3 Tips for Easier Direct Mailing

After finishing booklet printing, your work is not over yet; you still have to get those marketing materials into consumers' hands. If the materials do not actually make it to the people you intend, your booklet printing investment is a bust. Here are three tips for getting your materials addressed correctly so they get to the right people.

In your contact information databases, make your headings very clear. Be sure to label the proper addresses as "Mailing Address" so you do not get confused later between multiple addresses. If you are using a mailing service, check with them to see in what format they want you to send your information. Only send your mailing service the mailing addresses; if you just send all your customers' contact info, you increase the likelihood of mistakes. Before sending your list to the mailer, check it over to make sure it is organized and easy to understand.

A Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) program checks your mailing lists for addresses that are not coded according to the US Postal Service's requirements.  CASS software also formats addresses according to requirements. If you use this software, you are less likely to waste postage on materials that can not be sent.  You also save time by not having to retype the addresses yourself. Most mailing services have this program and can give you a copy of the correctly formatted addresses on request.

The National Change of Address (NCOA) service is a national registry used by people who are moving to let the post office know where to forward their mail.  You can use this service to see if the same people are still living at a given address. This is a good program to use if you are sending mail to specific people. However, if you want your materials to say the person's name followed by "or Current Resident" then this service might not be necessary.

Your booklet printing investment will be much more worthwhile if you insure proper mailing to your target market. So take the extra time necessary so that your direct mail reaches your customers in the time and with the accuracy intended.