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USPS Insider Tips for Effective Direct Mail
Speaking as a panel member on “Maximizing Customer
Engagement in Direct Mail” at the recent DMA
conference, Carlton Shufflebarger, brand manager of
direct mail for the USPS, shared tips to help
mailers increase impact and response. Brittany
Brouse reports on his latest mail tips, including
“the best kept secret in the direct mail industry.”
1. Create mail and online synergy.
Send catalogs and mailings to online shoppers who
might enjoy receiving product information this way.
“In sending someone a catalog, you create a stronger
online prospect. They are more likely to visit the
site, spend more time on the site, and more likely
to make purchases,” Shufflebarger said. Catalogs
also discourage comparison shopping because when
shoppers visit your site, they are primed to make a
purchase. For good follow-through on online sales,
provide shipping cost options. Shufflebarger
stresses that the biggest reason for cancelled
orders is the shipping cost. He says, “If people
leave your Web site because of no delivery options,
or because charges are too high, you put a lot of
money at risk.”
2. Take advantage of shaped mail.
Shufflebarger also suggests using Customized Market
Mail (CMM), which includes die-cut mailers, cutouts,
magnets, and other odd-shaped mailing formats. These
mailers jump out of the mailbox, producing about a 3
percent to 4 percent increase in response rates—and
they are standardized by the Postal Service™. Rates
are 46 cents for Standard Mail® and 33.4 cents for
Standard Nonprofit Mail. Shufflebarger reports the
USPS is working to automate CMM processing within
the next year. “[CMM] is like a win-win. It’s more
efficient for us and less expensive for
advertisers,” he says.
3. Use stickies and ride-alongs.
Repositionable notes and ride-along packages are two
more USPS-endorsed mail features that can drive up
response without breaking the bank. A sticky note on
the outside of an envelope delivers an actionable
message and outlives the life of the original
mailer. The notes cost .05 cents for First-Class
Mail® and 1.5 cents for periodicals and Standard
Mail. Used wisely, they will increase open, read,
and response rates.
Ride-alongs for periodicals are “the best kept
secret in the direct mail industry,” according to
Shufflebarger. For only 15.5 cents per piece, you
can piggyback up to 3.3 ounces of a product sample,
catalog, CD or insert, on an established periodical.
With polywrapping and postage together, marketers
can expect to pay a total of 26 cents per piece.
Ride-alongs are a great opportunity to target the
universe and leverage the brand of an established
publication, he says.
---Source:
Reprinted from Target Marketing Magazine October 24,
2007 (www.targetmarketingmag.com) as reported by
Brittany Brouse, associate editor.
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Melissa Data
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