One, you need a company that gets good data. If you don’t have good data, your whole campaign is pretty much just a waste of money. A good rule of thumb is: the better the data the better the results!

Second, you need a company that is reliable. Direct mail isn’t the cheapest form of advertising, so you don’t want to get ripped off. Look for companies that let you create your own account , give you a copy of the data that they used for the mailer and can show you proof that the mailer was delivered by the United States Postal Service. This is important!

Thridly, when looking for direct mail services, you should compare value. What are other companies charging? Are they advertising the cost of the mailer with data or just the mailer? Is this with standard postage or express postage? What kind of data are they using for this price? Also, some direct mail companies will give you free software when you use them. This software, lead management software, will allow you to keep track of all your call ins. It will also allow you to input your leads unique reference number, which will then pull up the potential clients information. This makes your company look more professional and helps you close more deals. You can also take notes, which will help you and your employees close more deals.

Finally, you need a company that knows what they are doing! Practice makes perfect… If they have been around awhile they will probably know exactly the right data and filters to set for optimum results. The best way to find this out is to call them and ask them questions. If someone does not know what they are talking about, it’s pretty easy to tell right off the bat.

Direct Mailing Services

Direct mailing services is the heart and backbone of cactus mailing. Packaged as a one-stop-shop service, it is the most cost efficient mode of marketing service. Direct mailing is a marketing strategy used by companies to expand their market reach and tap potential customers. By directly reaching target consumers, mailers can equate to an increase in product awareness and subsequently boosting sales of products and services.

Direct mailing services or cactus mailing can include the following:

1. CASS Certification – format standardization of the mailing list to comply with U.S. postal regulations

2. Delivery Point Validation – checking of each mailing address against the U.S. Postal Service database to determine validity as a United States address

3. PAVE Presorting – using a USPS-approved software, each mailing list is sorted and organized to facilitate the most favorable mode of delivery resulting to increased company savings

4. Addressing – addresses and postal barcode are expertly-printed on each mailer, maintaining the company identity and image

5. Tabbing (for Brochures) – brochures with see-through stick tabs ensure privacy and security without compromising design and information

6. Delivery – all mailing services are arranged, packed up and distributed to the Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit of the U.S. Post Office

7. 3602 Statement – upon receipt and acceptance at the Post Office, clients are supplied with the confirmed date of mailing and amount of postage paid

It’s all about savings

By using direct mail services, companies are freed from doing the extra work of sorting lists, verifying addresses, packaging and delivering mailers. Professional direct mailing service companies have expert knowledge about bulk mail requirements that can even translate to postage discounts which means added savings for the company.

Even with the modern technology today, direct mailing services continues to be one the most effective marketing tools available given the attraction of consumers to graphic design and art plus the need for some time out from the stresses of everyday life. Direct mailers can become conversation pieces at home and at work, providing some temporary escape from the hustle and bustle of life, much like reading a book or a newspaper.

Target market

The use of direct mailing services can be the best vehicle for a product or service promotion. With bulk delivery, there is the assurance that the target market is tapped thereby providing more mileage for the product or service. Direct mailing services are also considered as passive promotion techniques since it has the effect of subtlety in convincing consumers to try a product or service. Much like a Houdini-effect, direct mailers have the power to hypnotize people towards strategic consumer behaviour.

Cactus mailing or direct mailing services provide companies with the following benefits:

1. Freedom from listing, sorting and disorganized delivery

2. Bulk mail acceptance at USPS offers postage discounts

3. Verified mailing addresses avoid additional postage costs due to non-existing addresses

4. Zero in on potential market

A picture worth a thousand words

The reason why people all over the world patronize magazines of all types is that humans are basically visual in nature. People are affected emotionally, physically and mentally by what they see. Knowing this fact, most companies use this information in creating effective marketing strategies to promote their products and services. Technology advancements have made sales strategies even more cutthroat and challenging.

Pictures and graphics are certainly more effective in depicting emotion and feeling than mere words or sentences. The creative medley of arts and text can warm hearts, intensify needs, cool the madness and fuel passions. A half- page of art can cross myriads of emotions more than a thousand words on a sheet of paper can. Much like how the scent of perfume can fill a room, direct mailers can breeze through the marketplace like wildfire effecting sales like no other. This is the unique power of direct mailing services…a surefire marketing strategy.