Direct Mail Services
Direct mail delivers … pun intended! The impact of your message arriving in someone’s mailbox hasn’t changed over the last fifty years. The technology has though, and our expert mail services professionals will help you maximize your investment in direct mail marketing.
Project Planning:
An Overview Of Successful Direct Mail
A successful direct mail campaign requires four steps:
Understand who it is you’re trying to reach (customer profiling), and develop a mailing list to match the target (list acquisition and procurement).
Develop a plan for how many customers you want to reach and how many times you’ll need to reach them to get the desired response.
Design and Print Production — create a compelling message that sets you apart from competitors so the target audience understands the value of your product or service and is compelled to purchase. Does your mail project need a special offer or incentive to improve your response rate? Does it need to include a giveaway or coupon? Does the piece need to be personalized?
Delivery and Tracking — sending out your direct mail piece is NOT the final step of your process, tracking the results is. Sending out a campaign without planning for tracking the results is a surefire way to waste your marketing dollars. From website landing pages to personalized URLs to old-fashioned phone staff tracking, “How did you hear about … ?” you need to develop a system to measure your investment and track the results. And if you’re selling a product, fullfilling the orders you receive is a a key component to completing your customer’s purchase experience!
Equipment
BCC Mail manager 2010
- What is it? Mailing list data processing software.
- What does it do? Performs list optimization, bar coding and CASS certification prior to addressing and mailing.
- How does this help? Optimizing a mailing list prior to addressing allows for the most cost-effective postage rate, and ensures the quickest delivery time for your mailing. Identifying inaccurate or invalid addresses eliminates wasted postage.
Kirk-Rudy NetJET HP
- What is it? Inkjet address printer with inline tabber and IR dryer.
- What does it do? Inkjets addresses and barcodes on printed materials, dries the ink and applies seal tabs to pieces as large as 12” x 18”.
- How does this help? High-speed inkjet printing and barcoding is the fastest and most cost-effective means of addressing mail. With an infrared drying system, smears are completely eliminated. The single or dual tab closures meet USPS regulations for proper sealing and closure.
Bell & Howell Mailstar 400
- What is it? Six-station inserter and inkjet addresser with Kirk-Rudy MatchMate system.
- What does it do? Inserts up to six pieces of material into open-side envelopes as large as 6”x 9.5”.
- How does this help? Stuff inserts and address envelopes in a single pass for fast and cost-effective mail prep service. The MatchMate camera system provides precision stuffing of variable inserts into envelopes to ensure that envelope recipient receives the proper material.
Terminology
Postage Management and Metering: the process of managing the postage costs associated with mailing projects, frequently including the grouping of addresses to maximize postage savings. Metering includes that actual application of postage to the mail piece.
List Acquisition/Procurement: The process of obtaining an appropriate, targeted mailing list to maximize the impact of your mail campaign.
Data Processing: Identifying duplicate names or addresses, and scrubbing your mailing list for bad or outdated information. This is accomplished using mail software and databases to maintain up-to-date address information.
Personalization: The ability to customize mail pieces to include the recipient’s name and address is the simplest form of personalization. But with digital presses and variable data technology, you have the ability to customize other information including photos and layouts! These details, when planned and designed well, lead to better open and response rates for your campaign.
Insertion (Camera Match): The process of inserting multiple pieces, frequently personalized, into an envelope or other mailing using automated camera-match technology.
Inkjet and Addressing Services: the use of high-speed, ink-based technology to print an address or other information on a direct mail piece. Using inkjet technology is an alternate to using labels, creating a more uniform, finished look.
Fulfillment Services: the warehousing, management, packing and distribution of your products or materials. By using Foresight Group’s dedicated team of fulfillment professionals, you need not carry the cost of having your own fulfillment team. Our staff can expertly manage the picking, packing, insertion, wrapping and mailing/delivery of your materials.