Thursday, February 17, 2022

Postage Paid Envelopes

Postage Paid Envelopes

More and more marketers and business owners are now turning to direct mail for accomplishing their marketing goals. Direct mail is often more effective in connecting with customers and generating responses. However, direct mail marketing can be complex and time-consuming unless you have the right tools.

postage paid envelopes

Postage Paid envelopes are one of the most convenient ways for business organisations to simplify their direct mail process. However, many companies are still unaware of the Prepaid Envelope offered by Australia Post or how they can use it for direct mail marketing.

Hence, we will explain what a Postage Paid envelope is and how Postage Paid envelopes work. Furthermore, the article also discusses the requirements of Australia Post’s prepaid envelopes and how you can optimise your direct mail campaigns.

What Is A Postage Paid Envelope?

Postage Paid envelopes or prepaid postage envelopes are envelopes that do not require you to attach postage stamps for mailing them. In other words, prepaid postage envelopes allow people to send postal mail without applying postage stamps.

Businesses often employ prepaid envelopes to boost the reply rate of their direct mail campaigns. Companies can also use prepaid envelopes to conveniently send marketing mail without going through the trouble of applying postage on each mailer.

Postage paid envelopes Australia comes with a Postage Paid Imprint, distinguishing prepaid envelopes from regular postage envelopes. So, if you ever see Postage Paid Imprint in a direct mail envelope, it means that its postage is already paid for.

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Postage Paid Imprint

According to Australia Post, Postage Paid Imprint is a preprinted impression that serves as an alternative to postage stamps or a postage meter. The Postage Paid Imprint indicates that the postage is already paid for by some means other than postage stamps.

It is usually used by businesses that send regular quantities of mail and boost the response for their direct mail campaigns. Understanding the characteristics of the Postage Paid Imprint enables you to distinguish prepaid envelopes from preprinted envelopes.  

Otherwise, businesses may use regularly printed envelopes without attaching the necessary postage. It can lead to financial and time loss. Hence, if you want to use Postage Paid envelopes for your business communications, you should learn everything you can about it.

Postage Paid Imprint Location

The image above shows the position or location for the Postage Paid Imprint. Ensure that the positioning of the Postage Paid Imprint is within the postage zone of an envelope. If the imprint is not on the postage zone, it is not considered as one of the AusPost Postage Paid envelopes.   

The Postage Zone:

Some of you may be unsure about the position and size of the postage zone. The postage zone is 90mm wide and 40mm high. It appears on the top right corner of the address side of the envelope.

You can measure the 90mm width of the postage zone from the top right-hand corner and its 40mm height from the top edge of the envelope.

Postage Paid Imprint Design 

The Postage Paid Imprint also has some unique design characteristics to tell whether an envelope is prepaid or not. First of all, you should look for the wording “POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA”. The envelope is not a prepaid postage envelope unless the imprint contains this wording.

Furthermore, the words should be printed in black ink and capital letters. The ideal font size for the wording is 8.5 to 14. Australia Post also recommends that you use the fonts Helvetica or Arial. Ensure that the imprint is against a white background with a rectangular shape.

The maximum allowable size or dimension of the rectangular box is 26mm in height and 40mm wide. You should also ensure that the triangle has a minimum measurement of 19mm height and 25mm width.

Prepaid Postage Envelopes For Priority Mail Services

One of the benefits of prepaid postage envelopes is that they are also available for priority mail services. As you can guess, the Postage Paid envelopes for priority mail are different from the standard prepaid envelopes.

However, the design features of priority Postage Paid Imprint differ from the regular one. Apart from the words “POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA”, the Postage Paid Imprint for priority mail also has the words “PRIORITY.”

The word “PRIORITY” is provided in a smaller rectangle below the white rectangle for the wording “POSTAGE PAID AUSTRALIA.” Australia Post uses mail processing equipment for sorting the mail. It enables them to streamline their direct mail delivery and eliminates manual processing delays.

Australia Post uses the same equipment to recognise and sort priority mail from regular mail by identifying “PRIORITY” on the imprint. The significant design aspects of the priority Postage Paid Imprint include the following:

Use Reverse Text For “PRIORITY”  

One of the design aspects that stands out in the Postage Paid Imprint for Priority Mail is the reverse text. And no, the reverse text does not mean that the letters are reversed. The reverse text here means that the text should be white while keeping the background black.

Text Format

Australia Post recommends using capital letters to ensure the mail processing equipment easily recognises your prepaid postage envelopes. 

It would be best to opt for bold font over the regular font. The preferred font style for Priority Mail Postage Paid Imprint is Helvetica Bold or Arial Bold.

Australia Post also suggests that you should maintain the font size between 10 to 14 to ensure the imprint’s easy readability.

Design Of The Rectangular Box

The small rectangular box should have 4 to 6mm height for wide imprints and 6 to 10mm size for tall imprints.

Contrast 

Australia Post suggests maintaining a minimum contrast of 65% between the background and the text for optimal readability.

Other Requirements For Postage Paid Envelopes

Apart from the design aspects that we have discussed earlier, there are other factors you need to consider when using prepaid envelopes. The additional requirements for Postage Paid envelopes include the following:

Return Address

The Postage Paid envelopes should always have an Australian return address. Make sure to print it on the top-left-hand corner on the front of the envelope.

Lodgement Requirements

Another important thing you should note about the Postage Paid envelopes in Australia is the lodging requirements. Make sure to lodge the mail during the working hours of an authorised Australia Post facility.

How To Pay For Prepaid Postage Envelopes

There are two ways you can pay for Postage Paid envelopes from Australia Post. Customers can either use an Australia Post Business Credit Account or cash payments. The former is more convenient for marketing purposes. Furthermore, cash payments are only preferable for Postage Paid Imprint mail for individual or personal communications.

Conclusion

AusPost Postage Paid envelopes are an excellent way for business organisations to run easy and convenient direct mail marketing campaigns. Prepaid Postage envelopes enable businesses to send direct mail to their customers, prospects, and partners without the trouble of attaching postage stamps.

Apart from this, they can also use prepaid envelopes to boost the response rate of their direct mail campaigns. Sending a prepaid envelope to your target audience provides them with a convenient way to respond to your direct mail.

Companies can further enhance the effectiveness of their prepaid envelopes by using an automated tool like PostGrid. Advanced software solutions like PostGrid can automate the entire direct mail process, including personalisation, printing, and delivery of your mailers.

Such extensive automation of your direct mail process enables you to ensure the fastest processing time for your mailers. Any business that wants to see feasible changes in its direct marketing effort should consider an advanced automation solution like PostGrid.

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Tuesday, February 1, 2022

US Address Format

How to Use the US Address Format Correctly

Using the correct format while addressing an envelope or package helps you ensure that it reaches the correct destination. Also, it helps the postal service to mail your items efficiently and speedily. 

us address format

However, we often forget about checking the American address format before sending something to the US. It can result in various issues, like delays, returns, and lost mail. Hence, taking out a moment of your time to cross-check your address format can save you a lot of trouble. 

While mailing from Australia, you should take care that you write the US address according to the United States Postal Service (USPS) address format. It speeds up the delivery process and eliminates any unnecessary trouble. 

Keep reading this blog to know how to write an address US. We will also discuss some tips that will help you make your mailing addresses valid and deliverable. 

How to Write US Address on Envelope or Parcel

US mailing addresses usually range from three to six lines. Find below the components of the US address format:

Recipient’s Name

Always write the recipient’s name on the first line. It is also called the attention line, so you can begin by writing “ATTN” or “ATTENTION.”

Company’s Name

You can mention the company’s name on the second line. Some people write the company’s name on the first line if they aren’t sure of the recipient’s name.

Delivery Address

The third line typically consists of the street address. The USPS also refers to it as the delivery address line. Some examples of US street addresses are:

  • 106 DOYERS ST
  • 8 ARLINGTON DR
  • 599 NW BAY BLVD
  • 72 ANDERSON PL

As you can see, there are several abbreviations in street addresses. For example, ST stands for ‘Street,’ BLVD stands for ‘Boulevard,’ and PL stands for ‘Place.’ You can check the complete list of abbreviations on the USPS website. 

Also, you should use the correct abbreviations for street directional, like N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW. 

City, State, and ZIP code

The second last line has three crucial elements of an American mailing address: city, state, and ZIP code.

The US addresses also use the state abbreviation instead of the name, like Australian addresses. So, write the city name at the beginning of the line, followed by the 2-digit state abbreviation.

Again, make sure to use the correct abbreviation as prescribed by the USPS.

The last thing you should add to this line is the ZIP code. It works in the same way as postcodes work in Australia. However, postcodes have only four numbers, whereas ZIP codes range up to nine digits.

Most people only use the 5-digit ZIP codes. But, it is advisable to add ZIP+4 codes (the additional digits added to ZIP codes) to ensure accurate mailing.

This line should look something like this:
ALLENTOWN PA 18101 0598

Country Name

The correct US address format while sending mail from Australia has the word ‘USA’ on the last line. If you want, you may write ‘United States of America,’ but it is recommended to write ‘USA.’

It is one of the most significant aspects of your mailing address while mailing internationally.

So, the US address format is:
Recipient’s full name
Company name
Street address
City, state, ZIP code
Country name

Here’s an example of an American address according to the above format:
CAROLINE MILLER
JSP INC
105 KROME AVE
MIAMI FL 33185 3700
USA

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Different Types of US Letter Address Formats

Apart from the standard US address format that we discussed above, there are some variations that you should about.

Residential Addresses

While mailing a residential address, you need not add the company name on the second line. You can begin with the recipient’s name and add the street address on the following line.

ALARIC DIAS
8 ONTARIO ST
CLEVELAND OH 44113-1602
USA

PO BOX Addresses

The US shipping address format for PO boxes is not very different from the other address formats. You only need to replace the street address with a PO box number.

Here’s an example:
STUART GELLER
TROPIC PRODUCTIONS LTD
PO BOX 6903
LOS ANGELES CA 90079 6285
USA

Note: If you want, you can also add the street address on the line above the PO Box number.

Military Addresses

The US military address format is a little tricky. On the first line, write the full name of the service member you are mailing. You may or may not add the rank, grade, etc.

If you don’t know the name, you can add a specific title, like Supply Officer, Commanding Officer, etc.

Also, add the unit designation and FPO/APO details with a ZIP code.

Below is an example of a US military address:
SGT JACE SMITH
UNIT 1582 BOX 174
APO AE 09350

Addresses With Secondary Details

Add an extra line to your address in cases where you need to mention additional address details, like a suite number. For example:

ANNA PARKER
SUITE 20 A
10 CAMPBELL AVE
TUCSON AZ 85641 0189
USA

Crucial Guidelines to Follow While Writing US Addresses

Below are some essential and helpful guidelines that can help you write US addresses correctly:

  • Write your mailing address in uppercase letters and refrain from using punctuation.
  • Leave one space between the city name and state abbreviation and two spaces between the state abbreviation and ZIP code.
  • Use black (any dark-coloured ink) on white paper (any light-coloured paper).
  • Use simple and legible fonts.
  • Keep your address parallel to the longest side of your mail item.
  • Always place the postage and the address on the same side.
  • Avoid using extra glossy envelopes. It is advisable to avoid any coated or shiny paper stock altogether.
  • The postal sorting equipment reads your mailing addresses from the bottom up. So, do not interchange any lines, like adding the suite number below the delivery address line instead of above.
  • You may use words such as ‘RESIDENT’ OR ‘OCCUPANT’ if you aren’t sure of the recipient’s full name.

Using PostGrid’s Address Verification Services

Not following the proper US address format can lead to delays and lost mail. Your mail may be misdirected or misrouted easily due to an incorrect address format. 

Hence, it is significant to write your mailing addresses the right way and follow all the guidelines closely. However, you may face difficulties cross-checking addresses and following the format all the time. Also, it takes a lot of effort to verify every abbreviation and ZIP code before mailing. 

PostGrid’s address verification API and software can help you solve these problems. They allow you to verify any number of mailing addresses in no time. Furthermore, you can standardise your addresses according to the prescribed format simultaneously. 

Find below some more useful features of PostGrid’s address verification:

  • Fuzzy matching: Our API can fix all addressing errors, like incorrect abbreviations, missing ZIP codes, spacing errors, etc. 
  • Autocomplete: It can also auto-complete addresses using geocoding. For example, if your customers want to shop online from your website, the API auto-fills their address details when they start typing them. 
  • CASS-certified: PostGrid is CASS-certified; hence all the addresses are verified as per the authoritative database of the USPS.  
  • Zero-code integration: You don’t need technical or coding expertise to integrate our API into your CRM. 
  • NCOA: PostGrid also takes the National Change of Address (NCOA) data file into consideration while verifying your addresses. So, you can be assured that you have all the current mailing addresses only.  

Conclusion

We hope this article enables you to understand how do US addresses work. Make sure to identify which type of address you want to mail to and follow the correct format accordingly. 

PostGrid makes it easy for businesses to capture valid, deliverable addresses. Also, it helps them update their database from time to time.  

Request a demo to learn more about how we can help you follow the correct US address format via our address verification solutions!

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Thursday, January 27, 2022

How to Write a Postcard in Australia

How to Write a Postcard - AU

Postcards are one of the best marketing tools businesses can use to reach out to their customers. However, most marketers today focus all their efforts on digital marketing and they are inexperienced when it comes to direct mail marketing.

how to write a postcard in australia

Direct mail campaigns drag in an exceptionally high response rate. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t know how to write a postcard or how to implement an optimized direct mail campaign. But, with direct mail campaigns fast gaining traction, marketers can no longer afford to stay ignorant.

So, we have prepared a step-by-step guide on how you can write a postcard for running a successful direct mail campaign. Suppose you are a marketer or business owner considering direct mail marketing for your company. In that case, this guide can definitely help you.

What is The Purpose of Sending Business Postcards?

To most of us, postcards are associated with good memories. As children, sending and receiving postcards was always exciting, and not much has changed. Hence, it is not hard to see why using postcards as a communication channel can benefit your business.

Postcards have an emotional impact on their recipients. So, your customers or prospects are likely to read or at least brush through the postcards they receive. Furthermore, there are several practical advantages to using postcards for direct mail marketing.

You can use stunning images, entertaining comic art, or informative graphs on your postcards. Not only does it convey your message efficiently, but it also helps you grab the reader’s attention without much effort.

direct mail operations

How To Write A Postcard For Marketing Your Business?

Writing a postcard is not very complicated. However, most of us don’t use postal mail for our communications anymore, and hence we don’t know how to write a postcard. Most businesses don’t know how to fill out a postcard or where to put an address on a postcard.

An incorrect postcard format can lead to some undesirable situations such as delayed deliveries and return mails. Hence businesses must learn how to write on a postcard before starting their direct mail campaigns.

Below, we explain how to correctly write a business postcard to ensure its easy processing by Australia Post. A proper postcard format can also make the postcards look cleaner and more appealing to the recipients. Here are the steps you need to follow to ensure an appropriate postcard format.

Step 1: Pick a Relevant And Attractive Image For Your Postcard

Perhaps the best thing about postcards is that they can contain attractive images. Although you can choose to send a postcard without a picture, it is not advisable to do that. When selecting the photo for your postcard, you should carefully consider your target audience.

Try to think of the best image that can resonate with your audience and is relevant to what you are trying to sell. Remember that the picture on the postcard will be the direct thing that grabs the reader’s attention.

When it comes to postcards, first impressions do matter. And it would be best if you got it right because your mailer will likely end up in the junk if you don’t.

Step 2: Write The Marketing Message On The Postcard

One of the common questions businesses have when they start on postcard campaigns is where to write on a postcard. Write or print your marketing message on the backside of your postcard. Also, make sure that you align your message to the left side of your postcard, as the right side is for providing the mailing address.

Starting Your Marketing Message

Greeting your target audience is the best way to start your marketing message on the postcard. You can greet the audience with a simple “Hello, Hey, or Hi *name of the customer*” if you want to keep the mail more casual. But, if you are looking for a more professional approach, then begin with “Dear.”

Take The Message Size Into Consideration

After greeting the reader, you can start writing the message on the postcard. When drafting the message for your marketing postcard, always remember that you only have limited space. The last thing you want is not having enough room in the postcard for writing your marketing message.

Signing Off Your Postcard

The last part of your marketing message is where you sign off. A postcard is not complete without a proper warm farewell to the reader. Hence, make sure that you always leave enough room after writing the message body for signing off the postcard.

You can even get creative with your sign off message. Use wordplays that connect to your brand or the product you are pitching to the reader. Employing clever and funny puns in your sign off is a subtle yet effective way to create an impression on your audience.

Tips To Remember When Writing Your Marketing Message

  • Always align your message to the left side to maximise the space for your message
  • Do not use the front side of your postcard for writing the note
  • Use crisp and clear letters or fonts for your message

Step 3: Address Your Postcard

Now that you have the image and the message for your postcard in place, you can move on to addressing the postcard. From the delivery perspective, the address on the mailer is the most vital part of the direct mail process.

Placement Of The Delivery Address

You can understand the positioning of the delivery address on a postcard just by just examining the postcard. Almost all postcards have a straight vertical line passing through the middle on the backside of the postcard. The postcard may also have three dotted or straight lines on the right side.

However, some postcards may not have the three horizontal lines for the delivery address. Regardless, you must always write the delivery address on the right side of the vertical line. Writing the delivery address anywhere else on the postcard could potentially delay your mail or have it returned to you.

Ensure The Validity Of The Delivery Address

The delivery address of your postcard is crucial for sending your mail. It doesn’t matter how good an offer you give or how beautifully you draft the mailer if it does not reach its addressee. If it is possible to validate your address, you should always do that.

An easy solution to ensure the validity of your mailing addresses is to use an address verification system like PostGrid. Using advanced tools like PostGrid accesses the official address database of Australia Post and ensures the addresses are deliverable.

Furthermore, you need to have the full address of the customers, which includes the full postcode, to ensure fast delivery of your postcards. PostGrid system gets you the standardised address for your postcodes, including the postcodes, to ensure an optimal delivery rate for your postcards.

Step 4: Place The Required Postage

At this point, your postcard has everything it needs, including an attractive image, a well-drafted and personalised message, and an accurate delivery address. The only thing missing from your postcard now is the postage stamps.

Postage rates for postcards can vary for international and domestic postcards. The size of your mailer can also affect the postage cost. Make sure that you have the correct postage for your postcard before starting your campaign. Even a tiny variation in postage cost for individual postcards can be crucial for bulk mail.

Placement Of The Postcard Stamps

Unlike other postal mails like enveloped letters, it is relatively easy to find where you need to stick your postcard stamps. To see where you need to attach the postage, all you have to do is flip your postcard to face its backside.

On the back of the postcard, you can find a square shape printed near the space provided for the delivery address. The postcard stamp is usually placed on the top-right corner of the postcard. Hence, even if you can’t find the outlined box printed on the postcard, you can put your stamp there.

Postage Stamps

You can buy your postage stamps from any Post Office or purchase them online if you have the time. An advantage of buying the postage stamps directly from the Post Office is getting an accurate postage rate for your postcards from the Post Office officials.

However, going to the Post Office with a load of postcards is hardly practical when it comes to bulk mail. The best solution for sending bulk mail is to use an automated direct mail system like PostGrid. Systems like PostGrid completely automate your postal mail process, which means it also takes care of the postage of your postcards.

Step 5: Mail Your Postcards

Once you complete all four steps listed above, you are all set to mail your postcard. The mailing process is pretty simple. You can deposit your postcards in the nearest red street-posting box. You can also hand over the postcard at the Post Office directly if that is more convenient for you.

Postal Service You Can Use For Sending Postcards Via Australia Post

Australia Post offers a wide range of postal mail services that you can use for sending your business postcards. You can choose a postal service for your postcard campaign based on your unique needs and preferences.

Following are the postal mail service from Australia Post that you can use for Postcards

  • Full Rate Mail
  • Acquisition Mail
  • PreSort Letters/Charity Mail
  • Impact Mail
  • Clean Mail
  • Reply Mail

It is worth noting that the postcards used in each of these postal services can have distinct characteristics such as size and layout differences. However, most direct mail campaigns use the Full Rate-Mail service from Australia Post.

Postcard Size Specification

As we have mentioned, postcards come in different sizes. The size of the postcard can change based on the postal mail service you use. Suppose you use a specific postal service for your direct mail campaign. In that case, you should be aware of the standard postcard sizes you can use for each postal mail service.

The following table explains the size requirements for postcards based on specific postal mail services from Australia Post.

Postal Mail Service Minimum Postcard Size Maximum Postcard Size Minimum Size Ratio
Full Rate Mail 88 × 138mm*  130 × 240mm 1.414* 
Acquisition Mail 88 × 138mm  130 × 240mm 1.2
PreSort Letters 88 × 138mm  130 × 240mm 1.2
Impact Mail 88 × 138mm  130 × 240mm Any Shape
Clean Mail  88 × 138mm  130 × 240mm 1.414
Reply Mail 90 × 145mm  130 × 240mm 1.414

Automated Direct Mail System For Postcard Campaigns

As you can see, it can get confusing to manage your postcard campaigns while keeping so many things in mind. You need to keep track of the postcard format, different sizes, layout, and varying postage rates. It is impossible to efficiently run a direct mail campaign with this many variables unless you use an automated system.

Thankfully, now you have access to advanced software solutions like PostGrid that lets you automate your entire direct mail process. PostGrid doesn’t just let you automate your postal mail process. It allows you to execute personalised postcard campaigns for your business.

As PostGrid takes over all the processes involved in your direct mail campaign, including

  • Personalisation
  • Printing
  • Mailing

There is little to no scope for errors in your postcard campaign. It also means you no longer have to worry about wrong postage, wrong postcard size/layout, and so on.

Conclusion

Writing a postcard is not a challenging task as long as you know the basics. However, manually writing postcards is not practical when it comes to business postcards and bulk mailing. Hence, most businesses prefer to use an automated system for their postcard campaigns.

PostGrid offers one of the most convenient direct mail automation solutions you can find in the market. It lets you automate all the processes involved in sending postcards to your customers. You can even personalise all your postcards by connecting PostGrid’s system with your CRM.

Using an automated direct mail system also allows you to bypass all the error-prone manual processes. As a result, you can run an optimised direct mail campaign to reach out to your target audience efficiently.

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Thursday, January 20, 2022

Address Checker: Validate and Verify Postal Addresses

Address Checker: Verify Australia Postal Addresses

There are several reasons why companies need to maintain cleansed and updated mailing lists. Some of the reasons are conducting direct mail campaigns, completing orders, sending transactional mail, and so on.

Did you know that 4 in 10 Australians change their addresses every five years?

Moreover, 15% of Australians move every year. Therefore, it is obvious that every year the Australia Post database witnesses tons of address changes, and you need to keep up with them.

correct address

Sending mail to unverified addresses is a gamble, but there are high chances that most of your mail items would not get delivered. Misspellings, incomplete or missing details, wrong abbreviations, wrong postcodes, and other such things can result in failed deliveries. Such mistakes are highly common and can lead to huge waste.

An address checker API or software can be the solution to all these problems. In this blog, we would be discussing address verification and how an address checker can make your everyday work so much easier.

What Is an Address Checker to Verify Postal Addresses?

An address checker can help companies cross-check and verify their mailing addresses before mailing anything to them. It is vital to save time and money spent over reshipping items. An address checker can determine whether your mailing addresses are real, correct, and deliverable. Oftentimes, some addresses are real and yet not deliverable or correct yet invalid.

Address checking and verification solutions can help identify addresses that cannot be mailed to. They further help you correct such addresses and make them mail-ready. Hence, you can make sure that all your mail items are delivered to the right addresses without any delays, issues, or confusion.

How does address verification work?

It is a process made up of several steps that are completed simultaneously by the address checker. The initial steps are to address parsing and standardization. Address parsing is breaking down addresses into different address components such as the unit number, building name, street name, suburb, and state. It helps in auto-filling the different components into their respective address fields for better clarity and standardization.

Address standardization can become difficult if addresses are not parsed correctly. It is the process of arranging address components in the right format as per the Australia Post address guidelines. For sending mail through Australia Post, all addresses must be in the right format, or else your mail will never reach on time. Address parsing and standardization are two preparatory steps that help to verify addresses accurately. Though these steps sound easy, doing them regularly and for bulk addresses is extremely time-consuming and hectic.

Businesses should make sure to use an AMAS-certified address checker like PostGrid. The Address Matching Approval System (AMAS) certification is to ensure that all addresses are verified against the Australia Post Postal Address File (PAF). PAF is known to have millions of address records, including PO boxes. Hence, AMAS-certified addresses are up-to-date, correct, and deliverable.

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Australia Post Address Verification and Third-Party Solutions

Australia Post offers address validation solutions and access to their raw address database through their data partners, who can also be referred to as third parties. Other than that, Australia Post offers various services that are important for companies to update their mailing lists regularly.

The National Change of Address service is meant to record all address changes during a year. It helps them update the PAF and help citizens get their mail received accurately. The service also benefits companies by notifying them of all the registered address changes. However, residents need to provide their consent for getting their updated details shared with certain companies under the Notify Organisations service. This way, marketers can filter out people who have voluntarily opted out of receiving any mail.

There are certain address checker APIs and software like PostGrid that can offer several helpful features and benefits. PostGrid can help you check and verify addresses in bulk and at point-of-entry. By verifying addresses before entering your system, you can make sure that your mailing lists are ready to be mailed without any delays, which is important for completing customer orders. Otherwise, marketers can process mailing lists with bulk addresses for verification.

It is better to use third-party solutions as you get a better interface to work on, more features, flexibility, and fuzzy matching. Australia Post may not be able to correct misspellings or other mistakes, but a third-party address checker can. PostGrid can replace your wrong street names with the right ones, add missing postcode digits, correct misspellings, and then proceed to return highly accurate addresses.

Moreover, PostGrid offers print and mail automation solutions. Along with verifying addresses, you can actually create, print, and send your mail items anywhere in Australia and abroad.

Why Choose PostGrid’s Postal Address Checker?

PostGrid’s address verification API can be integrated into the company’s CRM, accounting, payroll, and other software to start checking addresses without any technical expertise. It is ideal for bulk address verification as the API can process several requests at the same time. For a company sending out direct mail items on a regular basis, getting addresses verified in bulk can be a strong performance booster.

Manual data entry is prone to errors. PostGrid’s fuzzy matching capabilities can identify addresses and correct them even when there are several errors in the inputs. Another useful feature that PostGrid has addresses autocomplete. This feature can help companies reduce the checkout time on their websites and applications and also improve their user experience. It encourages people to purchase from the brand as they no longer need to type their entire address manually.

PostGrid’s address checker API can combine geocoding and Australia Post’s PAF to return precise addresses just within a few keystrokes.

Additionally, PostGrid allows real-time mail tracking, measuring campaign performance, managing user permissions, taking care of direct mail compliances, and more that makes it so much more than an address checker. It is the all-in-one solution to all your print and mail needs.

Reasons For Receiving Invalid Addresses

Sometimes, even valid addresses can be marked as invalid by an address checker. It happens due to some possible reasons as below:

Fake Addresses

Some people make up fake or imaginary addresses while shopping online or filling up a survey form offline. They either don’t wish to reveal their real address or are just browsing on your website with no actual intention to buy. Either way, your mail deliveries to these addresses are sure to fail. Fake addresses as such are not present in any database and are hence marked invalid.

Incorrect Addresses

The main job of the address checker is to identify incorrect addresses, which it does. Incorrect addresses are always marked invalid, irrespective of whether they are valid but have a minor misspelling. PostGrid can help you correct errors and allow addresses to be marked valid.

Not Occupied and Not Registered Addresses

Any address that is not registered with Australia Post will be marked invalid even if it is correct and deliverable. Addresses that are vacant or not occupied are also shown as invalid.

Wrapping Up

Oftentimes, companies think that they do not need an address checker because they only have to verify a few addresses. However, PostGrid’s address verification API also enables you to verify addresses on-demand and only pay for that. Hence, it is handy, efficient, time-saving, cost-effective, and precise. It is ideal for verifying national and international addresses, whether on-demand or in bulk.

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The post Address Checker: Validate and Verify Postal Addresses appeared first on PostGrid.



source https://www.postgrid.com.au/address-checker/

source https://postgridaustralia.tumblr.com/post/673919503513567232

source https://oliverftempleton.tumblr.com/post/673923897994969088

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