Best Direct Mail Printing Companies: Here’s What Your Brand Should Look For

In the direct mail printing world, you need an experienced provider—the kind that helps you get your marketing campaigns off the presses and into mailboxes as quickly as possible. Are you ready to increase your marketing response rates and ROI? Here are five things to look for from the best direct mail printing companies.

 

1. Latest Tech: Direct Mail Printing in a State-of-the-Art Production Facility

 

No modern-day direct mail campaign will reach its ultimate level of success without the latest technology. The best direct mail printing companies feature the latest and greatest printing processes, plus high-speed inserting and bindery equipment to make sure you’re brand is delivering the best looking, most strategically crafted campaigns anywhere. This begins with having the right facility to make it happen. But it also involves having the right team of professionals who know how to get the most from that equipment.

 

MSP provides both: direct mail marketing services with cutting-edge machinery in a 160,000-foot facility full of well-trained staff to get your campaigns printed accurately and efficiently. We offer the latest equipment, allowing us to produce millions of direct mail pieces for our clients every day. Here’s a sampling:

 

• Truepress Jet520ZZ – This continuous inkjet press is one of the industry’s fastest printers and produces some of the most beautiful direct mail pieces you’ll find anywhere.
• W+D 410 Easy Enveloper (410EE) – Our new envelope press achieves a more consistent color match for your direct mail letters and envelopes. No more outsourcing envelopes.
• Condor 4-color Inkjet Heads – providing colorful, variable imagery on envelopes, unique to the recipient, driven by barcodes.

 

Furthermore, we offer a second location where we recently added a continuous color digital inkjet press—the Truepress Jet520NX. This dual-facility arrangement not only allows us to produce more direct mail campaigns for more clients but also provides a sense of security. If you’d like to schedule an in-person or video tour at either site, contact us to set up a time that’s best for you.

 

High-Volume Direct Mail Campaigns? No Worries

 

It doesn’t matter whether you have a 1,000-piece mailing or 10,000,000 or more direct mail pieces to send, you need a partner that can handle any quantity without flinching. You may have a broad-reaching campaign intended for your entire mailing list—or a highly targeted secondary campaign that only ships to 10% of that list. Regardless of size, you want the same level of confidence that both campaigns will receive equal, high-priority treatment.

 

Postal Logistics Equals Deep Postal Discounts

 

One of the first things to come to mind when we think about mail services is how to ship the campaign. That’s where the best direct mail printing companies can help you achieve considerable postal discounts via Presorting, Commingling, Co-Palletization, and Consolidation. Let’s examine the differences between these:

 

• Presorting. When your mail is already sorted, you’ve saved some work for the USPS. That means you’ll save money. But you have to group every piece of mail by zip code. The best action is to let your direct mail provider deal with the sorting.
• Commingling. When you combine your direct mail campaign with other businesses (sorted by zip codes) you get an even deeper discount than presorting. How does it work? Simple. All the mail is bundled into trays according to a zip code group, regardless of who’s sending it. This is a big win for businesses that want to stay under budget on their mailings.
• Co-Palletization. This method, aka CoPAL, goes deeper than commingling. Instead of sharing individual pieces of mail on a tray, you’re distributing trays of mail on a pallet. This means fuller pallets of mail and even less work for the USPS. Thus, an even deeper discount.
• Consolidated. Lastly, consolidated mail is the process of combining entire pallets of mail with other businesses for the deepest possible discounts.

 

If you have questions about what method will work best for your brand’s campaigns, contact an MSP representative to talk about your goals.

 

MSP’s In-House Mail Services Get Your Campaigns to Your Customers Quickly

 

MSP’s mail services get your campaigns to your customers quickly. We accomplish this by verifying important mailing data in-house. Plus, our delivery system allows you to skip postal sorting. Our postage/freight feasibility report determines the lowest rates while meeting your delivery requirements. MSP employs educated staff who excel in all these phases of postal regulations and logistics so we can surpass our customers’ expectations. Ask us which methods are best for your direct mail campaigns.

 

2. Tracking Capabilities from a Direct Mail Management System

 

If you’ve been using direct mail as part of your marketing strategy, you know it can be difficult and time-consuming to manage your campaigns. What if there were a way to simplify the entire process while gathering details about every touchpoint in your direct mail journey? What if you could make the editing and approval of each campaign easier? Do you want to track the mailer from the production floor until it’s out the door? It pays (literally) to be able to analyze how each campaign performed at each of these steps. That’s why we developed a revolutionary new software program called Direct Mail Panorama. Let’s have a look.

 

 

Direct Mail Panorama

 

You know it’s difficult to organize high-volume direct mail campaigns. You’re tracking changes, managing spreadsheets, dealing with last-minute changes, and looking at a ton of emails. If this age-old process sounds familiar to you, the solution to your direct mail dilemma is Direct Mail Panorama. This groundbreaking platform gives you more control and a better understanding of all your direct mail activities. Plus, it’s where direct mail fulfillment services really shine—and only one company offers it: MSP.

 

• Easy editing and approvals. Track each campaign from production to delivery with increased transparency and accountability, including an audit trail that monitors the changes.
• Detailed reports. Track and analyze the mailing process from production to delivery, including a real-time look at postal delivery performance. Plus, you can determine your cost per piece for each campaign.
• Call center support. Direct Mail Lookup is a revolutionary feature for customer support staff when they take calls regarding mailed offers. You can see each piece of mail and find its delivery date.

 

Direct Mail Panorama also provides tracking and reporting across multiple marketing channels. Plus you can view, track, and share your reports on every piece of collateral in your automated marketing campaigns. You’ll understand your customer’s journey at every touchpoint.

 

3. Fast Production via Direct Mail Timing and Speed to Market Techniques

 

Have you considered what sets apart your brand from other similar brands? Naturally, it could be a wide variety of factors depending on your industry, but let’s say all things are equal and you get your marketing message out to consumers before your competitors. Wouldn’t that put you at an advantage? Studies show it does. The difference in sales between Brand A and Brand B could be determined by which offer arrives in mailboxes first. For marketers, it’s known as a “first-mover advantage,” or the competitive influence gained by occupying a market segment first. The same concept applies to direct mail printing.

 

You want to get your direct mail campaigns out quickly. In fact, the sooner the better. So the best direct mail printing companies are on point to help get your campaigns prepped and delivered quickly. Direct mail timing and speed to market can be the difference makers between a successful campaign and one that falls flat.

 

Here’s When You Should Send Your Marketing Campaigns

 

Speed to market is key, but so is direct mail timing. Your campaigns can arrive quickly, but if they arrive at the wrong times, your perceived advantage falls flat. Here are some of the times that determine how well your campaigns perform.

 

• Day of the week. There are three best days for your direct mail campaign to arrive in consumer mailboxes: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These mid-week targets will give your brand the best opportunity for opens, reads, and responses.
• Seasonal. Your industry probably has some seasons that are busier than others. You should use those times to strategically send your direct mail campaigns. For example, if you’re selling lawnmowers, consumers will naturally have more of an interest in the springtime. That’s when they start thinking about how they’re going to take care of their yard for the summer.
• Special events. Holidays and birthdays are a smart time to send a direct mail campaign. Consumers are making more trips to their mailboxes in search of packages and cards during these times. As a result, you’re boosting your chances of getting your campaign opened and read.
• Follow the Buyer’s Journey. Think about this: Where are your recipients are in the Buyer’s Journey? What stage are they in? Awareness, consideration, decision, or post-decision? Strategically plan personalized, automated direct mail messages to match each one.

 

Direct mail experts know the print marketing subtleties that lead to successful campaigns. Trust their experience. After all, sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference between direct mail success and failure.

 

4. Variable Data Printing: Personalization Protocols and Automation Answers

 

When you select the right audience to receive your marketing message, you’re well on your way to a successful direct mail campaign. To improve your response rates and ROI even further, make sure you’re giving them the right message at the right time. A trusted mail services provider can help you sync up every element of your direct mail strategy using variable data printing, aka VDP. This allows you to better define your target market, thus speaking to each customer individually. And that’s a powerful marketing strategy.

 

In fact, 80% of consumers say that personalization increases the odds that they’ll buy something from you. And almost all marketers admit it advances customer relationships. So what are some of the ways you can target consumers for better results? Let’s look at a few of the most popular personalization methods.

 

Demographics

 

Almost one-quarter of consumers claim the direct mail marketing they receive isn’t relevant to their needs. They consider it (gasp) junk mail. Don’t get caught up in this “one-size-fits-all” strategy. It doesn’t. One way to appeal to your recipients is to examine your audience’s demographics. It’s a pretty basic form of targeting, but it works. For example, there are five primary demographics you could focus on to improve your direct mail results.

 

1. Age. How old is your target audience? Let’s say you’re creating a campaign for millennials. First of all, it’s encouraging to know that more than 90% of them are influenced to buy something via direct mail. But research also shows that your brand will be more successful with this audience if you give them a meaningful reason to become a customer—a purpose behind the product.
2. Gender. Successful gender marketing doesn’t focus on stereotypes as much as practicality. Make sure your marketing message is clear. Modern-day marketers are aware that consumers live more diverse lives than in the past. As a result, they don’t necessarily subscribe to traditional gender roles.
3. Occupation. If you’re targeting a consumer’s occupation, you’ll likely focus on how much money they make. For example, your automotive brand wouldn’t create a luxury car campaign directed at short-order cooks. Rather, you’d approach doctors, pilots, and CEOs.
4. Cultural background. What is the race, religion, and/or nationality of your target audience? At the very least, be sensitive to your audience and aware of local cultural nuances.
5. Family status. Marital status and life stages are all considerations when targeting family status with your marketing message.

 

Marketing Psychographics

 

If you want to take demographics to “the next level,” consider using marketing psychographics. It’s here where you can look at a customer’s buying habits, lifestyle, personal values, interests/hobbies, etc. Ask yourself what kind of person you’re targeting. Find out where they’re from and what’s important to them? What social groups do they belong to? The more you know about a person, the better you can meet their needs as a customer.

 

Geographic Data

 

If you’re operating a business with multiple locations, the geographic data you collect is especially important. Welcome to the world of local marketing. Your personalization and automation techniques can now focus on where consumers live. For example, you can offer special products or services plus a local contact source that’s based on each customer’s geographic location. So if you’re marketing an auto insurance brand, you could feature the address that’s closest to each recipient as well as contact information for their local agent. VDP adjusts the local elements on the fly and keeps the printing process moving. You really can have personalization without any drawbacks.

 

QR Codes and PURLs

 

Don’t feel that you have to decide between direct mail and digital marketing strategies. They work well together. In fact, when you take this kind of multichannel marketing approach by combining your brand’s print and digital efforts, there’s a good chance you’ll see at least a 20% increase in ROI vs. using direct mail by itself. That makes multichannel marketing you’re go-to strategy.

 

The best direct mail printing companies bring these two worlds together with QR codes and personalized URLs, aka PURLs. No matter what industry you’re repping, you can connect your direct mail campaigns with a digital component via QR codes or PURLs that are personalized for each customer. PURLs look the part because the personalization is obvious: the customer’s name is in the URL. This makes it appear as though they have some brand ownership. It’s a particularly effective strategy. The downside is that each customer has to manually type in the URL. Another more popular option is to include a QR code that takes each recipient to a personalized landing page when they scan it with their smartphone. You can choose to use one or both of these methods. QR codes and PURLs are marketing shortcuts that increase interest and trust in your brand.

 

5. Elite Client Support: The Best Direct Mail Printing Companies Provide the Best Customer Service

 

The best direct mail printing companies will consider you their top priority. That means they’re available 24/7 to work on your campaigns and answer any questions and concerns that affect your direct mail marketing strategy. MSP provides a willing and educated team that’s committed to helping you around the clock. Each MSP client has its own dedicated support staff leader to attend to your brand’s needs. This helps us build relationships with our clients. Sure, we create top-quality print collateral, but we also provide the best customer service.

 

We pledge to treat you like our most important customer. It’s how direct mail leaders set themselves apart from their competitors. Our clients trust us and we don’t disappoint them. Major national brands put their faith in us and we’ll put our experience to work for you, too.

 

The Best Direct Mail Printing Companies: Check Out MSP’s Direct Mail Solutions

 

Direct mail marketing is already a booming business, but the best direct mail printing companies make it even better. All you have to do is take advantage of the opportunity direct mail presents. Whatever your goal—whether it’s growing your customer list, engaging clients, or raising funds (among others)—it begins by finding the specific solution for your brand’s needs. It’s estimated that direct mail will reach over $10 billion in revenue by 2024, so plan to include it as part of your marketing strategy.

 

We can help. You can begin the process by contacting an MSP representative today.