Top 10 Direct Mail Mistakes

There are so many facets and nuances to creating an effective direct mail campaign.  I thought I’d take a few minutes to provide a list of the top ten direct mail mistakes I frequently see in mailings I receive.  Here we go…

1.  Using a bad mailing list – Marketers should focus on quality not quantity when it comes to mailing lists.  Work with your list provider or printer to scrub your list to ensure it’s targeted and clean.  Run it through the National Change of Address (NCOA) and remove addresses that are not valid.  With the high cost of postage these days, don’t mail pieces that won’t make it to a targeted recipient.

2.  Not taking advantage of postage discounts – If you’re mailing in bulk, work with your printer or post office to ensure you’re getting the best per piece postage rate.  Your file can be sorted to meet postal requirements for special discounts.  As an alternative, your mail pieces can be delivered to bulk mail centers (BMCs) or other postal facilities rather than your local post office to help you take advantage of additional postage discounts.  Explore your options and choose the postage discount plan that works best for your mailing.  The U.S. Post Office website provides a lot of information about direct mail and postage discounts. [Read more]