Types of Direct Mail Fulfilment

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A direct marketing campaign is a type of advertisement campaign that doesn’t make use of the usual media such as television, radio and billboards. Instead, they give the advertisement materials directly to the customer, such as fliers and giveaways. The most common type of this is the direct mail type of advertisement. This is when businesses send paper mail to all possible customers in a certain postal area, or through the use of a mailing list. Included in paper mail are things like circulars, catalogues, pre-approved credit card applications, and even trial CDs.

When hiring a company to do your direct mail service for you, you need to take note of the kind of direct mail fulfilment that they are willing to provide. Here is a list of the more common kinds that are being offered by most direct mail service companies:

·         Mailing – this is the obvious direct mail fulfilment. All companies offer this, because what kind of direct mail service company doesn’t offer mailing services? The difference, then, is in the pricing list that they have. Their prices usually depend on the rates of the postal service in the area, upon which they add a small fee for their services. Check on your local postal rate, and compare and contrast the different prices that are offered by each company you check out.

·         Mailing list – this is also a common feature that direct mail companies offer. They work with data providers to tailor a list that is specific to what your company needs.

·         List certification – also a common feature being offered, this will ensure that the addresses that are on the mailing list are actually fully deliverable addresses.

·         Planning and strategy services – if your company does not have the resources to be able to strategize your advertising campaign, this direct mail fulfilment being offered will take care of that for you. The problem is, only very few companies offer this, so if this is a service that you need, you may need to look a little further.

·         Digital or offset printing – the type of printing that you will need to be done will also depend on the quantity of the products that you need made. Offset printing uses plates, while digital printing prints directly from the digital file. Offset printing is better for larger orders because the cost of the order becomes lower with the more pieces you have made. Digital printing is best for smaller orders and for when you need something digitally enhanced. There is also such a thing as variable data printing, which allows text and images to be interchanged between copies. VDP is not very commonly offered, though, and is quite expensive; so think clearly whether you need this kind of direct mail fulfilment or not.

·         Folding and finishing – this is especially useful for those who are mailing things that have multiple pages. Hiring a company who has this when you need it can save you a lot of time and effort. Also inquire as to the kind of “finishing” that they actually offer. 

When it comes to direct mail fulfilment, you should get companies that give you only the best quality products. When the research is done correctly, you will end up with a direct mail company that is perfect for you and your business.