks, Karen Kimerer, Brad Kugler, Adam Lewenberg, Jeff Peoples, Mike Porter, Kurt Ruppel, Kathleen Siviter Audience Development Manager Rachel Chapman rachel@rbpub.com Advertising Ken Waddell 608.235.2212 ken.w@rbpub.com
DATA, DATA, EVERYWHERE BY AMANDA ARMENDARIZ
Design Kelli Cooke RB Publishing Inc. PO Box 259098 Madison WI 53725-9098 Tel: 608.241.8777 Fax: 608.241.8666 Email: rbpub@rbpub.com SUBSCIRBE Subscribe online at MailingSystemsTechnology.com. Subscriptions are free to qualified recipients: $20 per year to all others in the United States. Subscription rate for Canada or Mexico is $40 per year, and for elsewhere outside of the United States is $45. Back issue rate is $5. SEND SUBSCRIPTIONS TO: Mailing Systems Technology, PO Box 259098, Madison WI 53725-9098 Call 608.241.8777 Fax 608.241.8666 E-mail rachel@rbpub.com Online at MailingSystemsTechnology.com. REPRINT SALES ReprintPro 949.702.5390 www.ReprintPros.com All material in this magazine is copyrighted ©2019 by RB Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Any correspondence sent to Mailing Systems Technology, RB Publishing Inc. or its staff becomes property of RB Publishing Inc. The articles in this magazine represent the views of the authors and not those of RB Publishing Inc. or Mailing Systems Technology. RB Publishing Inc. and/or Mailing Systems Technology expressly disclaim any liability for the products or services sold or otherwise endorsed by advertisers or authors included in this magazine. MAILING SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY (ISSN 1088-2677) [Volume 32 Issue 3] is published seven times per year (January/February, Annual Industry Buyer’s Guide, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December) by RB Publishing Inc.,PO Box 259098 Madison WI 537259098, 608-241-8777. Periodical postage paid at Madison WI and additional offices. POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Mailing Systems Technology PO Box 259098 Madison WI 53725-9098
T
he digital revolution has changed our everyday lives, often in ways that were inconceivable even 20 years ago. With these changes have come numerous benefits that have eased our day-to-day workloads in both our personal and professional lives, but that’s not to say there aren’t some drawbacks to this digital age, as well. One noticeable change since the advent of electronic communication channels is that since these efforts can provide immediate tracking results, those in the mail industry may expect physical mail to do the same. Some marketers may even think that mail is no longer as viable a channel, since it can’t provide the instant results of its digital counterparts. But to abandon hard copy mail as a communications effort would be a mistake, as many in our industry valiantly argue (especially when the industry is moving closer and closer to that goal of providing real-time results from physical mail pieces). Mail is consistently proven to be one of the most trusted, most opened, and most acted-upon communications channel, especially when it’s combined with electronic efforts. So, marketers should take advantage of the instant reach that digital communication provides and combine these efforts with physical mail. We have the
data to reach our customers in the most effective way possible; why not use it to our advantage? By drilling down into the data we have on our customers, we can create relevant, personalized, multichannel communication efforts that will trigger higher response rates. Don’t view it as digital vs. physical any longer: Embrace this avalanche of data we now have access to, and utilize it to improve your marketing campaigns, no matter how your message ultimately reaches your customer. A word of caution, however; it doesn’t matter how much data you have if that data isn’t clean and up to date. Be sure you utilize all the tools and best practices at your disposal to ensure your data is accurate. After all, it doesn’t matter how quickly your message reaches an address if your desired customer no longer resides there. I’m looking forward to discussing with our readers all of the issues affecting our industry in Indianapolis this year at the National Postal Forum, so please stop by our booth to say hello. As always, thanks for reading Mailing Systems Technology.
MailingSystemsTechnology.com | MAY-JUNE 2019
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