Direct Mail Services

Why do direct mail with us?

• Save Time:  
  You can get design, print, and mail all in one place.  No need to waste time going to different places and explaining things over and over again.  Right after we print your order, we deliver it directly to the post office for you.  You can share your promotions and advertisements to your customers and prospects even faster.

• Save Money:  
  You can get discounts on your postage and save money when you send over 200 pieces.  We have a bulk mailing rate used exclusively for our customers, and we presort your mail and prepare it according to USPS standards to lower the postage prices for you.

• Invest in something that gives back:
  U.S. advertisers spend $167 per person in direct mail marketing to earn $2,095 worth of goods per person, scoring a return on investment of 13 to 1 (Direct Marketing Association)

• Gain exposure:
  81% of households say they read or scan their mail daily (2010 Household Diary Study)

• Increase sales:  
  Print is a trusted and credible advertising medium. 67% of respondents like getting mail about new products from companies they do business with (Rochester Institute of Technology Printing Center). Online consumers who received a printed catalog from any given retailer were nearly twice as likely to make an online purchase (ComScore survey based on 6,400 responses from online shoppers).  Determining the primary channel for generating orders online, 60% came from printed catalogs, 24% were inspired by retail settings and only 9% arrived via internet (Direct Marketing Association, 2005).

• Measure Your Investment:
  With a promotion code or “bring in to redeem” coupon or specific phone number to ask for more details, any advertiser can see how effective direct mailing is on sales. Track numbers and analyze results to see how effective direct mailing is on your business and how it can be improved in the future.

• Target Those More Likely to Buy:
  Mailing lists allow companies to target an audience that is more likely to buy. Demographics can include a local geographical area, income level, profession, etc. that is more likely to respond to your offers and news, giving your marketing investment more a bigger return (“more bang for your buck”).

• Portable and Tangible Message:
  With an attractive design and appealing message, people want to keep your postcards, brochures, flyers, and catalogs, share them with friends and family, and save them in their purse or refrigerator. Additional stickers, coupons, magnets, and other promotional items also keep you in their minds.

• Options:  Compile a mailing list or purchase a mailing list
• File formats accepted include .xsl, .xsls, .csv
• Must include name (first and last) or company name, address, city, state, zip code
• Mailing lists include residential, consumer, or business mailing lists.  You can also specify by location, type of business, income, age, ethnicity, and more to better target your market.

• Options:  Hire a professional graphic designer, ask a friend, or design your own file
• File should meet automation mailing requirements to save on postage (white space to imprint address and barcodes, use our permit number)
• File must meet correct requirements for printing (include bleeds, CMYK color mode, etc.)

• Common sizes include: 4x6, 5x7, 8.5x5.5, 4x9, 6x11
• Requirements include:

• Machinable letter-size mail is:

  a. Not less than 5 inches long, 3-1/2 inches high, and 0.007-inch thick.

  1. 0.007 inch thick if no more than 4-1/4 inches high and 6 inches long; or

  2. 0.009 inch thick if more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, or both.

  b. Not more than 11-1/2 inches long, or more than 6-1/8 inches high, or greater than 1/4-inch thick.

  c. Rectangular, with four square corners and parallel opposite sides. Letter-size, card-type mailpieces made of cardstock may have finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 0.125 inch (1/8 inch). See Exhibit 1.1.1e.

  d. Within an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of 1.3 to 2.5, inclusive. See 601.1.4.

  e. Subject to additional dimensional restrictions in 3.0, depending on mailpiece design.

• Must send at least 200 pieces to qualify for standard mail (at least 500 for first-class mail)

• Printing mailing addresses on sides with high-gloss UV coating is not possible.  If you'd like the mailing addresses printed directly on the printed piece, then avoid using high-gloss UV coating on that side.
• Some folded pieces or loose pieces may require wafer seals (circular labels to close the piece) so that it can run through the automation machine without opening or jamming the machine.

• Processing 1 mailing list ($25 for each additional mailing list file)
• Presort addresses in mailing list
• Print addresses and bar codes directly on printed pieces or on labels
• C.A.S.S. Certification (Coding Accuracy Support System)
• Remove duplicate addresses
• Bundle or package printed pieces as required by the post office
• Prepare paperwork for the post office
• Delivery to the post office

Pricing

4" x 6" Postcards: Card Stock (14pt C2S), Full Color 2 Sides

• Have a professional graphic designer create the design.  Don't speed a ton on direct mail to send people a dinky impression of yourself or your company.  Make your offer stand out with color and size.  Make the most important key points bigger.
• Write an attractive promotion or offer to grab attention and build interest and build credibility for your organization
• Target the correct audience.  Determine the demographics of the audience you want to reach (age, income, profession, etc). with this promotion or offer and tailor the written content as well as the graphic design to them.
• Track the effectiveness of the promotion.  Provide a specific promotion code or ask people to bring in the ad to receive the offer.