Ep. 12 - Identifiers in Data: MAK, MEK and MIK

Ep. 12 - Identifiers in Data: MAK, MEK and MIK

Identification numbers are everywhere from ISBNs and VINs to UPCs and driver’s licenses. In this episode, Daniel and Anna explore how Melissa Keys like MAK Melissa Address Key, MEK Melissa Enterprise Key and MIK Melissa Identity Key help businesses standardize records, support address and business data deduplication, and improve customer data management across systems. They also discuss global address identifiers, address standardization, latitude/longitude enrichment, non PII identifiers and secure ways to share and match data without exposing sensitive information. From tracking address changes over time to improving enterprise data accuracy, this episode highlights how better identifiers lead to cleaner, more connected data. Have thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@melissa.com.

Sp. Ep. 5: Think Like a Data Scientist, Ashley You

Ashley shares her journey from pre-med to becoming a data scientist, what data scientists do day to day and how storytelling with data helps businesses make smarter decisions. The episode covers exploratory data analysis (EDA), statistical significance, correlation vs causation, avoiding confirmation bias, data cleaning techniques, ETL processes, machine learning concepts and data driven decision making. Bonus: hiking, baking, national parks and the dream of squeaky-clean data. Perfect for anyone interested in data science career paths, STEM careers, analytics, hypothesis testing, research methodology and how to think like a data scientist. Questions or comments? Email us at podcast@melissa.com.

Ep. 11 - Breaking Down Segmentation

Choosing a car isn’t random - you weigh needs like fuel type, seating, budget, features and brand. Businesses do the same thing with customer segmentation: just like personal buying decisions, they use data segmentation, marketing segmentation and audience segmentation to turn “one size fits all” into more personalized, targeted marketing. Listen in as Daniel and Anna break down how companies apply demographic, behavioral and location-based segmentation (like ZIP code and radius targeting) to improve precision marketing, reduce waste and build more relevant customer outreach across B2C and B2B. They also touch on firmographic and business segmentation using attributes like company size, job title and sales volume. Ultimately, better data leads to better targeting, stronger engagement and improved marketing ROI. Have thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@melissa.com.

Ep. 10 - Finding the Right Address Provider

Daniel and Anna break down how to choose an address verification provider and what matters in address verification and address validation across logistics, finance and customer data. Clean data helps reduce shipping errors and improve delivery accuracy. They introduce the AEI framework: Accuracy, Experience, Implementation - covering global address verification, USPS address verification, CASS certified address verification and the core differences in validation vs. verification, address data sources and address accuracy. If you're evaluating providers or just trying to avoid bad data, this is a good place to start. Have thoughts or questions? Email us at podcast@melissa.com.

Sp. Ep. 4 - The Address Ecosystem with Philip Ljubicich

Daniel and Anna sit down with Melissa’s Research and Development Director in our Seattle office Philip Ljubicich to talk about the nitty gritty when it comes to figuring out address data. They get into the nuances of standardizing addresses like how to go about capturing the user’s intent when they enter addresses, how to utilize new tools as they come out (such as AI) to get better and faster results, and how human context is crucial to creating the best, most accurate address engine. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Email us at podcast@melissa.com.