Why a FREE regular Data Health Check is a must for successful direct mail campaigns

When it comes to effective direct mail, data is King. Get it right, and your campaign will be targeted to prospects or customers who’ll give you returns. Get it wrong, and you could be wasting a large part of your marketing budget on producing and mailing collateral to the wrong people, as well as running the risk of giving your company a bad name by mailing to those no longer at that address.

This blog will explain what’s involved in a FREE data health check, why it’s important for every business or organisation and what a difference it can make to the success of a campaign. Viewing a data health check as a strategic investment is essential for businesses aiming to maximise their ROI, ensuring that every marketing pound spent is an opportunity for growth.

What is a FREE data health check?

A FREE data health check analyses your existing database against the most recognised and trusted Data Quality files to assess how clean and healthy your data is. It’ll identify the number of records that would benefit from data cleansing, such as:

• Duplicate records
• Movers and forwarding addresses
• Deceased records
• Postcode and address corrections
• Interactive correction of failed records

Once the checks have been carried out, we’ll send you a free report showing the findings, ultimately helping to improve efficiency in your data management and usage.

Does a FREE data health check comply with legal obligations?

Absolutely! In fact, a data health check is essential in ensuring your database is legally compliant. It’s run against nationally regulated files, including:

• MPS
• The Bereavement Register
• Royal Mail NCOA
• GAS

All companies should have a regular health check on their data to ensure it remains compliant. 

We’ll receive, handle and process your data in line with our ISO270001 certification for complete peace of mind.

Do I have to respond to all the findings?

Not at all. The report you receive will detail the number of records falling into the above categories and the cost involved in carrying out the cleansing process. You can prioritise removing the records which will make you legally compliant and then decide how far you want to go with the cleansing thereafter. It’s completely up to you. 

How does a FREE data health check improve efficiency?

Accurate and compliant data can save you time, money and customers:

• Reduce wastage and production costs – why pay to print and fulfil more items than you need?
• Less wastage has sustainability benefits
• Reduce postage costs
• Protect your brand and reputation - you don’t want to be the company sending mail to deceased record or multiple items to the same person.
• Compliance – a data health check will ensure your data management is in line with your legal obligations.
• Better ROI through savings on production costs and postage and a more targeted database, leading to improved productivity in your marketing efforts.

By enhancing data quality, businesses not only safeguard their brand but also unlock the potential for increased revenue and add significant value to customer relationships.

Poor data quality can cost businesses up to 6% of annual turnover.

Are there other ways to keep my database up to date?

50% of your data will be out-of-date within two years, so we recommend regular FREE data health checks. But there are ways you can maintain a clean and healthy database.

One easy way is to look at your returns and update your database accordingly. The reason for the return is usually shown on the return label. There’s no point continuing to mail to an individual if you already know they’re not at that address. It sounds simple, but it’s surprising how many companies put the returns straight in the bin!

Analyse the responses you get from campaigns. There will be some contacts who have been on your mailing list for a long time but have never placed an order. Instead of just removing them from your database, focus on creating a different marketing message for their items. This could involve offering a discount when they order, or a free gift. Or you could ask them if they want to continue to receive your mailing. Creating more personalised and targeted marketing messages can significantly enhance the response rate. We’re always happy to help guide you with how to use variable data in order to make every mail pack unique.

How can I increase my database?

There are many tried and tested ways of acquiring more prospects through the use of online data capture. But if you’re looking to target new customers in a certain area, Partially Addressed Mail may the worth considering.

Partially Addressed mail is a highly targeted and responsible way to reach new customers. We’ll take your existing database and either top it up with other households in the areas where you already have customers (or are looking to target), or we’ll identify Lookalikes – similar contacts to those where you currently have customers. Mail packs will be sent out exactly the same way as a normal DM campaign; the only difference is that they are addressed to the household rather than a named individual. Postage is heavily discounted (depending upon the quantity). Just give us a call to find out more.

Whichever way you look at it, clean data = better returns and happier customers! Utilising clean and targeted data not only attracts new customers but also encourages them to spend more money, significantly enhancing your ROI.

Don’t waste time. Speak to us about a FREE data health check today.



This blog has shown how data health is the key to effective marketing campaigns, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and efficiency in reaching target audiences. Machine learning plays a crucial role in enhancing the outcomes of data health checks by automating processes and improving the accuracy and relevance of data.

This guide explored the significance of data health checks, emphasising the role it plays in improving ROI on mail campaigns.  By proactively maintaining data quality, businesses can enhance marketing campaigns and effectiveness, improve customer engagement, and realise significant cost savings. The impact of data health on the effectiveness of marketing campaigns cannot be overstated, as it directly influences customer value management and strategic metrics.

Contact us today for a free data health check and unlock the full potential of your database. Let us help you ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency in your marketing campaigns. Invest in data health to secure a brighter future and reach your business goals, keeping an eye on important metrics to measure the success of your marketing campaigns.

Call us on 01733 342 321 or email sales@kjsmail.co.uk