Elevate Your Print Quality
When it comes to direct mail, not all printers are created equal. In fact, many companies that use direct mail often struggle with errors and inconsistent print quality.
Why? The key lies in the choice of printer (or network of printers) they work with.
With over 30 years of industry experience, we’ve found that partnering with a direct mail provider that has in-house printing capabilities—rather than outsourcing to a network of printers—offers superior control, customization, turnaround, confidentiality, and cost efficiency, making it the preferred choice for delivering high-quality results.
Total Control & Unmatched Consistency
By working with a direct mail provider that manages printing internally, you eliminate the middleman, granting complete control over every stage of the process. Unlike batch printing, commonly used by large printer networks that manage multiple orders simultaneously, in-house production typically works on a job-by-job basis. This approach ensures consistent quality, as dedicated team members can monitor each project’s color consistency, scuffs, and data accuracy. They can even scan QR codes to verify correctness when needed.
A recent direct mail industry report indicates that 50% of consumers believe low-quality presentation is likely to create a negative first impression. Opting for in-house production provides the advantage of thorough inspections and immediate adjustments, reducing errors and ensuring that every piece of mail meets the highest quality standards.
Tailored Customization & Flexible Solutions
In-house printing also offers unparalleled customization and flexibility, particularly for time-sensitive projects. It allows up to a 1-3 day quicker turnaround on custom requests and changes compared to outsourced printing, which often faces delays due to multiple points of contact. Being able to directly communicate with an account manager who has direct access to the production floor ensures immediate adjustments, while outsourced services require navigating through layers of representatives without achieving the actual desired outcome.
Furthermore, with internal printing capabilities, you can make precise color adjustments, specifically color matching, and change paper stock to meet your exact requirements. This level of customization is crucial for brands that need to keep a consistent image across all printed materials. And, given that in-house teams are often more familiar with their equipment and materials, they can offer expert advice and innovative solutions tailored to your specific needs.
Speedy Turnarounds That Keep You Ahead
Let’s talk about turnaround times! Working with a provider that manages its production internally significantly reduces production times compared to outsourced services. Close management and efficient workflows can be crucial for meeting tight deadlines and ensuring prompt delivery, especially around holidays or seasonal activities.
The streamlined processes and direct oversight of in-house printing allow for a quicker project initiation and completion, avoiding delays associated with coordinating multiple external vendors.
Cost Efficiency Without Compromise
Switching to a provider with in-house production can save upwards of 40% on production costs compared to outsourcing. This is thanks to reduced vendor fees, lower transportation costs, and employee costs. Eliminating the intermediary also removes markup fees, with some facilities offering bulk discount options and in-house storage after job completion.
Additionally, in-house printing also ensures price expectations are met at an affordable rate, with a primary focus on customer satisfaction and building trust in services. By managing the entire process internally, companies can better control costs and allocate resources more effectively. This cost efficiency, combined with the high quality and reliability of in-house printing, makes it an attractive choice for businesses looking to maximize their return on investment.
After all, ease of mind is worth every penny.
Trust & Security
Finally, in-house printing also offers a higher level of service and trust. For instance, in-house printing providers typically require clients to approve live PDF data proofs before printing, ensuring accuracy and alignment with client expectations. In-house teams are also equipped to provide guidance, offer eco-friendly options that align with company values, and handle confidential materials for highly regulated industries like healthcare and finance with the utmost care.
Overall, the direct relationship with in-house printing teams fosters better collaboration and a deeper understanding of client needs and enables the anticipation and proactive resolution of any potential issue prior to it happening, leading to a smoother process and higher-quality outcomes.
Final Thoughts
At Strata, managing our print production internally allows us to maintain strict quality control by checking each step of the process. This ensures every order, whether placed today or years later, keeps the same high-quality standard. Our experts immediately address and resolve any issues using our robust system to check each print throughout the job, ensuring superior and reliable quality.
Are you ready to consider in-house options for your printing needs to avoid inconsistent results and achieve reliable, high-quality printing? Contact us today to learn more.
Beyond the Letter
In today’s digital age, direct mail remains a powerful tool for marketers to reach their audience in a tangible and personal way. With a variety of formats available beyond the standard letter, choosing the right direct mail format can be overwhelming. We can help!
From Ancient Letters to Modern Marvels
With over 30 years of experience, we’ve seen it all, from the common to the uncommon. Direct mail has evolved from simple letters into innovative formats such as postcards, bifold/trifold self-mailers, and dimensional mail. These options empower marketers to enhance their campaigns, reduce costs (at times), capture recipients’ attention, and drive engagement and conversions.
Let’s dive into these direct mail formats and explore which might be the best bet for your marketing efforts.
Postcards: The Budget-Friendly and Highly Visible Marketing Tool
Let’s start with a fan favorite – the postcard. Postcards are a budget-friendly and efficient direct mail tool, offering lower production and postage costs than more complex formats, making them ideal for reaching any audience size. One of their standout advantages is their immediate visibility, as postcards don’t require opening, ensuring the recipient sees the message right away. This, combined with their concise format, allows recipients to quickly grasp the key points, making postcards the ideal option for delivering clear and direct messages.
However, postcards have limitations: their smaller size restricts information, and exposed content makes them unsuitable for sensitive messages and vulnerable to scuffing. To maximize impact, use eye-catching graphics, keep messages clear, and target your audience carefully. Even in the digital age, postcards offer a memorable touchpoint in the mail.
Bifold & Trifold Self-Mailers: The Compact and Versatile Format for Effective Communication
Building on the visibility of postcards, bifold and trifold self-mailers provide a compact yet spacious format. They offer more space for detailed information and multiple images and present a professional appearance, enhancing your message’s overall perception. These versatile formats are suitable for introductions, special offers, and more.
Despite their advantages, they may incur higher printing and postage costs than postcards and risk being disregarded if not designed carefully. To make the most of these mailers, create a visually appealing design, use the extra space effectively, and include a compelling reason for recipients to open and engage.
Dimensional Mail: The Attention-Grabber
Dimensional mailers take engagement to the next level with their 3D shapes, sizes, and textures. They stand out in the mailbox and often enhance the recipient’s view of your brand due to their perceived value. Features like pop-ups, foldouts, or hidden items create a memorable experience and encourage recipients to spend more time with the mailer.
However, dimensional mailers come with a few drawbacks: they are costly to produce and ship, and their design and production can be complex and time-consuming. To maximize impact, use dimensional mailers for high-value targets or special campaigns, ensure durability, and personalize content to boost engagement.
Uncommon Formats: The Creative and Eye-catching Options
Iron Cross
Iron cross mailers are known for their intricate fold-out design, which offers a large canvas for detailed information and visuals. Their interactive unfolding process engages recipients and enhances recall. However, the complexity of this format can lead to higher production costs and potential damage during transit. Careful design, durable materials, and special handling are crucial to maximize its impact.
Roll-Up Mailers
Roll-up mailers stand out due to their novelty and interactive experience. Like iron cross formats, recipients must unroll the mail piece, which can captivate their attention and increase engagement. Despite their appeal, roll-ups present production challenges and can be costly to produce. Additionally, they may require special handling or packaging, which can increase mailing costs. To ensure effectiveness, design the roll-up for easy handling and readability, use high-quality materials, and consider testing the format with a smaller audience before a full rollout.
Additional Options
For even more creative formats, consider options like pop-ups, sliders, and rotation-type mailers. These can create a dramatic “WOW” factor and leave a lasting impression. While these innovative formats can enhance branding and visibility, they often come with higher costs and production complexity, making them best suited for special campaigns.
What to Consider When Choosing Your Direct Mail Format
Choosing the right direct mail format depends on several factors, including your budget, the complexity of your message, the target audience, and the campaign’s objective. Here are some key considerations:
- Budget: Ensure that the cost of production and mailing fits within your budget. As noted, postcards are more cost-effective, while dimensional mailers are more expensive but offer a higher impact. Additionally, consider the cost of personalization and any special printing techniques you might want to employ. Bulk mail discounts and potential savings on postage should also be factored in.
- Message Complexity: If your message is simple and direct, a postcard might suffice. For more detailed information, consider bifold/trifold self-mailers or even more elaborate formats like the Iron Cross. The format should support the clarity and effectiveness of your message delivery.
- Audience: Tailor the format to your audience’s preferences and behaviors. High-value targets might appreciate the novelty of dimensional mailers, while a broader audience might respond well to postcards.
- Timing: Consider the timing of your campaign. Certain formats may take longer to produce and deliver. Plan ahead to ensure your direct mail reaches recipients at the optimal time for maximum impact. Seasonal factors and industry-specific timings, such as the fiscal year-end for business audiences, should also be considered.
- Campaign Objective: Align the format with your campaign’s goal. If brand recall is crucial, an interactive format like a roll-up might be ideal. For special offers, self-mailers could be more appropriate. Your format should facilitate the desired action, whether it’s visiting a website, redeeming a coupon, or attending an event.
Final Thoughts
The evolution of direct mail from simple letters to innovative formats like postcards, dimensional mail, and bifold/trifold self-mailers has transformed how marketers engage with audiences. Each format offers unique benefits, from the cost-effective visibility of postcards to the high-impact, tactile experience of dimensional mailers and the versatile design options of self-mailers. Choosing the right format can significantly enhance your campaign’s effectiveness, capture attention, and drive higher engagement and conversions. By leveraging these creative options, your brand can stand out in a crowded market and achieve better results.
Ready to take your marketing campaigns to the next level? Let us help you design and execute a campaign that captures attention and drives results. Contact the experts at Strata to get started today.
A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right Options
When it comes to performance-driven direct mail, understanding the nuances of postage is essential for success and optimized ROI. From marketing mail to first class postage and everything in between, there are numerous postage options to consider.
So, whether you’re a novice getting ready to launch your first direct mail campaign or seeking confirmation on your current choices, this blog will help demystify the various types of postage and enhance your postage savings and optimization.
Defining the Different Types of Postage
When it comes to direct mail, there are two main postage types that require consideration: marketing mail and first-class mail.
Marketing mail is commonly used for bulk mailings of advertising materials, giving businesses and organizations a way to send non-urgent, promotional, and informational materials to a large audience at discounted rates.
With that in mind, it’s important to remember that marketing mail consists of two primary types: non-profit mail and standard mail. Non-profit mail is used by organizations holding tax-exempt status like charities, religious groups, and educational institutions, aiming to raise awareness, garner support, or advocate for a cause. In contrast, standard marketing mail refers to promotional material sent by other businesses to potential customers, often highlighting products, services, or special offers to drive sales and foster brand loyalty.
First-class mail, on the other hand, offers expedited delivery for letters and postcards, with a discounted option called presort first-class that streamlines processing by bundling first-class mail by zip code, ensuring prompt delivery without compromising on quality.
Understanding Timelines and Strategies
Understanding timelines and predicting in-home dates is crucial for direct mail campaigns. For example, if you’re sending postcards with coupons or letters with urgent announcements, opting for first-class postage ensures prompt delivery, capturing your audience’s attention when it matters most.
General timelines to keep in mind when selecting postage types include:
- Standard Marketing Mail: 5-14 business days
- Non-Profit Marketing Mail: up to 20 business days
- First Class Mail (including presort first class): 3-5 business days
However, it’s important to remember that packages take priority over letters, especially during peak seasons, where ideal in-home dates significantly affect campaign effectiveness. As a rule of thumb, starting November 1st, switching to first-class postage is advisable to ensure timely delivery, while tax season represents another busy period requiring careful consideration of postage options.
Postage Pricing Considerations
While direct mail is a powerful marketing tool, we know postage costs can be substantial. Selecting the correct postage and working with a direct mail partner that uses proven strategies like saturation, trucking, and co-mingling to lower postage costs are imperative, regardless of your marketing budget size.
Standard marketing mail typically costs $0.41 per piece for letters (prior to potential discounts), with non-profit organizations potentially benefiting from rates as low as $0.23 per piece (prior to potential discounts), provided they have a corresponding classification number registered with the post office.
In the realm of first-class mail, various postage options entail different pricing structures. Presort first class typically costs $0.62 per piece, but to qualify for this discounted rate, all print components such as mailing addresses and barcodes must be properly printed on the piece. Mail pieces using meter postage, which involves printing and timestamping the postage using a postage meter, incur a cost of $0.69 per piece. Conversely, first class mail with a stamp or indicia—a printed marking indicating prepaid postage—costs $0.73 per piece.
Finally, first-class postcards that are 6”x9” or smaller mail at a lower rate of $0.41 per piece, making it a cost-effective, yet still impactful alternative.
Important Requirements to Keep in Mind
Each type of mail carries specific guidelines for postage requirements.
To qualify for marketing mail postage rates, USPS mandates a minimum of 200 pieces, though aiming for 250 allows for addressing inaccuracies and duplicates. Additionally, each piece can weigh up to three ounces before added postage fees are incurred.
For non-profit organizations, obtaining non-profit postage pricing needs registration and acquisition of a corresponding classification code from the postal service.
Finally, first-class presort pricing requires a minimum of 500 pieces, although we recommend 550 to accommodate inaccuracies, with each piece allowed to weigh up to three and a half ounces before incurring added fees.
Final Thoughts
Mastering the art of postage and cost-saving strategies can make or break your direct mail campaigns. By understanding the nuances of each postage choice and collaborating with direct mail experts like Strata to implement strategic approaches to timing and cost management, you can unlock the full potential of your campaigns and achieve impactful, performance-driven results.
Looking to strategize your next direct mail campaign and select postage options that work best with your goals? Contact us today to connect with an expert.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
You may or may not have heard about the recent postage update from USPS. If you haven’t, we’ll fill you in. The new maximum size for mailing First-Class mail postcards has increased from 4 ¼” x 6” to 6” x 9”. This means you can now send postcards as large as 6” x 9” at the postcard rate of $0.40. But – before you get excited, let’s dig a little deeper into this. As experts in the mailing industry, we’ll help you decide whether or not you should be taking advantage of this change, or if you should continue business as usual.
The USPS Update: The Facts
You may or may not have heard about the recent postage update from USPS. If you haven’t, we’ll fill you in. The new maximum size for mailing first-class postcards has increased from 4 ¼” x 6” to 6” x 9”. This means you can now send postcards as large as 6” x 9” at the first-class postcard rate of $0.40, 30% less than before the change! But – before you get excited, let’s dig a little deeper into this. As experts in the mailing industry, we’ll help you decide whether or not you should be taking advantage of this change, or if you should continue business as usual.
The $0.40 per postcard price is the price you pay for simply dropping a card in the mail (no sorting necessary). However, if your quantity of cards exceeds 500, you’ll save more if you sort your cards. Why? Because the post office gives you a discount for doing some of the work for them. For first-class presort, you’ll pay between $0.30 and $0.35 per postcard, depending on how your mail sorts. The higher the density, the lower the price.
You sort standard-class (bulk) mail the same way you sort first-class mail – and if you do, the cost for the same 6” x 9” postcard will run between $0.245 and $0.31. Again, the cost heavily depends on the density of your distribution. For instance, if you’re sending 500 postcards to one neighborhood, it will cost less than sending 500 postcards to several different areas around the country.
Sorting your mailings and sending them standard-class will save you an additional 15% over the comparable first-class rate, a substantial amount for any large mailing.
So, what does this all really mean for you, and what is the best choice for your mailing?
The Perks & Problems of First-Class Mailing
So, here’s the “perks” of first-class mailing. With first-class, you can send impactful postcard mailings at an affordable price – to anywhere. There’s no 500-piece minimum, and there’s a 30% discount on regular first-class mail. You’ll know exactly what your postage rate is going to be at – $0.40 each.
Quantities larger than 500 can be sorted and will likely get to your regional audience faster than they would with standard-class mail. You’ll pay roughly a 15% premium over the cost of standard mail to do so.
With that said, the post office has yet to fully recover from issues related to the pandemic. Although we’re hopeful this will change over time and that it will return to its prior state, the possibilities are always in flux. Without knowing when things will return to “normal”, it’s hard to depend on mailing delivery times. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve experienced delivery time issues with first-class mail. For this reason, we’re recommending a “wait and see” approach with the post office as it applies to estimating delivery dates.
Counter intuitively, for a company whose in-home date is important – the idea of first-class can be a bit of a trap, and even more so with pre-sorted first-class. The post office will often handle it in the same way as pre-sort standard-class. If in-home dates are important to your campaign and your mailing is large, then there are better ways to get more predictable in-home delivery and save money.
Our Alternative
Since we’ve found some pitfalls in this new update – we’d like to share a little about Strata’s tools and tactics. For large mailings, we’re able to use standard-class mail and predict the delivery date plus or minus one day, in most cases. How? After years of experience, we’ve come to use alternative methods and have taken out several variables. These methods are not allowed by the USPS for first-class mail – only for standard-class mail. Therefore, most of our customers are better off sticking to standard.
We don’t see us ever recommending this new program for large mailings. Standard mail will always cost at least 15% less, allows you to send many mail formats including even larger than 6” x 9” sized postcards for the same postage, and provides in-home date that will always be more predictable when using our methods.
Conclusion
If you’re a local company and want to send out mailings in your region or have quantities of less than 500 – this sizing and pricing update is something you may want to take advantage of.
If your in-home dates are somewhat less critical and you’re mailing regionally, then you may be able to get faster service at a somewhat higher postal rate and, again, may want to try this program.
If you have non-critical in-home dates and your mailings are at quantities of more than 500, standard-class is always going to be less expensive, and you won’t see much difference in delivery times.
For large mailings, first-class is less predictable and more expensive than optimized standard mail. Strata has standard down to a science for these bigger quantities. In all cases, standard service will still save you at least 15% and will provide you the option to send even larger cards and mail formats at the same rate.
Consider this guidance when you’re thinking about taking advantage of this update in USPS services and deciding if it’s right for you.
Interested in working with Strata to ensure your mailers get in-home when you expect them to? Give us a call.