We recently announced NextMark Reveals Top 50 List Managers, which describes a new Data Card Quality Report that we just started publishing. In the February 22, 2008 edition of Direct ListLine, it was reported:
"NextMark Inc. has appointed itself as curmudgeon to take list management companies to task for poorly written data cards.
"Nextmark has released a report ranking the top 50 list management companies based on its analysis of quality of their data cards. It plans to release more quarterly reports to monitor signs of improvement, with its next report due out in April."
Curmudgeon? According to the Wiktionary, a curmudgeon is "an ill-tempered (and frequently old) person full of stubborn ideas or opinions." I am not sure that I like that descriptor.
However, I will admit we are certainly stubborn and opinionated about one thing: data card quality. Without good data cards, you can’t make good mailing list purchasing decisions. Without good mailing lists, your direct marketing campaigns will fail. When your programs fail, you miss your revenue goals and waste time and money. So, yes, it’s our stubborn opinion that data cards should be top quality.
The purpose of the Data Card Quality Report is to identify and reward those list managers who are doing a great job for their clients — mailers, list brokers, and list owners. They get to show a NextMark "seal of approval" (see graphic above) on their website and in marketing promotions. It’s a nice reward for those putting in a solid effort.
For those not on the Top 50 List who want to be… you get all the tools and resources you need through our free data card publishing tool. Yes, the tools are completely free (this report is not a roundabout way of selling products). If you are not already using it, sign up today and get started with your "data card makeover."
We’ll be publishing quarterly updates to the Data Card Quality Report. In future updates, we’ll indicate "most improved" companies. So, now is your opportunity to both break into the top 50 and be the most improved.
The bottom line goal of this report and other initiatives is to improve data card quality. I hope you agree that’s a worthwhile pursuit!