Make it personal Speak directly to your customer with a relevant message. A florist sends birthday and anniversary reminders to its customers. A shoe retailer notifies a customer about a new model of running shoe, an upgrade to what she has purchased before. These efforts turn the mail into a customer service tool. And your [...]
Emphasize benefits, not features People want to know “What’s in it for me?”, not what’s in your product or service. Features are what your product has. Benefits are how it improves your life. SPF 50 is a feature of sunscreen. Helps prevent skin cancer is the benefit. As an old ad man once said, “Sell [...]
Make a compelling offer It’s the basic driver of response. Offer a discount, free gift or rebate. If your offer is powerful, consider including it in your headline. Put a time limit on the offer to motivate the reader to respond quickly. Use the word “free.”
There are three basic elements that determine the success of a direct mail campaign: the list, the offer and the creative. Target your list: There is no factor more important to the success of your mailing than the list. The quality of the mailing list represents at least 40% of your campaign’s success. Target recipients [...]
17. Keep it consistent: All mail pieces within a single mailing must be uniform in size and weight. Use the same paper stock for all pieces in a mailing to avoid postal weight verification problems. The Post Office weighs a sample batch from each mailing to verify the number of pieces in the mailing. If [...]
16. Don’t forget the postage: Postage can be affixed in three ways. Permit imprint (indicia) printed on the mail piece. Postage meter imprinted when the mail is processed. Stamp. If you are going to print an indicia onto the mail piece, make sure it is positioned correctly and is worded right. Leave enough room in [...]
15. An ounce of prevention: Send a mock‐up or pdf file to Eye/Comm, before your mail piece is printed. We will gladly assess it for automation compatibility, or, if necessary, send it the Postal Service for a ruling. There is no charge for this service and it can save you lots of money and avoid [...]
14. Smooth out the bumps: Automation compatible mail must be regular in shape and thickness. Avoid protrusions or enclosures such as pens, pencils, or loose keys or coins that cause the thickness of the mail piece to be uneven. Clasps, strings, staples, buttons, or similar closing devices are also prohibited.
13. Don’t wrap it: Letter size mail enclosed in polywrap, polybag, shrinkwrap or any plastic material will get a surcharge. Most wraps are OK for flats, but must be USPS approved.
12. Go on a tab diet: Folded letter size self‐mailers require tab closures to get the lowest postage. Whenever practical, design the mail piece with the final fold below the address so the piece requires only 1 tab. Tabbing requirements are outlined in USPS regulation 201.3. We can provide you with a copy (translated from [...]
11. Don’t be rough: Avoid using heavily textured stock. The surface can affect barcode readability. If the Post Office can’t properly read the barcode, you pay more.
10. Image is everything: Avoid printed images in the address area, or make sure they are light enough to meet USPS reflectance standards. Postal address reader machines must be able to discern the barcode against the background or you pay more postage.
9. No coats please: Avoid heavy ink, varnish or UV coating on the address area. The inks used for addressing do not adhere well to these surfaces. Coated stock or satin aqueous coatings are OK.
8. Stay horizontal: The delivery address on letter size mail must be parallel to the longer dimension of the mail piece or, you guessed it, more postage.
7. Location, location, location: Make sure the address and barcode block on letter size mail fits into the USPS OCR read area. If it doesn’t fit, you pay for it with additional postage. We can provide you with a template to guide you.
6. Extra room: Allow a large enough open area for the address and barcode. We recommend a 4″ x 2″ clear area.
5. Thin is not in: Mail pieces that are too thin will cost more postage. Keep your piece at least 0.009″ thick and you can save 25 cents or more per piece. Maximum thickness for letter size mail is ¼” and for flat size is ¾”.
4. Watch your Aspect Ratio: Letter size automation mail must be rectangular The aspect ratio (length divided by height) has to be from 1.3 to 2.5. Mail pieces that fall outside those ratios could cost twice as much.
Mail Piece Design: Postage is like airline tickets. Some people pay more than others. The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers significant postage discounts to mail pieces that are designed and addressed properly for processing on automated equipment. The following tips will help you safely navigate the complex postal regulations to insure your mail qualifies [...]
2. Clean In House lists. Reduce undeliverable mail by updating your lists at least every three months. There are many data hygiene resources available to keep your list up‐to‐date. Delivery Point Validation to eliminate invalid or incomplete addresses. National Change of Address (NCOA) to get updated addresses for people who move. “Do not mail” purging [...]
Cost Effective Direct Mail Done right, direct mail can be a very cost effective way to reach targeted prospects and customers. Return on investment typically exceeds most other forms of advertising. However, inefficient list targeting and poor mail piece design can cost you money. The 15 Ways to Reduce Postage Costs can help you maximize your return [...]
