Blog
September 27th, 2010
Many printers are already working with local mailshops
to provide mailing services to their clients without
starting up an in-house facility. A strategic alliance with
an experienced mail service provider minimizes a printer’s
investment (and risk) when moving into the mailing end
of the business.
It makes good fiscal sense to keep as much capital on
hand as possible these days so you can finance your own
company during the down periods of the business cycle.
When the business cycle is high you and your mailing
partner both benefit by spending your time servicing
your clients by doing what you both do best – and in the
most effective way. And the mailshop’s expertise can
help a printer solidify client relationships and grow revenue.
Printers can offer mailing services to customers without:
- Spending money for the purchase of additional equipment
- The cost to hire and train new employees
- Paying the high cost of mistakes made by not knowing the postal regulations
- Transporting the mail to the post office – no use of your resources or your time
A good mailing partner can keep your costs at a minimum
and maximize your profit at the same time. You don’t
have to pay for equipment or manage the staff or find
work for them in a slow period. You can still position your
business to be full service and be as competitive as your
competitors.
Their state of the art software is designed to process
your client’s data and clean up the duplicates and update
the addresses so your client only mails to addresses that
are deliverable. They can also process your client’s mailing
lists ahead of time so you have a real time quantity to
print from which saves your clients money. And, anytime
you can save your clients money, they are happier clients.
A reputable mailshop is prepared to help you with:
- The IMB (Intelligent Mail Barcode) and how it affects your mail
- The numerous tabbing change requirements
- New mail design size requirements for optimal postal discounts
- Mail piece design changes that can reduce postage
A good mailshop knows the current and upcoming postal
regulations and offers you and your customer a seamless
transition from print to mail. The relationship between
the mailshop and the post office allows your mailing to
flow more smoothly through the postal system and expedites
the process for you. You can spend that extra time doing
what you do best — selling more print!
Our local area boasts many shops already providing outstanding
mail service operations to printer, graphic artists, agencies
and other businesses. There are many advantages to
working with a professional mailshop because their focus
is on the mail and not the print. Today’s postal regulations
are very complicated and a mailing professional
in this marketplace needs to be top notch and a
leader in their field. A good mailshop provides that
expertise and will review your mail design and make sure
it is in postal compliance so it mails at optimal postal discounts.
If you take into consideration all of the costs associated
with staging your own mail services, the endless possibilities
of costly errors and the up and down economy it makes
sense to consider aligning your print business with a strong
mailing partner.
If you would like to find a reputable mailshop that will
make the transition easy and profitable for you ask for
some referrals from business colleagues, clients or friends.
You can also join local associations like the Baltimore
Postal Customer Council and the Mailing & Fulfillment
Association to learn more about mail and the businesses
that provide the service.
Judith Antisdel, President Anne-Tisdale Direct
Executive Board Member, Baltimore Postal Customer Council
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
September 27th, 2010
As you know the New Move Update policy has been in
effect for some time. All mailers were required to use
the NCOA (National Change of Address) update every
95 days or an ancillary endorsement line for mail to be
returned and updated.
The purpose of this blog is not to define the methods
but to make mailers and vendors aware of the choices
they have in preparing their mail for updating. You can
choose to use the 18-month NCOA file or the 48-month
NCOA file. At this time the USPS does not endorse one
choice vs the other. Both have benefits and limits depending
on the option that you choose.
There are similarities in cost and file preparation among
the NCOA vendors but most have a preferred file layout.
I urge you to check with your vendor and prepare your
file exactly as requested or you may truncate states and
addresses and compromise your data. I also suggest that
you request the NCOA file to be sent to you for review
before your mail is processed. It is better to do some
quality control on your end so that your mail is addressed
properly and reaches its destination.
Costs are based on how many months you go back to
check your data against the postal service records. The
48-month NCOA is more costly because it passes over
so many more records. If you update your files frequently
then it may be safe to use the 18-month NCOA and keep
your costs down. Remember, you only need to process
your list in a 95-day period if you plan on mailing it. And
once it’s done you can use the list for any rate of mail in
that 95-day period.
For clients that have multiple files I suggest that you
code them for the purpose of separating them after the
NCOA and batch as many files together to save cost.
A vendor will charge you a per thousand rate or a flat
rate, so choose wisely. If you can get a flat rate it will save
you quite a bit of money in the long run.
HIPPA laws bind some organizations and due to the nature
of their data they cannot send internal files through such
a process. I urge you to check with your legal department
if you are unsure of what you can or can’t do. You can
contact Nathan.orr@usps.gov, 1-877-640-0724,
Extension 4664 if you need to update your files in a different
manner.
Should you choose to use one of the Return Service
endorsements instead of the NCOA you will have to pay
for all of your returns and update your list on the back
end. This will cost you more money and time then the
NCOA. Keep in mind that the NCOA or the use of an
endorsement line will not completely update your files.
The USPS does not keep the change of address records
forever and about 1 in 11 family’s move within a given
year so there will always be returns. However, the NCOA
process will cut returns, save you money, and make sure
that your business or consumer critical mail reaches its
destination on time.
Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments »
September 27th, 2010
I was starting a new position on Monday the 20th …
Would I like the atmosphere? Would I fill expectations?
Would I fit in? All of these questions and more were
skipping through my brain … I have no past experience
working with Direct Mail – so this is a whole new universe
to me. Hopefully, the universe will be just as friendly
and open as the people are. (One question answered!)
As far as filling expectations, well I assume only time
will tell this tale, but I am hoping to exceed the
expectations of me. (Just the way I am.) And … the
atmosphere -it’s phenomenal – quite relaxed with a
casual dress code and just an overall ‘easygoing’ feel.
And … I think I fit in! 
Direct Mail is certainly not something that I’ll learn
overnight, that’s pretty plain. However, with the help
of the indiscriminate owner, the staff and a few select
direct mail workshop-in-a-box tutorials and power
point presentations, I have a darn good start. With 25
years of experience under their belts, they have proven
to be great teachers.
I was hired to be an Account Executive in Sales. Of
course, one could not just run out into the public and
start jibbering about something they know absolutely
nothing about – so the training and PP presentations
are all serving the greater good! I have found that I
am examining my own mail now (something which
2 weeks ago – I would have thought completely crazy
to do!) This is definitely an interesting business. Now
will I be blurting out the differences between different
mailings, costs associated with non-profit and for-profit
pieces, quoting estimates – all very soon? Time will tell
the tale on this one, also – but I hope so! I learn by doing
so, as direct mail’s busiest time is just around the corner
I should be a little more acquainted with things once we’re
into this upcoming frenzy! 
Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments »
« Older Entries || Newer Entries »
