Planning Your Mailing
When planning your mail marketing campaign, it is best to keep your message simple and focused. These are the basic points you will want to plan by:

1. Keep your message simple. Do you want to market your services, a product, a special event, an educational event, a grand opening? If you are marketing an event or grand opening, be sure your marketing piece doesn’t focus on one specific product. Otherwise, you will limit your respondents to those that are only interested in the product you focused on.

2. Determine what advantages or special features will attract the customer to respond. Be real! Catchy phrases are cute, but many people see right through them. Be sure your message is one that the recipient can relate to easily.

3. When choosing your mail piece, it is important that the media fits the purpose of the mailing.

   1. If you are hoping to obtain an appointment with a business professional, letters are best, but keep them brief and to the point.

   2. If you are announcing an event, post cards work well because they are more easily seen when the recipient goes through their mail.

   3. Post Cards and Flyers both work well for special announcements and product promotions.

4. No matter what mail piece you choose, be sure the design meets automation standards with the postal service so that maximum discounts can be obtained. Mail pieces designed according to automation standards will also increase the chances that the mail piece reaches it’s destination in tact and not in a little plastic baggy.

   1. Although tabbing is not required for non-automation pieces or flat size automation pieces, it will help ensure that the mail piece arrives at it’s destination in better shape.

   2. When designing a self-mailer, final folds should be on the far right and bottom edges of the mail piece. Otherwise, two tabs will be required. Self-mailers with folds at the top edge increase the chances of getting jammed in the mail processing equipment at the post office.

   3. Paper weight also affects the tabbing requirement for self-mailers mailed at automation rates. Here are some basic guidelines for paper weight requirements and tabbing: See Links for additional information)
       

5. To make the biggest impact on your customer base, mailings should be repeated at least 6 times per year. Customers appreciate being kept informed of new offerings from their vendors, and those that haven’t visited your business for some time will become more familiar with your products or services.
   
    

Planning Your Savings
Bulk mailings aren’t only for individual mailers, letters and post cards. Catalogs and envelopes full of product information can be mailed at tremendous savings. Standard Mail Pieces can weigh up to 16 oz. If your mail piece is less than 3.3 ounces, you will only be charged by the piece. If your mail piece is heavier then you will be charged by the piece and the poundage of your mailing. Here are some basic examples of savings for Automation Compatible Mailings.
 

Links & Industry Resources

• www.usps.com  United States Postal Service Home Page

• http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/notices/Not123/Not123.pdf  Complete Rate Chart for all USPS Rates & Services

• http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/manuals/Dmm/C810.pdf  Requirements for Automation Compatible Letters & Cards.

• http://www.mailcom-conference.com  Information for the MailCom Conference usually held in the spring in Atlantic City

• http://www.nonprofitmailers.org/news.html  Non-Profit Mailers Breaking News

• http://www.usps.com/nationalpcc/html/whatPCC/benefits.html  Benefits of being a member of a Postal Customer Council