It is fair to assess that Direct Mail Marketing is both a science and an art. Although a secret formula to achieve the coveted 100% response rate does not exist, following proven rules and guidelines for creating an effective mail piece will increase response rates and ultimately, a marketer’s return on investment.

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The Postal Service has announced the retirement of the POSTNET barcode for automation price eligibility effective January 28, 2013.

In order to receive automation rate discounts form the US Postal Service, your companies mailings of postcards, letter- and flat-size mailpieces will need to have an Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb). Your  Permit Reply Mail and Qualified Business Reply Mail (QBRM) will also be required to have an Intelligent Mail bar-code.

The Postal Service understands that many commercial mailers currently use POSTNET bar-codes and has been working with the mailing industry, including the software providers to ensure a smooth transition to the use of the Intelligent Mail bar-code.

US Mailing House has been using  the intelligent mail bar-code technology for over 4 years.  Intelligent mail bar-codes are a great way for you to save money on your postage costs and speed up your delivery times.  Automation rates apply to single mailings of at least 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail. The Intelligent Mail Bar-code can be used on automation rate First Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals and bound printed matter.

All US Mailing House customers will continue to benefit from automation prices and the faster, more efficient delivery that comes with automation compatibility   The Full-Service option will provide you with the lowest automation discount prices, free address correction for Full-Service mail pieces and visibility into your mailing.

To learn more about the Intelligent Mail bar-code, click here to review the Intelligent Mail Guide to Letters and Flats as well as the many other resource guides available. Or you may contact one of our US Mailing House postal regulation experts.  Our mailing consultants will provide you with assistance and respond to any questions you may have about postal automation, regulations or direct mail in general.

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After extensive testing and collaboration with the mailing industry, the Federal Register final rule was published December 2011, providing mailers over a year for planning the transition. If you haven’t already begun using the new standards, our mail piece design experts can help you prepare for the changes.

Here is a link to the 2013  changes in self-mailer regulations.

Local Business Mail Entry employees and US Mailing House mail piece design experts can answer questions about the revised requirements.

A few key revisions are:

• Final fold for half and trifolded mailers must be on bottom
• Final folds for quarter folded mailer must be on the bottom and leading edges
• Final fold for an oblong mailer will be on the leading edge
• Tabs cannot be placed on the bottom edge of folded self-mailers
• Minimum paper weight for folded self-mailers is 70# for up to 1.0 ounce mailers and 80# for mailers over 1.0 oz
• Maximum size for a letter sized folded self-mailer will become 10.5 inches, its currently 11.5 inches
• If the mailer is an 11 x 17 tri-folded it will become a non machinable letter or flat and postage will increase dramatically
• When tabs are used as the sealing method, a minimum of two tabs will now be required
• Tab size may vary based on design.
• New language is included to account for glue as a sealing method.
• New language has been developed to account for a variety of optional creative elements to incorporate in the design (attachments, loose enclosures, perforations, die-cuts, etc.).

While the revised standards allow for more innovation and creativity, the requirements also better align with postal automation to minimize mail piece damage and improve productivity.  Though the folded self-mailer revised standards are not effective until January, the Postal Service is encouraging mailers to begin the transition now.

If you have questions about whether your self-mailer design is in compliance with the new postal regulations, give us a call at 888-370-6845. We are glad to help.

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The BMEU  will be closed on all the above Holidays as indicated.

There will be NO MAIL DELIVERY on the Holidays listed above.

US Mailing House Holiday Hours

US Mailing House 2012 / 2013 Holiday Hours are As Follows:

US Mailing House will be open December 24th and closed December 25th.

Open on December 31st and closed on January 1st.

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The January 28 deadline to convert all your first class and standard mail barcodes to the intelligent mail barcode is approaching fast, yet many direct mail advertisers are still unsure about what changes the introduction of Intelligent Mail barcodes will bring to their business. Such big upgrades in the postal service industry always cause a lot of anxiety for businesses who rely on direct mail, and many are worried that the transition will cause extra costs and lost revenue as they come up to speed.

The good news is that the Intelligent Mail barcode is, as the name implies, substantially more ‘intelligent’ than the first class and standard mail barcodes – offering greater precision and flexibility in your tracking and automation functions. When engaging in direct mail marketing the more precisely you can track the deliverability and customer-response of each mailing, the more profitable and effective your campaigns will become. Once they have gotten used to the new system, savvy commercial mailers will be able to implement many in-depth tracking measures and fine-tune their mailings to a higher degree than ever before.

So let’s look at the ways typical ways the IMb can save you money and improve your ROI as a direct mail marketer. The IMb combines information from the POSTNET, OneCode ACS and PLANET data into one comprehensive barcode, allowing you to track the progress and response to each individual piece of mail with a high level of accuracy.

The above can have a huge positive impact on your bottom line, as it removes a lot of the guessing and waiting that is traditionally associated with direct mail. For instance, there is the old cliché that one will try to avoid payment by claiming ‘the check is in the mail’ – when your return mail has an IMb, you will be able to verify such claims immediately. This allows you to make more fully-informed decisions and plans in regards to tweaking your mailing campaign, while keeping your customers up to date on the status of their outgoing and incoming mail from you.

Us Mailing House is your Turn Key Direct Mail partner. We are here to help you understand the US Mail changes and how to stay on top of postal regulations. If you are thinking of sending a direct mail campaign in the comming months, send us a copy of your mailer and we will check to make sure it complies with USPS regulations. We will check your mailer free of charge. It is much better to have your direct mail design checked out by professionals before going to press.

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Direct mail still a force in campaigns -

From  The Washington Post

By Dan Eggen, Published: October 12, 2012

The modern political campaign has fully embraced Twitter, Facebook and other social media to reach voters, but President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney are still spending massive sums on a more traditional form of communication: Direct Mail Marketing

The two presidential campaigns have spent nearly twice as much on old-fashioned fliers, get-out-the-vote cards and other forms of direct mail as they have on Internet advertising, according to disclosure data and campaign aides. The hope is to appeal to millions of baby boomers and retirees, who may prefer the familiarity of the U.S. Mail to pop-up ads, YouTube videos and other flashy media.

The only cost that outstrips mail is broadcast advertising, which is notoriously expensive and has been washing over swing states for months.

Direct mail is especially crucial for Romney, whose supporters skew older than Obama’s. Romney and the Republican National Committee have spent more than $100 million on direct mail costs, compared with about $70 million for Obama and the Democrats.

One typical Romney mailing to seniors in Florida pledges to “preserve and strengthen Medicare” with “no change in benefits for those in or near retirement.” It features an elderly couple and an older woman — along with a picture of the Republican candidate and his wife, Ann.

“Florida Seniors CAN’T TRUST President Obama,” the brochure reads above a picture of the president looking rather grim. It continues in capital red letters: “BARACK OBAMA HAS FAILED OUR SENIORS.”

Richard Beeson, the Romney campaign’s political director, said that direct mail is a central part of the campaign’s outreach approach, which also includes digital strategies, phone canvassing and other methods aimed at engaging supporters.

“We are believers in voter contact,” Beeson said. “There’s a number of different ways to talk to voters, and the mail is one very effective way.”

Potent political force

The use of mass direct mail in politics stretches back at least as far as George S. McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, which deployed tactics perfected by the mail-order industry. The Religious Right movement of the 1980s married sophisticated voter lists with the reach of the U.S. Postal Service to become a potent political force.

Political Mailings are used to attack opponents, make policy promises, solicit donations and help supporters register to vote.

“The power of it is still huge because it’s reaching that age group that includes baby boomers, who are still largely more comfortable with direct mail than other, newer forms of communication,” said Paul Bobnak, research director for DirectMarketingIQ, a Philadelphia-based target marketing firm that tracks campaign mailings. “It is still a huge workhorse for political fundraising and messaging.”

In 2008, more than half the voters in the presidential race were 45 or older, according to exit polls. Those 65 or older went for Republican John McCain by 53 percent to 45 percent, while Obama ran about even with McCain among voters aged 45 to 64, the data show.

For many congressional candidates, trade unions and interest groups, direct mail offers a particularly effective, and inexpensive, way to reach supporters.

Last week, the AFL-CIO labor confederation sent out 150,000 direct mailers to its Ohio members attacking Romney and GOP Senate candidate Josh Mandel; afterward, the same households received robocalls repeating the messages.

“Our testing shows that union members spend more time reading and recall more info from our mail program than just general mail from campaigns,” said Ohio AFL-CIO spokesman Mike Gillis.

The Obama campaign has used mailings aimed at women, Latinos, pet owners and a host of other demographic subgroups, part of the campaign’s sometimes obsessive useof micro-targeting. But Obama has also used mailings to press broader themes in key battlegrounds, including sharp-edged attacks on Romney’s wealth, tax policies and history as a private equity fund manager.

Obama pamphlets that poured into Ohio in recent weeks featured images of Romney’s oceanside manse in California and a stretch limousine with a fake license plate reading “ROMNEY 1ST.”

One leaflet shows Romney piloting his luxury powerboat near his lakeside home in New Hampshire, first facing one direction and then another. The images seem to echo a famous 2004 Republican television ad that showed Democrat John F. Kerry switching back and forth as he windsurfed, which was supposed to symbolize flip-flopping and elitism.

“A NEW $250,000 Tax Cut For Multi-Millionaires — Like Himself. But up to $2,000 in Tax Hikes on Families Like Yours,” the caption on the Obama powerboat mailing reads. “Not so fast, Mitt.”

The Obama campaign declined to discuss its direct-mail strategy.

Direct Mail flies Under the radar

Unlike television ads, which are widely analyzed by the media, political mailings fly under the radar into voters’ mailboxes, rarely getting much notice unless they are particularly provocative. A recent 10-page “voter survey” from the conservative Faith and Freedom Foundation accused Obama of having “Communist beliefs” .

One of the most unusual postal pitches to emerge this year came from the Romney campaign, which mailed fliers to voters in Northern Virginia hawking the candidate’s commitment to battling Lyme disease, which it called “a massive epidemic threatening Virginia.” The message may be linked to a meeting Romney had with a Virginia Republican who believes in chronic Lyme disease, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says does not exist.

“That’s something that’s very important to the folks in Fairfax County,” Beeson said, referring to Lyme disease. “The Obama campaign made light of it, and that’s fine, but at the end of the day we will talk about things that are important to people in the state.”

Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group backed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, said direct mail remains a linchpin of the organization’s strategy. Direct Mail “is especially good for reaching senior citizens” and works well for complex issues such as health care, he said.

But Phillips also said mailings must be coupled with telephone banks, e-mail, broadcast ads and other approaches to break through the media noise.

“The message environment today is so much faster and so much more cluttered than it was 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago,” he said. “There is no silver bullet. You better be touching people through multiple mediums, multiple times. The goal is to have a presence in all of them.”

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The initial proposal which was first presented on April of 2011 was intended to improve the design of FSMs for compatibility with the automation process. The final revisions came as a result of a 2 year collaboration between the Postal Service and the mailing industry. A wide variety of letter-sized mailers were tested for automation compatibility and the Postal Service received 51 comments from various mailers. These comments were considered and became influential in modifying the original proposal.

Mailers’ comments range from a total abandonment of the proposed changes due to the economy, the lack of available equipment to handle the changes and the cost already incurred for previously designed and produced mail piece to concerns about the type of tabs used to seal FSMs, the thickness, the number of panels, the weight of the paper, and the size, to name a few.

The following are some important rules that will soon be applied to letter sized automated FSMs.

For oblong Self Mailers, the final fold must be the leading edge

There is also new language that pertains to design elements of the FSM such as attachments, loose enclosures, perforations and die-cuts.

The Postal Service is recommending that mailers begin to take necessary steps to make the transition, although they are not expected to comply until the announced date. Failure to meet the new requirements could result to higher postal charges. Here is a link to the United States Postal Service publication regarding the new self mailer rules.

The U.S. Mailing House can assist in making certain that these new requirements are met when designing your FSM. They also offer an alternative mail piece called the snap mailer. The snap mailer can be a letter-sized mailer just like a self-mailer but has 4 sealed and perforated sides. The snap mailer is opened by tearing or snapping off the perforated sides, hence the name and eliminating the use of any sealer or glue that could interfere with the Postal Service’s automation machines.

The U.S. Mailing House provides a variety of self mailers that can be customized to meet your individual direct marketing needs.  if you have any questions regarding these new regulations or you would like us to double check your mail piece design before you go to press feel free to give us a call at 888-370-6845. One of our direct mail design consultants will be happy to check over your mail piece to ensure it complies with the latest United States Postal Service regulations.

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Social media as a form of marketing is relatively new compared to direct mail. And like most novel ideas, social media has been growing in popularity in the field of marketing. It has arguably become the latest trend in marketing and is a very hot topic.

Although both direct mail and social media have their merits, businesses do not necessarily have to choose one over the other. In fact direct mail can be an effective tool in introducing a company’s website and social media profile to its potential customers. Creating websites and social media profiles does not automatically translate to being found. People still need to know that the company, the product, the website and the social media profile exist and direct mail is still a cost-effective way of achieving this.

In the past, a direct mail postcard may have an 800 number and a message that states “$50.00 off for the 1st 100 callers” as a call to action. These days, in addition to the 800 number, it is not uncommon for a postcard to include the company’s website, the Facebook or twitter logo or even a QR code to their Google Plus page. Undoubtedly, direct mail and social media marketing can work hand- in- hand to increase sales and exposure of a company. A direct mail postcard can effectively announce an upcoming sale and the call to action is to visit the website or a facebook page. A website or a facebook page can provide substantial information about the company and a more in-depth coverage of its products or services, sales or special offers. Events can also be promoted through Twitter and Google Plus where visitors are highly engaged.

A company’s website, Facebook, Google Plus and twitter feed can also be a great tool to enhance a company’s relationship with their customers. Through data gathered from these channels, a company can have a better “picture” of their customer base as well as the ability to interact directly with their customers.

Given the popularity of social media marketing, a company cannot go wrong incorporating this newer form of marketing with the tried and tested direct mail marketing.

If you would like more information regarding ways we can help integrate your direct mail into your social media efforts, give us a call at:

888-370-6845

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There are so many options available in direct mail that choosing the best direct mail piece is not always the easiest decision.

Direct Mail is the workhorse of many marketing campaigns, and direct mail marketing pieces are available in a near-infinite variety of sizes, materials, and print options.You can choose from single color postcards to full-color catalogs. However, when you’re designing your direct mail campaign, how do you know what kind of direct mail piece is best? Here are a few of the most common direct mail marketing pieces, and some suggestions how to use each one.

1.  Postcard mailer – A direct mail postcard is the smallest mailer available, but if you have a brief message or a simple offer to convey, postcards are a good choice. Postcards are great for coupons, special offers, follow up messages and reminders. If you want a larger postcard they can be sent third class (now called standard rate). With our variable data printing service, postcards can be ultra-customized in full color.

2.  Self Mailer – Self Mailers are called self mailers because they’re mailed by themselves, not in an envelope. A self mailer is basically a two-sided flyer that is folded into a size that meets mailing standards (for example, a triple postcard). You have more real estate on a folded mailer, but you can still keep it simple. Folded mailers are useful to present a menu of services or products, or descriptions of upcoming events.

3.  Letter in an Envelope – This is just what it says a letter in an envelope. If you’re including a formal letter or any material that needs to be protected (i.e. not scuffed up during mail processing), consider using an envelope mailer. This mailer also allows you to include multiple components such as reply cards, small notes, etc. Stamps can be applied to give your letter in an envelope of personalized look even though it may be being sent at standard rates.

4.  Mini catalog/Full catalog – If you have a lot of material to present, a mini catalog or a full catalog could be the right format for you. Mini catalogs are available in small half-page or slim-jim sizes, while full catalogs are full letter page size or larger. Catalogs are useful for presenting full product lines or large schedules of events or courses.

5.  Newsletters – Direct mail marketers still love the newsletter after all these years. Newsletters are a great way to reach your customers and past clients to let them know what’s going on in your industry and with your business. Stay “on top of mind” with the direct mail newsletter.

If you need help choosing the right direct mail piece, give US Mailing House a call, we are happy to help you decide which direct mail piece will work best for your situation.

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Variable data direct mail takes direct mail marketing to a whole new level. Companies are using this technology to create highly personalized marketing mailers that grab attention and make sales.

Recently Dodge Mopar sent out a variable data direct mail piece to Dodge owners that were connected to a Dodge dealership in some way (they either purchased a vehicle from or have their car serviced at the particular dealership). On the front of this variable data direct mail piece was a picture of the make and model of the car, truck or van that the intended recipient owns. The message on the front of the mail piece read “John, get three great services on your Dodge vehicle for one low price! Open for details.”

Receiving a direct mail piece that has your name on it and a picture of something you own definitely gets your attention. Not only does Dodge know who their customers are and what they have, but they also know what they need. The offers on the inside of the mail piece matched to the type of vehicle that the owner has. For instance if you own a Dodge Caravan, the inside of the mailer has a coupon for an oil change and filter for Dodge Caravan for $18.95. If your vehicle has somewhere around 30,000 miles you will receive an ad containing a discount or rebate for a set of tires. All of these offers are relevant to the recipient of the variable data direct mail piece.

Dodge’s formula shows the genius in highly targeted direct-mail marketing. If you want higher return on investment for your direct mail you need to take advantage of your data. Think about ways to target your customers and send a relevant offer that will mean something to them.

At US Mailing House we have the capabilities to print full color variable data onto any type of mail piece you can think of. Even our famous snap mailers can be highly customized using full-color variable digital printing. If you’re ready to go one step beyond “customer name”, give US Mailing House a call and one of our knowledgeable representatives will be happy to discuss all of the options with you.

1-888-370-6845

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