As the most important sales day of the year approaches, have you decided on the best way to reach consumers? While online sales continue to surge, business owners will be surprised to know that direct mail is still getting the biggest response from shoppers.

 

With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s time to double check
your mailing list, and be sure not to miss out on a chance to capitalize on
the biggest shopping event of the year!

 

Specialty Mailing is a full service lettershop that can take care of your organization’s mailing needs.

We offer the latest technology in laser printing, inkjet addressing, folding, inserting, data management, and many other aspects of direct mail. We also provide the personal service you expect. We can process projects of any size, and focus on providing the quickest turnaround possible to help you reach your customers in a timely manner.

When you call, you will speak with a live person, not a recording. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Specialty Mailing is dedicated to saving you money while providing superior service. For your next mailing, please call us.

We have all heard the saying “third time’s the charm” which implies that the third time you try something you are luckier then the first two times. In Direct Mail Advertising, it is actually true that the third mailing is the mailing with the most success.

The idea behind the practice of a Direct Mail Campaign with three consecutive mailings is for your target audience to retain the message and advertising you are sending them and take action through repetition.

 

Give it a third try on your next campaign and watch the magic happen!
We want to help you with your Fall festivities and promotions, come to Specialty for all of your Direct Mail Marketing needs!

 

Specialty Mailing is a full service lettershop that can take care of your organization’s mailing needs.

We offer the latest technology in laser printing, inkjet addressing, folding, inserting, data management, and many other aspects of direct mail. We also provide the personal service you expect. We can process projects of any size, and focus on providing the quickest turnaround possible to help you reach your customers in a timely manner.

When you call, you will speak with a live person, not a recording. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Specialty Mailing is dedicated to saving you money while providing superior service. For your next mailing, please call us.

Get the Most Out of Your Direct Mail Campaigns with Variable Printing

Personalized mail is a great way to build stronger customer relationships. According to United States Postal Service Research, customers opened mail containing their name at a rate of 48 percent versus 39.6 percent when variable printing was not present. Adding a slight personal touch to your direct mail can increase your customer response by almost 10 percent!

 

Going beyond names; variable printing allows businesses to tailor direct mailer messages specifically to each customer. This printing method allows for personalized invitations, reminders, and coupons that reflect each individual client’s needs. Businesses no longer have to send blanket mailers that only appeal to a portion of their demographic. Now client trends can be pinpointed, thus preventing missed opportunities.

With the back to school shopping season just around the corner, customers will be flocking to the stores trying to check off all the items on their school’s supply list. But, once the excitement of the back to school season subsides, how do you keep customers coming back?

Incentives Keep Your Customers Coming Back

Retention programs are a great way to keep your customers returning to your store! Whether you’re offering special deals or just adding a personal touch to a direct mailer, a little extra effort goes a long way. Here are a few tips on how you can retain customers and fill your stores when shopping seasons cool down.

Sign Up Programs

Now that you have your customers’ mailing information, you can incentivize them with special discounts. Everybody loves a deal, and your loss leader will typically see a return on investment through ancillary purchases.

Membership Cards

This is essentially the same as a sign up program, but membership cards usually offer a points system. Point systems gain revenue by influencing the customer to purchase more items in order to obtain a deal.

Variable Printing

Another great way to get your mailer noticed; these are specially addressed coupons labeled with each individual customer’s name. That slight personal touch shows the customer that your business cares and wants them as a repeat shopper.

Once your business is ready to plan ahead for the season, bring your existing client mailing list to Specialty Mailing for our ink jetting services. We can help
personalize your direct mail campaigns with variable print to help retain
customers in any season.

Try supplementing your direct mail marketing efforts with magnets! Direct mail already offers many advantages. Your ad is placed right in the viewers hands, according to the U.S Postal Service, over 90% of mail pieces are seen on the same day of delivery, and direct mail does not face the overflow of competition an ad would normally face in other mediums.
 

Try Magnets with your Direct Mail!

 
With targeted demographic mailing and the right design, magnets can easily extend their shelf life by being placed on a refrigerator of your customers and future customers. Now, your company name and information is there every time that refrigerator door opens, another impression is made thus prolonging the life of your advertising efforts.
 
 

 

The most important part of every advertising campaign is being able to reach its intended audience. For direct marketers, finding the right viewer becomes even more important as each impression has a postage fee. For marketers to be sure their advertising dollars are landing in the right mail boxes, they must stay current on National Change of Address (NCOA).

Why is NCOA important?

Essentially, the NCOA allows mail items to be forwarded to a person or company’s new address. This database allows people to inform the post office of their new location and ensures that all mail sent to their previous address will find its intended recipient.

Though this system is quite efficient, there are a few setbacks. The NCOA requires precise information from multiple sources and cannot be completely accurate due to the fact that not all people or businesses file for a change of address. Whether a business is no longer operating or crucial information was not filed; certain potential customers end up not seeing their intended message, because the wrong information was on file.

Direct mailer marketers must stay on top of these changes by following the Post Office’s NCOA updates. The post office is only allowed to update address changes for a period of 48 months. After that, it is the direct mailer’s responsibility to make sure their list is up to date.
Closely following NCOA allows direct marketers to lower advertising budgets while also ensuring that the right messages are reaching the right people.

How having the right information can see a bigger return on investment.

An accurate NCOA database requires customers to enter the right information, otherwise, the mail becomes undeliverable. Undeliverable mail costs the USPS, on average, 1.5 billion dollars a year. In order to curb this expense, the USPS will now only provide presorted discounts to direct marketers that update their mailing list every 95 days.

Just as it is important for mail service providers to keep updating their list, it is equally as important for list owners to ensure that their databases are current with correct addresses. NCOA is a great start, but it is imperative that customers update their mailing list, as well.

QR Codes are a way for your direct mail marketing efforts to become interactive!

Designing a piece with a QR Code can open up a world of ways to take the recipient to where you want them to be. You can generate High Resolution QR Codes at https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com/ with all that features that come with QR.

While the printed piece is in their hands, have a call-to-action with the QR Code to entice the user with a reason to scan a promotional offer or give away and make sure the landing page is set up for mobile devices. This makes your marketing efforts even more effective and engaging!

We pride ourselves on our service and quick turnaround times to meet your mailing deadlines. Let Specialty Mailing help you with your next mailing project!

Good News!

Recent changes by the USPS will affect your current postage fees. Please read the following information to learn when these changes will take place and what you can do to prepare your media plans for the coming year.

United States Postal Service Announces Closure of Exigent Rates

As recently stated by the United States Postal Service, the Exigent Rate Case will cease to be in effect on April 9, 2016, at the conclusion of the business day. Beginning April 10, 2016, al lmailings will see a 4.3% average decrease on postage expenses.

The exigent rate increase was put into effect on January 26th, 2014 to recoup $3.2 billion in lost revenue from the recent recession. The measure was set to end the following year in the middle of the summer, but the realization of a calculation error revealed that there was actually a $4.6 billion deficit. The new calculation established a new maximum recovery number, thus extending the exigent rate increase period. The recovery of this lost revenue was listed by the USPS in Docket No. R2013-11. By February 14th, 2016, the USPS was able to recoup approximately $4.3 billion of the total deficit. The USPS is aware that this will greatly impact current marketing plans as mailers will have an opportunity to pay lower postal fees. The postal service remains hopeful that the extra savings will be allocated to expanding marketing efforts via mail.

Current projections, in accordance with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, estimate virtually no significant increase for USPS postage rates, which also reduces the possibility for future increases. A MTAC meeting held on November, 2015 has confirmed current speculation by stating that current CPI projections will not call for increased rates.

When you think holiday in April, you think Easter. However, there are many different, albeit smaller, holidays and events to celebrate. This leads to so many different angles your April marketing can use, besides Easter.

It’s no joke… April begins with the classic “April Fools Day.” Use this lead for humorous ads and discounts to stand out and grab attention. This kind of ad doesn’t even really have to “sell” anything, but just draw attention to your company. Popular companies do things like Nestle’s Kit Kat bars releasing a fried chicken flavored candy bar and Scope releasing a bacon flavored mouthwash. This makes us look twice and makes your ad memorable.

Spring Cleaning… Out with the old and in with the new! Talk about your new products and services you’re unleashing. Offer discounts on trying them out. Showcase on how your company can help them transition from winter into spring –even prepare for summer.

Spring Break… Want to attract a younger crowd? Or entice tourists? Play up on the fun nature of spring break to draw people in. This works great for “hip” or easy-going companies.

Earth Day & Arbor Day… Show how green your company is! Specialty Mailing offers recycled paper and other products to showcase and note on your correspondence. Possibly set up a recycle center in your space and send out a notice offering people a discount or service for recycling to get them in the door.

The Return of Baseball… It’s no secret that the Cardinals have the best fans in baseball! Specialty Mailing is no exception, being a St. Louis based company. We have to hand it to the Royals for keeping the World Series win in Missouri, though. We also just love baseball in general as it is America’s favorite pastime and it is a great theme to incorporate into your marketing.

If you have different ideas, tell us! Specialty Mailing is open to all ideas and willing to work with any you may have.

In March everyone wants the “Luck o’ the Irish!”

Send some luck everyone’s way. Let people know as your customers and friends, they don’t have to be Irish to be lucky! Mail out coupons and special offers through simple coupon booklets, catalogs or postcards. However, Specialty Mailing has some ideas to get creative with your March marketing…

Fun & Different Ideas for lucky March Marketing:

Create, print and mail special lottery tickets or scratchers to your targeted audience.  Everybody gets a thrill out of possibly hitting the jackpot. The prize doesn’t have to be money; your jackpot can be a free product or service from your company.  Free is one of Americans’ favorite words and a shoe-in to get new customers and clients in your door.

A Golden Ticket –Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory- type scheme. Print and hide “golden tickets” in certain merchandise to drive sales. Decide how many you want to print and what the special offer for each will be. Release these tickets at different times throughout the month to create suspense and active participation.

Leprechauns love their riddles. Come up with a clever riddle and every week send a clue as to the answer. Everyone that figures the answer out by a certain deadline gets a prize. Even if it’s just something as little as a 20% off coupon, you are keeping people engaged with your business and making a lasting impression.

Where’s that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? No one knows, but you can give them “gold” tokens with your business on them. Make each token redeemable for a product or service.

Quite a few people like to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a beer or two (or more). A festive way of marketing would be koozies with your company logo on them. These partiers will be at public places such as the parade and pub crawls; even just a neighborhood party would be good exposure.

– Whatever you decide to do for your March marketing, Specialty Mailing has your needs covered.