Direct Mail Toolkit - Mailing

Have you wondered what the difference between First Class and Bulk (or Standard) mail really is? It's more than just the cost of the postage and speed of delivery. To make it easier to handle and sort your mail, the USPS offers incentives for making your mail piece machine-friendly to help speed up sorting and delivery. While the term may not be familiar, the concept should be. Service endorsements are instructions to the USPS on what to do with your mail if it can't be delivered. Two of the most common endorsements are: The mail piece will be returned to the sender with a sticker showing the new address or reason for non-delivery. The undeliverable mail piece will be forwarded to the new address if the recipient filed a temporary change-of-address request. There is no charge for these services if you mail with the First Class options. For Standard (Bulk) Mail, if you choose to put the endorsement on the piece you'll receive the returned piece and pay a First Class rate plus a nominal charge for the service. If you don't put the endorsement the USPS will toss the undeliverables. If you want to reach more of your recipients and keep your addresses updated, these endorsements will serve you well. Staggered mailings are a great way to control your marketing budget and lead generation. With a staggered mailing, you can print all of your pieces at once and store them without charge until you are ready to mail. This ensures print savings without having to pay all of the mailing costs at the same time. Personalized and multi-piece mailers have both proven to produce better response rates. By folding, collating, tipping-on or inserting almost anything into your direct mail, you create a 3-D interactive experience for the recipient. You can print different pieces, sizes and stocks and then collate them all together to create a high-impact self-mailer. The high-quality personalization capabilities of digital printing allows you to personalize each piece. These US Mail layout guides will help you prepare your direct mail postcard, brochure, newsletter, or greeting card layout and design to comply with US Postal Service specifications. Mailing pieces require clear space (free of any design elements) to allow for addressing, barcoding and permit imprinting. This will make sure your mail piece qualifies for your preferred mail service class and that no content is covered during the addressing process. This will allow your mailing to flow through the USPS system as fast as possible. Sometimes it takes creative design strategies to get the layout you want and still comply with mailing regulations. Call us if you would like some advice or ideas. Every Door Direct Mail^® (EDDM^®) is a perfect way to spur growth in your business by saturating entire neighborhoods using carrier routes — all without the cost of mailing lists and permits. EDDM^® is ideal for businesses and individuals looking to gain the attention of basically, anyone (think, "Local Postal Customer"). There is reduced sorting and transportation associated with EDDM^®, which translates to a reduction in cost incurred by the USPS, which is then passed on to you. Some of the best suited candidates for EDDM^® are businesses that are looking to reach customers in a specific geographical area. They might include restaurants, realtors, local health clinics, contractors and politicians.