As direct marketers, or really anyone who uses the United States Postal Service, it seems like every time we turn around we are faced with yet another postage increase. For the average consumer this is mostly just an inconvenience, but to organizations that utilize direct mail to reach their audience, postal increases can be a huge burden. While we cannot control the USPS or prevent the increases, by being smarter about direct mail, we can offset some of the cost. Here are five ways to do it.
- Eliminate duplicates from your mailing list.
This many sound like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how easily duplicates end up in your list.
- Update your list with NCOA and CASS.
At least every six months, you should run your list through National Change of Address (NCOA) and Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS). Undeliverable mail is a cost with no potential response from your audience!
- Reduce the weight of your paper stock.
When mailing high volumes, you can enjoy quite a savings in postage by reducing the weight of the stock you use. As long as it does not take away from the creative message, this is a smart move.
- Co-mingle when possible.
Your mailing alone may not be large enough to qualify for volume postal discounts, but when you allow us to combine it with other mailings you can enjoy greater savings on postage.
- Target your mail.
By carefully selecting your target by demographics or psychographics you can decrease your mailing costs while simultaneously increasing the effectiveness of your campaign.
Did you know FORMost has been in the direct mail business for 30 years? Call us to learn how we can help you save money on your next mailing.
FORMost Graphic Communications
301-424-4242