Address Standardization for Direct Mail

Key Takeaways

• Address standardization for direct mail involves putting addresses into a consistent, uniform format.
• Address standardization for direct mail can help to improve the quality of your addresses and mailing data for USPS processing.
• Just because an address is standardized, that doesn’t mean that the address is deliverable, or that someone in particular lives there.
• Address standardization for direct mail isn’t a replacement for other data hygiene techniques but should be a tool used alongside other address quality processes to make the data as accurate as possible.

Introduction

As you prepare for your next direct mail campaign,you find the following two addresses in your rented mailing list:

• 123 S Main Street Apartment 4
• 123 SOUTH MAIN ST APT #4

A person might be able to tell what the first address means but mailing list data comes from many different sources, and in many different formats. Address standardization is the process of taking these many different formats and putting the information into one consistent, uniform format before the mailing list is used for a direct mail campaign.

What Is Address Standardization for Direct Mail?

Address standardization for direct mail is the process of going through a mailing list and making the addresses in a uniform format. So, with our example from the introduction, an address before standardization could be:

• 123 S Main Street Apartment 4

And once the mailing list has had its addresses standardized, the address could look like:

• 123 S MAIN ST APT 4

While this is only an example, this could be what a standardized address could look like. Note: going through a mailing list and simply changing the word “street” or “road” to “ST” or “RD” does not necessarily count as performing USPS address standardization. There is more to USPS address standardization than simply abbreviating street suffixes.

Why Standardize Your Mailing Addresses?

Address standardization for direct mail your addresses plays an important role in preparing your mailing list and eventually printing your mail pieces to qualify for USPS automation mail pricing. Addresses that are used for automation mail pricing are required to meet USPS address matching and coding requirements using CASS certified methods, and addresses that are standardized are returned as a part of that address matching process.

Can A Standardized Address Still Be Incorrect?

Yes. While standardizing addresses on a mailing list can improve the quality and consistency of an address, a standardized address shouldn’t automatically be treated as if the mail piece is going to be delivered, or that the targeted recipient occupies that address. Other pieces of data hygiene, such as NCOA and DPV, should be performed alongside address standardization.

When Should Your Addresses Be Standardized?

Ideally, you should perform address standardization for direct mail before printing as started. Once a mail piece has been printed and personalized with incorrect information, correcting the issue could require pieces to be reprinted. If you’ve printed out thousands of mail pieces and then discover that the addresses aren’t standardized, there might not be many options that the mailer has other than just reprinting the pieces, which could be an expensive mistake.

Is Address Standardization the Same as Data Hygiene?

No, while standardizing addresses is a part of having a good data hygiene strategy, they can’t replace the entire data hygiene process.

Performing data hygiene includes:

• Address standardization
• Address verification
• NCOA
• CASS certified address processing
• DPV
• Merge purge
• Updating and removing any bad addresses or outdated information
• Other database cleaning processes or procedures

Who Standardizes Addresses?

There are various groups that can assist in address standardization for direct mail. Mailing list companies, lettershops, and other mail-service providers might offer address standardization services.

If you need help cleaning, preparing, and/or maintaining your mailing lists or databases before a direct mail campaign, contact Geon today, and we would love to work with you.

Address Verification vs. Address Standardization

FAQ

• Q: Is address verification the same thing as address standardization?
  • A: No, they’re not the same thing. Verification determines whether address information can be matched or recognized by postal data, whereas standardization is the process of putting a mailing list into a format that is consistent throughout.
• Q: If an address is standardized, does that mean it’s deliverable?
  • A: Not necessarily. While an address can be formatted in a consistent way, it can still contain either incomplete or incorrect information, which could make your mail be deemed undeliverable.
• Q: Does address standardization mean that my targeted recipient lives at that address?
  • A: No, it doesn’t. Address standardization just focuses on the address information and doesn’t verify that your targeted recipient lives at the address.

Conclusion

Address standardization for direct mail is an important part of getting a mailing list prepared for a direct mail campaign. Standardizing a mailing list involves getting address information into a format that is consistent across the list, while verifying helps to determine whether the list’s address information can be matched to recognized postal data.

Keep in mind that, while address standardization is a useful tool, it cannot guarantee that your mail piece will be delivered. Using address standardization alongside other data hygiene processes, such as DPV and NCOA, can help improve the overall quality of your mailing list before you spend money printing and mailing your mail pieces.

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