Need Help Pruning Postage Bloat?

A letter here and there might not break the bank, but when you’re mailing out hundreds of letters each month to your customers, shipping and postage costs really start to add up. Direct mail marketing can be an effective part of your lead generation, as well as customer retention program but you can boost ROI of your mailing by cutting postage costs. The direct marketing association offers these tips:

• Fine-tune your mailing list and delete duplicate names.
•  Eliminate non-responders and marginal prospects.
• Use accurate addresses, including apartment and suite numbers.
• Check for correct ZIP codes and missing directional, such as N for North.
• Ask your mailing house about the latest postal discounts before you design your envelope and mail piece.
• Use NCOA to keep your mailing list current.
• Address Service Requested to the face of your mail piece.
• Remember to print your barcoded ZIP +4 on any reply envelopes. 

Direct Mail Meets Tight Security:

With the issue of security a top priority for many of us, here are some guidelines you may want to think about when targeting your direct mail marketing programs to larger companies and organizations.

·         Op for self mailers or postcards, i.e., mail that doesn’t need to be opened.

·         Use printed, not plain, envelopes.

·         Print envelopes in color. They’re less likely to appear suspicious.

·         Don’t overstuff envelopes. Keep them slim.

·         Use a clear, identifiable return address, preferably with your logo. Use a pre-printed indicia instead of stamps.

·         If you meter mail, use a phrase to show that the piece is really being sent by you.

·         Include a telephone number or website address on your envelope.

·         Use email to notify recipients that mail is on the way.

A printed envelope including your logo and return address adds credibility to your direct mail piece. A person knows immediately who the mail piece is from, and if targeted  and designed correctly, the user will even be excited by the potential offer inside. Whether you’re launching a brand new lead generation campaign or simply sending out thank you notes to past clients, custom envelopes are the smart choice. In fact, this month Precisionenvelope.com is offering free shipping on select envelope styles. Just use the code “FREESHIP” at checkout. Click the link to get custom envelopes with free shipping.

Envelopes: First Point of Contact

Bland looking mailings are not working on today’s savvy consumers. Instead, recent advances in printing and production that enhance your custom envelope with personalized messages and four color printing have made the envelope in direct mail marketing a very pertinent and powerful tool. Here are some tips from marketing experts in creating a custom envelope that will be opened:

• The more information you can put on the outside of the envelope, without having it look funky, the more likely it will be opened.
• An envelope with message and graphics on the front is more likely to be opened than one with graphics and text on the back.
• Your audience is more likely to open a mail piece with color text and graphics, compared to a plain white envelope without messaging.
• Relevance is also very important. If the message is meaningful to the recipient, you’re more likely to get a positive response.
• Placing a QR code on an envelope can take recipients directly to your company’s home page. 

Did you Know that Google Uses Direct Mail?

Who said direct mail is dead? Many corporate giants, like Google, Facebook, and Geico use physical mail to drive Internet marketing and expand their audience. Even with Internet marketing, direct mail marketing continues to have a tremendous amount of value. Here are some reasons why Google, which controls nearly 20% of Internet traffic, still users direct mail to send messages.

• Targeted mailing lists help them reach and entice specific audiences via pinpointed forms of marketing.
• Once a mail piece is in the door, the consumer can be driven to the website with an enticing call to action.
• With computer viruses, identity thieves and overwhelming amounts of spam, people are becoming more amenable to physical mail offers. 
• Users can make a more personal connection thanks to personalized custom envelopes and content, as opposed to one size fits all email campaigns.