With the growth of technology and the internet, there has been a steady decline in direct mail marketing campaigns. However, there is a strong indication that a company could greatly benefit from implementing an integrated marketing approach. Touching a customer across multiple channels will not only increase your branding, but it also keeps your company top-of-mind for your potential clients. Research also indicates that direct mail is one of the cheapest and most effective marketing strategies. Here are some of the benefits to direct mail and how it can be used in conjunction with your other marketing strategies. High Conversions.. Read More »

How to Best Use Direct Mail Marketing During COVID-19 By Summer Gould. President at Eye/Comm Focused Marketing Solutions. Direct Mail, Print, Fulfillment, Mobile and Social Media.   During a time of crisis, it can be hard to know how best to market your products or services to customers. If your customers are consumers and not businesses, direct mail is still a great way to reach them. Of course, with businesses having employees work from home, this certainly creates challenges for B2B marketers who use direct mail in their marketing mix. However, there are other channels that can be used instead. So for.. Read More »

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will implement new postage rates for most mailing and shipping products on Sunday, January 26, 2020.Summary of the 2020 Postage Rate Increase: Domestic Mailing: The First Class Mail letter (1 oz.) rate for postage purchased at the Post Office will remain at $0.55 (no change from 2019). Each additional ounce for a First Class Mail letter will cost $0.15 (no change from 2019). “Metered Mail” rates for First Class Mail letters (1 oz.), which includes online postage and postage meters, will remain at $0.50 (no change from 2019). This five cent discount represents a savings.. Read More »

LONG LIVE PRINT After its introduction close to three decades ago, the quick adoption of email led many to believe the predicted obsolescence of printed communications was inevitable. As time went on, consumers were able to enjoy interacting with their favorite brands through a variety of digital channels. However, despite the focus on using digital channels to communicate with customers, organizations are not ruling out print as an important communication tool. Why? Because they know consumers still open and read their mail. Monthly bills and statements represent 12 opportunities to communicate information to customers. If consumers are opening and reading.. Read More »

Make Your Direct Mail more Effective When your direct mail absolutely, positively must get opened, our envelopes work every time!  Express Envelopes allow you to create Priority Mail with the appeal and staying power of “Overnight Delivery” without the overnight price.   Get 20% OFF by using the discount code 2020 when ordering online. Or,  you can always call or contact us by email to place an order. Limited time offerexpires October 31, 2019. Orders ship same or next day. 6 box maximum.Respond today to save money and make more sales.   XpressEnvelopes.com800 385 1681xpressenvelopes@outlook.com     Read More »

Canon Launches Print for Action Initiative to Show Print Remains an Influential Medium Thursday, February 14, 2019 Press release from the issuing company New Canon U.S.A. Survey Finds 47 Percent of Americans Would Feel Sad in a World Without Print Melville, N.Y. – Print has long been a powerful medium to inspire action, from promoting social change to influencing purchasing decisions. It therefore comes with little surprise to Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, that nearly half of Americans would feel sad in a world without print, according to survey findings released by the Company today. The.. Read More »

On November 13, 2018, the Postal Regulatory Commission issued Order No. 4875, which approved six proposed USPS mailing promotions for 2019. These promotions are offered as a way to support mailers in their continued utilization of mail as part of their multi-channel marketing mix while also attempting something new with their mail pieces. These offerings encourage marketers to use techniques like dynamic color print and mobile/barcode technologies as a way to increase ROI and improve customer engagement with the physical mail piece.   The six promotions approved for 2019 are as follows: Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement Promotion Registration.. Read More »

from Mailing Systems Technology magazine 12/18/2018   Even if you are a veteran of the mailing industry, you may still come across a term that causes you to scratch your head. And if you are new to the mailing industry, well, you can feel that folks are speaking Greek. Industry expert Mark Rheaume has compiled a glossary of the most common postal terms and their definitions. We hope this helps -- enjoy! https://mailingsystemstechnology.com/article-4101-Postal-Terms-Glossary.html Read More »

A Maker's Field Guide to Envelopescourtesy of Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc.An envelope is a simple and familiar form. It requires no power source or special reader to be held, read and understood. Equal parts function and first impression, an envelope has all the right elements to make any project exceptional. Introducing A Maker’s Field Guide to Envelopes, the latest in a series of comprehensive, printed guides designed to inspire and educate designers, their clients and printers on the importance of choosing the right materials for print.“The new Maker’s Field Guide to Envelopes is the latest expression of Mohawk’s ongoing commitment.. Read More »

Phil Thompson is Quad/Graphics Director of Postal Affairs. He manages the business and technical relationship between Quad and the USPS. Phil partners with the USPS and customers to develop, test and improve the efficiency of mail handling and expand postal e-commerce solutions. On August 23, the United States Postal Service filed a Federal Register with proposed changes to the definition of Marketing Mail Contents. This proposal has mailers at all levels very concerned, regardless of industry. Members of the USPS state that their goal is to open a conversation about what Marketing Mail is, and to look at ways to.. Read More »

Mailing Systems Technology Magazine USPS Regulations & Updates / Oct. 9 2018 An unfortunate yet chronic criticism of the Postal Service is that it seems to not understand its commercial customers’ businesses. What they do, why they do it, what their business objectives are – all that seems too often to escape the USPS, despite decades of exchange between the agency’s personnel and its customers at a range of levels and venues.To many in the commercial mailing business, as well as their clients and associated agencies, the latest example of this circumstance was an unexpected proposal the agency published for comment in.. Read More »

Not to utter heresy, but did you know that direct mail can be more effective than email in some campaigns -- and that both channels work better when used together? Those are among the core beliefs of Ron Jacobs, CEO of Jacobs & Clevenger, a Chicago-based agency, and author of Successful Direct Marketing Methods, the book series started by the late Bob Stone, now in its eighth edition.   Email Insider interviewed Jacobs to get his input on how the channels differ, and how they can be used in tandem.  MediaPost:  Is snail mail really as useful as email?  Jacobs:  There’s a perception.. Read More »

A printer, ad agency or mail house might tell you that it will take a few weeks (at least) for your custom envelope to be printed. It's probably because they don't carry enough inventory to get the job done. With hundreds of thousands of card stock envelopes “on the floor”, we may have exactly what you're looking for. Most orders ship within 24 hours. Visit our easy to use website or call 800 385 1681. Order your 4Q envelopes today! Save 10% by using checkout code USNA58. Read More »

Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds® launches characters for campaign The Paper & Packaging – How Life Unfolds® campaign today revealed two new animated characters to further strengthen consumer connection to paper and packaging. The new industry brand ambassadors are a springboard for inspiring creativity, connection and achievement–qualities consumers around the world appreciate when using paper and paper-based packaging products. “Paper and packaging products are prevalent in our lives, and it was our goal to create highly-relatable characters to represent the vital roles that paper and packaging play for each and every one of us,” shares Mary Anne Hansan, president.. Read More »

This article originally appeared in the May/June, 2018 issue of Mailing Systems Technology. Nowadays, it seems like new digital marketing techniques are booming. However, it is important to remember that when used alone, these techniques will never outshine direct mail marketing when it comes to response rates.When done correctly, direct mail marketing can achieve about a 3.7% response rate on a house list and a one percent rate with a prospect list. In contrast, all the digital channels combined only deliver a 0.62% response rate — when used without the support of offline marketing efforts. Even though response rates for.. Read More »

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Written by: Bruna Martinuzzi , Presentation Skills Training, Author, Columnist AMEX OPEN, Clarion Enterprises Ltd. Is direct mail marketing outdated? Not so, according to research. Find out why you may want to make direct mail part of your overall marketing strategy. With the proliferation of online marketing strategies in today's digital age, you may think that direct mail marketing is too old school and may no longer be effective. But direct mail marketing is alive and well and can be an important component of your marketing strategy. What Recent Studies Reveal About Direct Mail Marketing That direct mail marketing can.. Read More »

In a highly competitive marketplace, many businesses agree that gaining new customers – and keeping them – can be a challenge. Integrating direct mail into a holistic, omni-channel marketing campaign not only serves as another visual way to get in front of consumers and tell your story, it can also give you the power to drive business and convert customers in different stages of the marketing life cycle.  When looking at marketing response rate, one study found direct mail outperforms digital channels, including email, online display, paid search, and social media (“DMA Response Rate Report 2017”). With direct mail remaining.. Read More »

Every marketing campaign gives a company the chance to learn and improve, and more importantly, find the tactics that spell out success. Today, companies employ a number of popular methods in order to measure and fine-turn their direct mail efforts. They include QR codes, activation codes, social media and more. Discover which options work best for you. Tactic 1: Personal URL (PURL) Create a personalized website dedicated solely to your direct mail campaign. Include this PURL in your direct mail collateral only. That way, the unique visits, sessions and page views the site amasses will directly correlate to your campaign... Read More »

Informed Delivery® for Business Mailers                                                                                                      Create Once. Connect Everywhere. The U.S. Postal Service® is enhancing the mail experience nationwide with Informed Delivery—an optional notification service that provides eligible residential consumers with a daily digital preview of their household's mail. Informed Delivery offers business mailers the opportunity to engage users through an integrated.. Read More »