Something unique happens to me each and every April: I have baby. You see, by the middle of the month, I find my mail box flooded with brightly-colored, welcoming packages for me and my new bundle of joy. Each one is so sweet, filled with cherubic images of pinchable cheeks and chubby thighs. I find myself pouring through the postcards offering diapers and formula and reminiscing of when my little man was born.
Perhaps I should mention that come April 29th, I will be 144 months post-partum and he is my one and only. So how is it that these retailers think I am in a “family way” each April? The answer is simple — old and incomplete information associated with my name and address — AKA dirty data.
Dirty data is a problem that plagues us all. From nationally compiled lists to individually culled and maintained house files, inaccurate, erroneous data impacts every aspect of the marketing spectrum. According to Experian Data Quality’s 2015 Data Quality Benchmark Report, 97% of companies surveyed reported suffering from common errors associated with contact data. The most commons errors noted included incomplete or missing data (51%), outdated information (48%), and inaccurate data (44%) among others. Of all the reasons for inaccuracy sited, human error reigned supreme at 61%.
With data quality issues directly impacting revenue and reputation, marketers need to take a more proactive approach toward data hygiene and quality. From change of address services and address standardization to data profiling and linking, there are numerous tools that when applied, go a long way toward a significant reduction in data hygiene issues.
Now, being that I am in the industry, I get a bit of a chuckle out of my getting-ready-to-be-pregnant-again-for-the-twelfth-time mailings each April, however, for those consumers who may not have the same level of industry insight, situations such as this tend to cast a negative light on direct marketing – and we don’t want that!
For more information on how best to clean up your dirty data, download our solution sheet here!