Direct Mail Services

By Sylvia Rosen

Using bulk mail for a marketing campaign is a great way to attract customers and jump-start your small business. With so many email campaigns and digital marketing methods on the market today, sending cards by mail may seem old-fashioned, but that's what could make it stand out.

Sending bulk mail as a form of advertising could help you reach an older demographic that does not use email often or catch the eye of people who are not accustomed to receiving paper mail.

If you are thinking about using direct mail to promote your business, here is what you should know to find the best rates for bulk mailing.

• Don't pay single-piece postage: When you mail one piece of mail, you pay full postage price, or the cost of a stamp. That may not seem like a lot of money, but it can add up fast, and many businesses make the mistake of paying the single-piece price even when mailing large quantities of cards or letters. Perhaps you have done this because you think it's more convenient, but sending bulk mail is actually quite simple with the help of a mail service, and it's much more cost effective. Sometimes the rate can be as low as three cents per card.


• How to qualify: For first-class mail, you need to mail at least 500 cards to qualify for bulk mailing rates. For standard mail, you only need 200 pieces. Think carefully about the shape and size of the pieces you are mailing, because if they are too large or out of the ordinary, they might not fit the requirements of your local post office. Sometimes sending more pieces can save you money in the long run, but be sure the addresses on your mailing list are accurate and up-to-date.


• Direct mail services can label and pre-sort: To make bulk mailings even easier on your staff, enlist the help of a direct mail service that will handle all the work. The service can label and pre-sort the mail, which can actually save you more money. For any bulk mailing, you must register for a permit with your local post office, but a service will already have the required permit, so it can handle every aspect of your mail campaign.

Best practices for the launch

While a bulk mailing service might not be your first thought when hoping to expand marketing reach, direct mail campaigns have clear records of success. Recipients receive so-called junk mail with an open mind -- far more open than when receiving spam in an e-mail account.

1. Sort your database appropriately. Your campaign might only be as effective as the up-to-date nature of your database. People move, stop enjoying certain products (alcohol, tobacco, and sweets among them) and lose money on investments. Demographics shift. It's time-consuming but an effort well spent.


2. Spend money on valuable lists. Lists of target audiences cost money, but there is no point in hiring a bulk mail service without quality customers on the radar. In many cases, you can include this function in the cost of designing and sending out the mailer. Locality-based lists are cheaper, but direct response lists are the real commodity.


3. Save your bulk mailing service campaign for your best deal. Are you willing to commit legitimate resources to a mailing campaign? When sending out a bulk mailing, you want to bring your "A-Game." Make an offer recipients cannot refuse. You will have to sacrifice in short-term revenues, but the payoff will come in the form of repeat business.


4. Get professional copy and layout. Willing consumers need seducing, so make sure you give them your best pitch when contracting a bulk mailing service. Creative teams still argue whether the layout or the copy makes the best pitch, but it is a combination of the two. If you are having trouble differentiating from the good and the bad, ask for research to back up the claims an ad team makes.


5. Be prepared for the impact on operations and finances. The results remain encouraging: direct mail still works. Before moving on to the next project, prepare for the spike in business. In other words, stock the products and services you have discounted for a likely hit. You will see a drop in profit margins in the short term if you are giving something away, so plan accordingly. You will likely move forward with a well-designed mailing, but the short-term focus will be on financial damage-control.

Saving money: Bulk mailings involve processing your mail before it reaches the post office to receive discounted postage rates. Since processing mail is a time-consuming process for their workers, the United States Postal Service (USPS) would rather you do the work so they can pass the savings onto you.

Bulk mailing vendors

While you can realize bulk mailing discounts on your own, you can save even more by working with direct mail vendors. In addition to helping you conceptualize and plan your direct mail campaign, vendors secure special permits through the post office which qualifies them for the largest price breaks - bottom line is that bulk mailing saves money for your organization.

Vendors can perform a lot of the grunt work for processing bulk mail. This includes presorting mail by location, properly addressing each piece with as much information as possible, and delivering the completed mail to the post office for shipment. With the help of high-tech mailing equipment, reputable direct mail vendors can process and presort the mail far quicker than you could by hand.

Reputable direct mail vendors are also very mail savvy. Since they have worked in the industry for many years, they know which bulk mail advertising methods are most effective. For instance, if you target a mailing campaign to customers in your zip code, the vendors can get you the best deals since local mailings are quicker and easier for the post office to process.

Other bulk mailing considerations

Postage is the most expensive component of your direct mail campaign - it could account for almost one-third of your total costs. However, do not let the postage costs be your only focus. Consider other aspects of your campaign such as the type of mail pieces, mailing lists, copy writing, and design. By submitting a free request for direct mail service quotes with BuyerZone, you can get matched to 4 to 6 direct mail suppliers that will walk you through all the options of an effective campaign.