Many industries use direct mail because they’ve learned that it’s one of the most effective ways to reach customers and the ROI on direct mail is greater than other channels. In fact, even Google uses direct mail. That’s right. One of the largest online advertisers uses direct mail. Even though the ROI on direct mail is high, it always helps when you can cut costs even further. Because we understand the need to watch marketing dollars, we have a few tips on how you can cut direct mail postage costs.
You Won’t Save Money on Direct Mail Postage at the Post Office
Many of the tips we have for cutting direct mail postage have nothing to do with postage rates. After all, those are set and unless you have some serious negotiating power with the USPS, you are going to pay the same rates as anyone else standing in line at the Post Office.
No, the place to cut direct mail postage costs is in the preparation of your direct mail campaign.
Clean Up Your Direct Mail Database
Your database is your most valuable asset. Why waste money sending mail to contacts that have moved or are now deceased. Also, make a point to check for duplicates. If your database is large, duplicates are likely. It’s a good idea to trim your list a minimum of once a year and ideally twice. Direct mail companies, like Mail Manager, can help you maintain your direct mail lists and can even help you augment them.
You can also ask the USPS to match your list against the National Change of Address (NCOA) list. They can provide forwarded addresses or pinpoint those with incorrect street information.
Proof Your Copies (Multiple Times)
Once a direct mail printing is made, it is very costly to go back and fix a mistake. When you view the proof prior to printing, make sure you look it over more than once and use multiple sets of eyes. Check everything. Read the text, look at the images, and even comb through the fine print.
Allow plenty of time for proofing the copy before a mailing. This way you have plenty of time to redo the design if there is an error, or if you just don’t like the way it looks.
Size Affects Direct Mail Postage Costs
Make sure you understand the rates for different sizes of mail. Direct mail postcards are a lot less than a large catalog envelope. Just make sure that what you send is the best option for what you hope to accomplish. Your savings in postage will not mean a thing if you reduce the number of responses you receive with your mailing.
Presort Your Mail
This is something that your direct mail company can help you with. When you presort your mail campaign, it saves money on postage. To do this you simply attach a barcode on the envelope or you can separate your mail by zip code. Companies like Mail Manager can show you how to use presorting to get a discount on your postal rates.
Give Recipients a Chance to Opt-Out
There is no point in pouring money into sending information that gets thrown in the trash. By giving your customers the option of unsubscribing, you keep your mailing list up-to-date with interested prospects only. Some companies will send a bigger mailing, like a catalog, to one list and a smaller postcard to another.
Direct mail has one of the highest ROIs of any type of marketing outreach. To raise that even more you just need to keep your direct mail postage costs in mind. Follow the tips that we outlined and ask your direct mail company for more suggestion on ways to save money on postage.
Mail Manager has been helping companies plan and implement direct mail marketing campaigns since 1988. Work with us to find the best type of direct mail for your needs!
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