What is a Mail House?
A mail house is a company that assembles, packages, and addresses direct mail campaigns before entering them into the postal system. Because of all of the complex details involved in preparing a campaign to be mailed, using a mail house maybe add uncertain time and/or cost factors that can affect your budget and timetables, including in-home dates.
Mail houses offer a variety of services to streamline your direct mail marketing and ensure you get a high ROI. The best way to identify the right mail house is to consult with its customers and assess its ability to keep the promise. Some of the services you must insist on include:
1. On-site USPS verification
By making use of on-site USPS verification, the mail house you choose can guarantee detailed and truthful details on the status of every mail you send. In addition to on-site verification, the USPS provides additional services through apps that the mail house can use to check their standards against discounts, for sorting, barcoding, and piece counts.
2. Commingling
Every time USPS rates change, you must revise your budget or look for ways to improve efficiencies and reduce marketing costs. However, a direct mail service provider who commingles can help you save on shipping costs. Through commingling, the mails house combines mailing to targeted neighborhoods to meet USPS discount minimum for large shipments.
Commingling also focuses on sorting and ensuring the mail goes to the right zip cord so that the USPS can focus on delivering your mail. It also reduces delivery time by up to 10-days, especially for national mailings, allowing you to reach your audience faster.
3. Proper mail tracking abilities
Direct mail markets cost more than most marketing efforts, which is why you must demand a visible and tangible ROI from any mail house you use. Tracking abilities help you assess the effectiveness of your marketing campaign, with access to data that helps you refine your efforts. Look for tracking functions that include other services such as 2d barcodes and personalized URLs to help you see the number of people taking action after opening the mail.
4. Incredible customer service
Every direct mail company you work with should guarantee you great customer service and customer care. This includes a trustworthy, reliable, and secure platform for all your mailing needs. Often, great customer service comes with experience. Look for mail houses with a good reputation especially among organizations that ship in bulk. Exemplary customer service saves you time and money and ensures that your clients get quality mail products and services.
5. A great relationship with the USPS
A strong relationship between the state USPS and your direct mailing company means that you have two teams working to provide you with quality services. If your mail house enjoys a strong relationship with their state USPS, they can leverage this relationship to ensure your mail gets to your customers faster and that you enjoy discount pricing and special offers. It is also easier for them to follow up on lost and undelivered mail, which helps you understand the impact direct mail has on your marketing efforts better.
While looking for a professional mail house to partner with, take your time, and speak to several service providers. Often, the best service provider will come to you from recommendations and extensive consultation.
