The DMA’s Annual Event, &THEN is set for next week. Boston will be full of direct marketers from all industries who are ready to connect and learn next-generation techniques. Will we see you there? You won’t want to miss: THE HUB featuring exhibitors and TED-style talks. INSPIRATION ZONE which will deliver multimedia business topics by[...]
The availability of real-time big data has led to some amazingly-useful products. Personally, my favorite is the map on my smart phone that shows how far up the highway the traffic jam I’m sitting in extends. By tracking how fast the cars ahead of me are moving in real time, the app on my phone[...]
Two weeks ago, I tried to send an important letter for overnight delivery at my local post office. Imagine my surprise when I was told that “overnight delivery” would get there in two days. What is going on? It turns out that the U.S. Postal Service has downgraded their delivery standards not once, but twice[...]
You may have been one of the many mailers who breathed a sigh of relief when the USPS postponed their requirement that full-service intelligent barcodes be used on all mail pieces, trays, sacks and container placards by January, 2014 in order to qualify for automation rates. But even though full-service is not currently required, the[...]
Despite commingling’s widespread use by commercial mailers, there are still a lot of misperceptions about this money-saving technique. Here are four of the most common myths about commingling mail: You have to pay inbound freight to get your mailing to the commingling company MailSmart Logistics, like most other comminglers, will pick up your mailing at[...]
Are more clients asking you to submit a competitive bid for a job before they choose who to award it to? Requesting competitive bids is one technique companies use to stretch their tight direct mail dollars. The challenge with competitive bidding is to price your job low enough to get the job while still maintaining[...]
You are undoubtedly aware of the substantial savings available by sending your direct mail “standard rate” (what used to be called “bulk rate”) instead of first class. But this is just a portion of the postal cost savings you can achieve through postal logistics. Through their work share program, the USPS will reduce what they[...]
Mailing bills and statements to American households represents a significant portion of many mail houses’ business. With consumers getting increasingly comfortable online, you may be worried that this part of your business is going to rapidly decline. Fortunately, it does not appear that this so-called “transactions mail” is going to disappear anytime soon. A recent[...]
If you want to substantially reduce your postage costs on a large mailing, you should consider sending it standard mail, which is the Post Office’s term for “bulk mail”. Using standard mail will save a for-profit business at least 38% off of first-class postage rates, and savings of up to 55% are possible if you[...]
Loyal customers are the bread and butter of most small businesses, and this may be particularly true for mail service providers. Rather than spending all of your sales time chasing new clients, you may find that increasing your focus on customer retention pays off for your business. Not only do loyal customers tend to purchase[...]