United States Postal Service Full Service Approved
Highlights
- Ball State study
- Teenagers responding to direct mail
- Personalization increases effectiveness
We old schoolers who have been in the mail biz for years know that our medium is still the most effective means of bringing in new customers. The exciting news is that results from research recently performed by Ball State University shows that we are right!
I recently attended two presentations about new media and the ways they are being used. One was provided by the Business Marketing Association Dallas/Ft Worth chapter and the presenter was Jake McKee. Very interesting guy, that Jake. After the official presentation we chatted a bit with Tom Howard who told us some of his favorite things about twitter.
The other presentation I attended was just last night, and was sponsored by the Fort Worth Postal Customer Council. The presenter was Jeff Brady of Brady Media Group, former news anchor at WFAA. He was the one who told us about the Ball State University Center for Media Design research. The main message he shared, and it makes perfect sense, is that traditional means of marketing are still relevant and well received by most folks.
The research shows us that young homemakers (females aged 18-34yrs) use new media and text messaging, but really don't want to be contacted by marketers through those same media. But 72 percent of them say that they have been influenced by direct mail to make a purchase.
And get this, 58 percent of teens aged between 15-17 years said that they were influenced to purchase something by traditional direct mail.
Today we can combine Direct Mail campaigns with more than just TV and radio ads. So what do you think would happen if you designed marketing campaigns that incorporated traditional and newer means of communication?
While your existing customers might respond to ‘opt in' email notices sent by you, you can use postal mail to direct potential customers to your website to print coupons, enter contests or just learn more about your company. And by incorporating ‘purls' and personalized messages, you enhance the effectiveness of every part of your marketing campaign. Mail campaigns are great for driving people to your website, and the more interaction you can encourage the better.
We all want exposure. Without it a business can't grow. How about mailing something that invites your recipient to ‘tweet all about it'? If you make the campaign intriguing enough to provoke an action then you are getting your message out there multiple times to more potential customers with one mailing! How about that bang for your already well-spent advertising buck?
It's time to join the new world of media out there tweeting and YouTubing and otherwise chatting it up. It's time to be a part of the fun!
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By now you've probably heard that the US Postal Service is planning another rate hike this year. The cost of mailing a first-class letter will increase two cents to $.44 in May.  Standard bulk mail rates will also go up, as will periodicals. This will be the fourth postage increase in as many years.
While it may seem like the price of postage goes up far more frequently than it used to, that's not quite the case. Since the cost of a first-class stamp first broke into the double digits in 1974, rates have been increased on average about every two years. In two separate years, 1978 and 1981, rates increased twice. Moreover, the amount postage increases by remains fairly consistent as well. From 1971 to 1981, the cost of a first-class stamp increased by 10 cents. The span between 1991 and 2001 saw the smallest increase, at five cents. Since 2001, the price has increased 10 cents.
Postal customers can partially stave off the higher rates for a little while by stocking up on Forever stamps now. But be warned: many post offices have difficulty keeping them in stock. For mailers who use meters or permit imprints, there is no putting off paying the higher postage.
For a link to the current and new postage rates go to www.ipresort.com/postage .
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Highlights
- Reduced transportation costs
- Duplicates & undeliverable cause waste
- Automated mail saves energy
With energy costs on a roller coaster and the effects of global warming making themselves harder to ignore every hurricane season, it's no surprise that more and more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact lately. At Total Fulfillment, we're looking into ways to reduce waste and consumption, not just for us but for our customers as well.
Our data services include de-duping on all jobs (unless requested otherwise). By eliminating duplicate addresses from your mailing list, we not only save you money on postage, we also reduce the waste involved in making, printing and delivering mail pieces that will only end up in a landfill unread. Our location is another part of our strategy to run more efficiently. We chose our current office largely because of its close proximity to both the Addison and Carrollton post offices. We are 1.1 miles from the Addison post office, and 3.4 miles from the Carrollton post office. Since approximately 95 percent of the mail we process goes to one of those two locations, we rarely have to drive more than 5 miles to enter your mail.
Total Fulfillment has been a proponent of recycling for years. Unusable and leftover job supplies, unless requested by the customers, are sent to a local recycling facility, as are empty boxes. In addition to recycling, we use environmentally friendly, soy-based inks for addressing mail pieces whenever possible.
These are just some of the ways we are trying to make the world a little greener here at Total Fulfillment. If your company is looking into mail, but is concerned about its environmental impact, give us a call. We can offer advice on how to design and produce your mail in ways that are both effective and environmentally responsible.
Tips for mailing green:
Consider your paper.
The paper you choose for your mail will have a huge effect on its environmental impact. For example, using too flimsy a stock on postcards typically results in increased spoilage as it gets chewed up by mailing equipment. Too heavy a stock adds unnecessary weight, causing both postage and energy use to rise. A stock with a high gloss on the addressed side may look nice, but it also requires the use of solvent-based, quick-drying inks for addressing instead of environmentally friendly, soy-based inks. In addition, some paper mills use clean, renewable energy sources while others do not.
Trim your lists.
We strongly recommend having us de-dupe your list to weed out duplicate addresses. Dupes are not only wasteful of both energy and materials, they also increase your postage costs. We also suggest removing undeliverable addresses from your list. The Post Office's new Move Update standards are an indication of how undeliverable mail increases costs of operation.
Do your data work before ordering stock when possible.
If the piece you're mailing contains time-sensitive information, you won't want to order more than you'll need just to recycle the excess. Even if you mail the same piece over a stretch of a few months, paper does not always store well for long periods of time. Knowing how much stock to order reduces waste.
Design your piece to meet USPS standards.
Automated mail is more quickly processed by the Post Office, resulting in reduced energy consumption. It also saves on postage, so most mailers prefer it. Consulting with your mail shop when designing your piece will help ensure that it can be mailed in the first place, and sometimes can save you postage as well.