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  • About Us
    • Team Members
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    • Case Studies
  • Industries Served
  • List Fulfillment Services
    • ListAssist
    • Eblast Services
    • Email & Phone Enhancement
    • Demographic Data Enhancement
    • List Hygiene
  • Data Processing
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    • Data Hygiene
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    • Congressional Data Append
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  • Databyte Blog
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    • Optimizing Merge Purge
    • Data Hygiene ROI

Industry News

Image of USPS Business Reply Mail with IMb Accounting features, highlighting cost savings and no postage required for U.S. mail submissions.
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USPS Introduces New Business Reply Mail Tool

Faster Delivery, Lower Costs and Better Tracking Are Available with the New Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting (IMbA™) for Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM)

Business Reply Mail

MMI Direct uses Business Reply Mail® (BRM) campaigns with our wide range of clients to help boost response since donors don’t have to find and use a stamp to mail back their donation. BRM is easy to use, as a result we’re seeing more nonprofits testing and rolling out BRM campaigns during the pandemic, as older donors may not feel comfortable venturing out to buy stamps for their return envelopes.

Business Reply Mail® does have an additional cost, and sometimes delivery can be slower than stamped mail. That’s because BRM is manually handled once it’s received by the BRM Clerk at your local Post Office™ location. The BRM Clerk has to spot-count, weigh and rate your BRM, tally the various mail types, and then enter the information into the USPS® system for invoicing. This takes time, especially if mail volumes are high.

Our clients often see BRM delivery delays of 1-2 days compared to stamped, First-Class Mail® mailpieces because of this manual processing.

We’re happy to report that the USPS has launched a new application, called Intelligent Mail® Barcode Accounting (IMbA), which fully automates the process of Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM), speeding delivery, offering a deeper price discount and automated invoicing.

The Postal Service’s new IMbA accounting platform automates the invoicing of Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM) for postcards and letters up to 2 oz.

The Intelligent Mail barcode Accounting (IMbA) application is a value-added service that provides more consistent and timely Business Reply Mail availability. IMbA participants will receive their mail earlier in the day, reducing float time with more efficient and effective mail processing. IMbA customers also have the convenience to view and download invoices from their PostalOne!®account.

QBRM is for cards and letters only. A ZIP+4® is provided for each mail type, and an Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMb) is required. There are two prepaid return options available depending on projected return mail quantities: QBRM “Basic” and QBRM “High Volume.” QBRM “Basic” is best suited for customers whose return volume is approximately 613 letters or more, or 613 cards or more, expected annually. While QBRM “High Volume” is best suited for customers whose return volume is approximately 42,947 pieces or more quarterly or 171,786 pieces or more annually. Mailers can access their data through the Informed Visibility® feature and can review their invoices in PostalOne!®

We have several clients who are testing this new service with their fall and year-end mailings. The MMI Direct team is assisting them with the sign-up process. We are also working with USPS officials to promote this new program within the nonprofit community.

If you have any questions about this exciting, new QBRM service with IMbA, or need help getting started, please contact us. We’re eager to help.

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Recap of DMAW webinar on USPS mail deliverability trends, exploring facts and myths for successful fall fundraising strategies.
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Expert Panel Hosted by DMAW Reports on Mail Deliverability Trends & Tips for Fall Fundraising

Our colleague Debbie Sylvester of MailSmart Logistics was one of five expert panelists reporting on mail tracking data and sharing insights during this week’s DMAW “USPS Status: What is Fact and What is Fiction” webinar.

The key findings conveyed by all the panelists:

  • Mail tracking data across hundreds of mailers and hundreds of millions of mail pieces indicates that average delivery times have not changed.
  • Pandemic-related delays over the past several months have now abated and are improving. First-Class Letter Mail and Marketing Mail delivery are performing consistently, with delivery slowed by just a half-day or one day at most, when comparing monthly and annual trends, including election years.
  • Flats, such as catalogs, magazines, and larger envelopes are experiencing delays with inconsistent delivery times.
  • Inbound reply mail is experiencing some slowing.

The panelists shared valuable tips for nonprofits planning their fall mailings during this busy election and fundraising season:

  • Track your own mail! Your own mailing data is more helpful than relying on media coverage, anecdotal evidence, or even USPS data.
  • Tracking your outbound mail is the top priority, but if you can, also track your inbound mail. Tracking can help you with revenue forecasting and cross-marketing efforts.
  • Debbie Sylvester noted that 90+% of commingled mail goes directly to the Destination SCF (Sectional Center Facility), skipping four USPS steps: the local post office where your mail shop is located, the Origin SCF, the Origin NDC (Network Distribution Center) and the Destination NDC, which expedites delivery, is more predictable, and saves money.
  • Debbie also explained that Drop Shipping your mail to Destination SCFs and NDCs is another potential solution depending on the geographic density and volume of your mailings. Your postal logistics partner can analyze each mailing and recommend the best approach. In some cases, the best solution may be a hybrid plan, including both commingling and drop shipping.
  • Moderator Mike DeFlavia, Vice President of Production, at Lautman Maska Neill & Company remarked that it’s not necessary for fundraisers to know all these technical details. Your agency, production, and postal logistic partners can provide expert guidance on what’s best for your individual mailings and your overall program.
  • Business Reply Mail is sometimes delayed when it gets to its destination due to accounting unit processing delays at your local post office. Contact your local Post Office to inquire.
  • We will see large volumes of political mail in the weeks and months ahead, especially in swing states. So plan ahead and work with your partners on your campaign schedules and mailing strategy.

Steve Kearney, Executive Director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, who spent over 35 years at the USPS in leadership positions, cut through the media clutter with accurate information about postal operations and funding.

  • The Postal Service can handle mail volumes during election season, including vote-by-mail correspondence, which is a tiny percentage of overall mail volume.
  • The pandemic has impacted postal employee availability in Covid-19 hot spots; certain areas are experiencing service delays due to absenteeism.
  • Steve Kearney noted that given the volume of daily mail processed through the USPS, anecdotal evidence of delays, often covered in the media, is not reflective of the overall service levels which are well within established delivery standards.
  • The new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is committed to maintaining service levels, prioritizing election mail, and is delaying any proposed changes until after the election.

Mike DeFlavia wrapped up the discussion by stating that direct mail continues to be a critical channel for nonprofits, and nonprofits should move forward with their plans for the fall and year-end. 33% of charitable giving is done in the last three months of the year, according to the 2019 Charitable Giving Report from The Blackbaud Institute. And for many nonprofits, direct mail continues to be the largest source of donation revenue.

If you have any questions about the USPS, mail tracking and deliverability trends, and your fall mailing program, please contact us. We’re happy to help and share our insights.

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Person wearing a blue face mask while working on a laptop at home, highlighting remote work practices during the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Coronavirus: Your Data Processing and Direct Marketing

With coronavirus so much in the news, we want to assure you that MMI Direct and the PMG Family is taking every possible step to ensure continued and uninterrupted support for your critical direct marketing and fundraising programs:

  • We are fully capable of operating in a 100% remote way; both local and remote staff are accustomed to working remotely on a regular basis – remote infrastructure, workflows, and culture are already in place
  • At present, almost 50% of our employees reside outside the Washington, DC metro area and most of those are dispersed in states ranging from Florida to Tennessee to New Hampshire…read more…
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Colorful globe graphic with interconnected lines and the slogan Change the World with IDEALS for the 2019 Bridge Conference by DMAW.
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Make a Sure Bet at the 2019 Bridge Conference!

The 2019 Bridge to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference is quickly approaching. Join more than 2,500 fundraising and marketing professionals July 10-12 at the Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center for days filled with networking, workshops, panels, and more.

With the large variety of exhibitors in the Solutions Showcase, you’re sure to find new companies to partner with to help you better run your nonprofit, organization, or firm. Of course our family of companies will be at Booth #326. If you’re looking for print production, data processing, postal logistics or online fundraising support, please stop by – we’d love to chat. And while you’re there be sure to spin the wheels on our slot machine for a chance to win an overnight stay and dinner for 2 at the MGM Grand Resort!

The educational opportunities are impressive this year and feature numerous speakers and panelists in various tracks including:

  • Building Your Marketing Programs
  • Digital Ideas and Techniques
  • Telling Your Story: The Offer, Copy and Images
  • Positioning Your Organization for Fundraising Success
  • The Ideas-to-Ideals Toolkit
  • F2F & Direct Mail Work Together
  • And much more!

We are looking forward to seeing you at the 2019 Bridge Conference. Be sure to stop by Booth #326 to Make a Sure Bet with the PMG Family!  

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A bar of soap covered in bubbles, symbolizing the importance of data hygiene for ensuring effective marketing campaigns.
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8 Levels of Data Hygiene Make Your Campaigns Great!

A solid data hygiene program will enhance your campaign results in a variety of ways including:

Best Data Hygiene Protocol
  • Reduced postage rates
  • Faster delivery
  • Less undeliverable mail
  • Less waste
  • Save on printing & mailing costs
  • Increased response rates

With MMI Direct, you get 8 levels of meticulous data processing:

  1. CASS – Coding Accuracy Support System Certification improves address accuracy.
  2. NCOA – National Change of Address keeps your direct mail list up-to-date with the 14% of Americans who move each year.
  3. PCOA – Proprietary Change of Address finds people who move who don’t file a change of address notice with the USPS.
  4. Deceased Records Processing – Determine what makes sense for your organization and specific mailings.
  5. Prison Suppression – Unlikely to become donors or customers, these addresses are typically omitted from mailings.
  6. DMA Do Not Mail Preference (Pander) File – People who have directed the DMA to remove their names from direct mail lists should be omitted from acquisition mailings.
  7. Profanity Suppression – Screens out addresses containing inappropriate words or phrases.
  8. Donor File Dedupe – Identifies duplicate and potential duplicate records which can be consolidated or treated in the manner best determined by your organization.

Reach new levels of program performance with MMI’s thorough, highly customized data processing services. To explore how we can help make your campaigns even greater, please reach out.

Tags: data processing
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Businessman holding a sign that reads Are You Ready? highlighting the importance of data hygiene for effective move update validation.
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Data Hygiene Critical for Move Update Validation

The USPS will begin using a new Move Update validation process which could impact your budget. It allows them to better identify and penalize mailers who do not practice solid data hygiene. Here’s the breakdown of the changes.

What does this mean for mailers?

As you know, in order to receive postal discounts, the records on your mailing list must have gone through a data hygiene process called NCOA (National Change of Address) no longer than 95 days prior to your mail date. This helps the post office better manage their resources by reducing non-deliverable mail and the time-consuming task of forwarding and/or returning or trashing mail that cannot be delivered to the intended recipient. Move updates must be done for both Marketing Mail (formerly Standard) and First Class mail.

Nothing new there, so what’s changing?

Well, the USPS is changing the validation method used to determine compliance with Move Update –Mailpieces are scanned using Mail Processing Equipment and each mailing’s scores are maintained on a Mailer Scorecard. These results are aggregated across the calendar month and are measured against the established thresholds. Any COA errors exceeding the threshold, which is an error rate of 0.5%, will be assessed a Move Update assessment fee.

What does this mean for you?Move Update Validation

In order to keep your error score down, it’s important to keep up with your data hygiene protocols and process them through the NCOA hygiene in the prescribed time frame.

Managing how your data is in your record will also help. Small things like ensuring your recipient name reads FIRST NAME/LAST NAME vs. LAST NAME/FIRST NAME will greatly decrease your error rate.

If you need assistance with any data hygiene or ensuring your Mailer Scorecard is within USPS thresholds, please reach out to us – we’d be happy to help.

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Overstuffed mailbox filled with envelopes and letters, illustrating the need to stop unnecessary mailings, featured in When It Pays to Stop Mailing Someone.
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When It Pays to Stop Mailing Someone

stop-mailing-someoneIt’s always difficult to know when to remove a previous donor from your mailing list.  They obviously cared enough about your mission to donate at least once in the past; surely if you reach them with a beautifully-crafted appeal, they’ll give again, right?  Unfortunately, the answer is “not necessarily”.

There’s a science to determining when it makes financial sense to stop mailing a previous donor.  MMI’s chronic non-responder analysis examines the past 3 years or so of your mailings and the responses you received from each.  By looking at the number of times a donor has been mailed and the responses received from each mailing, we can determine the point at which there is such a low likelihood of response that you’re losing money continuing to mail to someone.

Rather than suppressing these records forever, an interim option is to skip a few mailings and then mail them again.  It’s possible you’ve been mailing this group of previous donors too frequently or they are going through a financially-challenging period; perhaps when they hear from you again after a break, they’ll reengage.

Because the behavior of donors changes, you shouldn’t do a chronic non-responder analysis just once and rely on its findings for years to come.  We recommend redoing your chronic non-responder analysis at least once a year to see if the results have changed.

If you’re intrigued by the idea of using analytical tools to optimize the return on investment of your direct mail campaigns, we’d love to work with you.  Please call John Bell at (310) 372-9010 or let us know the best time to contact you.

 

Want more than a cookie cutter approach?  MMI Direct dives deep into your data
to determine how best to optimize your list and maximize your direct mail ROI.

Tags: chronic non-responder
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direct mail optimization
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Using Modeling to Optimize Your Direct Mail List

One of the most potentially-rewarding merge purge operations you can do is to use modeling to improve the responsiveness of your list.direct mail optimization

Modeling organizations use massive databases containing billions of transactions to estimate the responsiveness of records to various appeals.  While each organization does it slightly differently, modeling organizations typically use market segmentation analysis to estimate the likelihood a name on a list will respond to a particular mailing based upon their age, sex, occupation, education, geographic location and/or other demographic characteristics.  The more advanced modeling organizations can also factor a person’s interests and product use patterns into their analyses.

By comparing the demographics of each record on your direct mail list to the model they create, modeling organizations can identify those individuals they expect will be less likely to respond to your mailing.  Armed with this information, you can simply drop the lower-scoring names from your mailing.  Alternatively, you can replace these names with other names the modeling organization predicts will be more responsive.

Two case studies show the potential impact of merge purge modeling:

  • Increased Acquisition Revenue: A nonprofit organization focused on growing their donor file replaced 90,000 records that were predicted to perform poorly with the highest scoring names available from the modeling database.  Overall response rate increased by 19% and the gross dollar revenues per mail piece increased 21%!
  • Reduced Acquisition Costs: A merge purge optimization analysis showed that records that scored in the bottom three segments of the model for this nonprofit had a response rate 64% below average.  When the mailer dropped the 49,000 records in these segments from its mailing, the number of new donors acquired decreased by only 3% while the overall response rate to the mailing went up 12% and the mailing’s ROI increased by 16%!

As these case studies show, modeling can have a fairly dramatic impact on the ROI of your mailings.  We highly recommend, however, that you test the impact of modeling to ensure that this process pays out for your organization.

Want more than a cookie cutter approach?  MMI Direct dives deep into your data
to determine how best to optimize your list and maximize your direct mail ROI.

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