Okay so out of curiosity (because I really liked the idea of this targeted marketing thing) I called AccuData directly and asked them about where they get their information from and how accurate it is and this is what they said:
The information is not from the census at all. They would never use that info because it wouldn't be current after a year.
They get their information through a variety of ways ...
1) When you go shopping and pay with a credit card or debit card there is a database that collects information about the items that you purchase which then categorizes you. An example that she gave me was that if you are constantly purchasing diapers then they assume you have a child. The size of diapers (or age range of the child's item you purchased) can also be further categorized to estimate the age of the child.
2) People fill out surveys either my mail, online or over the phone about items and/or services that have purchased. Also when you call customer service and they ask you to answer a survey some of the questions may be about your household.
3) Through warranty information. You purchase an item that comes with a warranty and you fill out the warranty card for that item. If it's for a child's item then that info gets logged and categorized based on the age range that the item is for.
4) Magazine and other subscriptions. If you subscribe to a parenting or child magazine you get categorized based on the age range that the magazine is for.
One thing that she did say is that the accuracy of specific age ranges of the mailing lists depends on whether people are honest during surveys (some ladies like to say they are 29 when in fact they are 40 was an example she gave me
). She also said that some parents obviously don't buy age appropriate items for their kids so the age range is a guesstimate. Someone might buy toys or items meant for a 4yo when they in fact have a 2yo or if they have a larger or smaller than average sized child and purchase items like clothing or diapers then the estimated age range of their child might be off simply because they are bigger or smaller in height/weight than their age.
Also if someone purchases a lot of child items but doesn't have children of their own may be added to the list simply because they purchase a lot of kids items. For example grandma buy tons of stuff for grand baby or a child care provider or teacher that doesn't have children but buys kids items can get added to the list.
She also said that many times even though the targeted marketing lists are mostly accurate and you are looking for a specific type of client (in this case a 2-3yo) the client base may not have a demand for services in that age range but may have a demand for a different age range. For example a mom that has a toddler receives a mailer but doesn't need child care for that child and instead has an infant or a school age child may still call to ask and see if there is availability for that child instead. Or the parent may not need child care at all but may pass on the mailer to a neighbor, friend or relative that she thinks may need this service and that parent does not have a 2-4yo. etc.
In any case she says that the mailing list information is mostly accurate and that there is no way for a targeted list to be 100% accurate, which makes sense. Also for the most part if little or no traffic through targeted lists is attracted then the most frequent answer is that there is no demand in that specific area at that time.
HTH ladies. IMO I would still use the targeted list for reaching out to possible clients if I needed to fill spots and nothing else was working. I will definetely still keep this in mind.
For those of you that did purchase the lists, let us know how it works out for you
.