List Cleaning Services Key Terms

These key terms will help you spring clean your list of contacts

Whether you have email lists, telemarketing lists, mailing lists, or other marketing lists... list cleaning services are an important way to ensure that the contact information is still accurate. There are many list cleaning companies out there, so these key terms can help you understand your options and help choose the service best suited for your business.

 

List cleaning

List cleaning refers to the process of ensuring that your marketing, mailing or emailing lists are accurate by removing incorrect contact information and names. If you have rented or purchased a list and notice that it is not getting you the leads you want, a list cleaning can help you glean more useful information from your list by weeding out the inaccuracies.
Try: The Direct Mail House has a comprehensive and illustrated definition of list cleaning.

List hygiene

List hygiene refers to the regular updating of your marketing, mailing or emailing lists. Unlike list cleaning, which removes inaccurate information, list hygiene is about getting accurate information up-to-date. Even if you have subjected your lists to list cleaning, you will need to include regular list hygiene services to keep your list current.
Try: NextMark has a comprehensive definition of list hygiene.

List enhancement

List enhancement is a process that involves adding data to your current email, marketing, telemarketing or mailing list to improve the quality of your leads. For example, list enhancement might divide your list up according to demographic so that you can send more targeted marketing messages or can combine telemarketing and mailing lists to offer different ways to reach your target audience. Many list cleaning services offer list enhancement packages.
Try: ProMarketing Leads has a comprehensive and detailed definition of what list enhancement is and what it does for a business.

Data scrubbing

Data scrubbing is a more thorough form of list cleaning that ensures that your email, marketing, telemarketing or mailing list is free of error, but is also correctly formatted and is in a format that makes it ready to use.
Try: Northwest Database Services has a detailed description of what is involved in data scrubbing.

Email Electronic Change of Address (ECOA) services

Email Electronic Change of Address (ECOA) services are offered by some list cleaning companies. These services essentially help you update your email list with a client's changed email. That is, the company will find the email addresses on your email list that are no longer accurate and will actively look for that contact's new email address.
Try: Digital Harvest has a comprehensive explanation of what ECOA is and why businesses need it.

Email list maintenance

Email list maintenance is often confused with list cleaning, but maintenance usually refers to the process of changing (rather than merely removing) incorrect contact information from your email marketing lists.
Try: YourEZineCoach has a clear and useful definition of list maintenance.

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