Mailing FAQ's -
What is Direct Mail?
The Internet has brought about colossal changes in the field of
marketing. The low cost of delivering messages via banner ads and email
seemed to spell the doom of direct mail. It was not meant to be. The
fleeting images on a screen, although inexpensive, are still no match
for the power of paper in a customer's hand. In fact, last year was the
best year ever for direct mail, capping over a decade of double-digit
growth. And NOTHING beats direct mail for its ability to accurately
measure effectiveness.
Well
designed direct mail asks for a specific, easy to measure, response.
That's why direct mail has been steadily increasing for years.
Experienced mailers constantly test different lists, offers, and designs
to maximize the return on investment, or ROI. And direct mail is just
that… an investment in growing your business or organization.
Last year,
over $45 Billion (that's a pretty big number) was spent on direct mail
by advertisers, yielding over $528 billion in sales. Now that's a really
big number! It also proves - Direct Mail Works! Virtually no other
advertising medium can demonstrate that kind of proven effectiveness.
Why Should I Use Direct Mail?
As stated above, direct mail is a lot more effective than most any other
type of marketing. With a high impact postcard or mail piece, you have a
tangible piece that goes directly to your desired potential client. You
can choose who sees your ads and create marketing campaigns targeting
one certain demographic. You can use direct mailings to:
- Generate
Leads
- Promote
Special Offers
- Follow
Up with New Customers
- Announce
Sales or Events
- Increase
Name or Brand Recognition
- Much
more...
How much money can I save using direct mail?
In exchange for taking a work load away from the post office they reward
permit holders and mail houses discounted postage rates. Rather than
being charged the standard postage for postcards (*$.23 per mailed
piece) direct mailing and presorting charges $.18 (estimated). Depending
on how many mail pieces you send directly affects the savings in
postage.
Also, by having to hand stamp each mail piece you are not only paying
more postage but taking away from other aspects of running your
business. How much is your time worth?
* Postage price shown indicates 2005 postage prices. Pricing is
scheduled to change in 2009.
Is there anything that I should do special with design?
Yes. The post office is extremely picky at not only how the job is
labeled but also how it is designed. If you do not follow the correct
specifications then the job will more than likely bounce or be charged
more money for handling and processing fees. Please view our design
templates for more information.
Will the design of my postcard
make is less expensive to mail?
Yes! Having standard sizes greatly helps in keeping costs down. When you
have odd sizes the cost of the postage greatly increases.
What if I have my own permit, can you guys just label them?
Yes we can! If you want to do your own mailing using your own permit
then we can label them for you. If your mail requires presorting then we
can print the correct tray numbers onto the postcards and have them
shipped directly to you. There is an additional handling and shipping
fees if you require the pre sorted mail pieces to arrive in the proper
tray. If you are hand stamping the postcard then presorting is not
required. Presorting is only required for automated mail.
What is "pre-sorting"?
The process by which a mailer prepares mail so that it is sorted to the
finest extent required by the standards for the rate claimed. Generally,
presort is performed sequentially, from the lowest (finest) level to the
highest level, to those destinations specified by standard and is
completed at each level before the next level is prepared. Not all
presort levels are applicable to all mailings. In laymen terms;
presorting is doing what the post office usually does to separate the
mail and sort it using different variables. All mail pieces going to one
zip code are sorted separately from ones going to different zip codes.
How fast can you send my stuff out?
General design time is 1-3 business days. Estimated printing turnaround
is 48 hours (for aqueous coating). Time to label, presort, and mail is
2-5 business days.
How will I know when it was sent
out?
You will be faxed a document showing the amount pre sorted and mailed at
the end of each mailing campaign.
What's an Indicia?
Imprinted designation on mail that denotes postage payment (e.g., permit
imprint).
Is there a minimum I can mail?
Yes. The minimum is 500 pieces.
is there a maximum I can mail?
No, you can mail as many pieces as you wish.
Can you provide me with a list?
We can provide any list you would like to market. Standard lists start
at $45 per 1000 records and go up as the data is filtered for different
demographics. If you would like to send a list to renters only with
gross family income of $25K a year then we can pull that list as well.
If you would like a quote for a list please email us at one of the
addresses in our contact section.
What if I want to mail half now
and the other half later?
You can mail how many you would like at each drop (minimum of 500 per
drop). We will warehouse your cards for a period of 6 months. After 6
months we will contact you to collect shipping charges to have the
remaining sent. After each run, there is a handling and shipping fee if
you would like the remaining pieces shipped to you.
If you have
an additional question please contact us.
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