First Class Mailings and Returned Mail

Are you getting returned mail in your marketing campaigns? If you are mailing at First-Class rates, mail will be returned as undeliverable for various reasons:   

• The person or business addressed moved and did not file a change of address with the post office.
• The person addressed is deceased.
• An apartment number or suite number was not included as part of the address.
• An internal mailstop number wasn't included - some large companies require this before their internal mailroom will deliver it.

There will always be a certain portion of a mailing list that may not be deliverable.  The Post Office statistics say that 20% of the population is in transit at any point in time.  A return rate of up to 10% is considered to be industry standard and should be factored into your budget.  An even higher percentage of people leaving their positions at businesses do not file change of address forms. This is especially true in this time of Covid 19.  

Consideration should be given if it is more important to follow the person to their new address or if a change of address wasn't filed, to get the mailpiece returned - OR is it more important for the mailpiece to get delivered to a specific address rather than to the specific person.

Returns can be minimized by mailing at bulk mail rates rather than 1st class or by adding “Or Current Resident” to the address or in the case of business addresses - mail to the department rather than a specific person, i.e. Attn:  Marketing Director. 

Some thought should be given to these issues prior to mailing -- talk to us and let us give you strategy advice.

DBS - Helping you mail smarter!

Is Direct Mail Still Alive?

The rising costs of doing a direct mail campaign have made some mailers hold back on how much advertising they do by mail and have increased their advertising with social media instead.  

Has social media taken over?  Even with the explosion of social media, reports show that direct mail is still one of the most effective way to advertise - and advertisers are increasingly coming back to what they know works.   Advertising by mail gives you the opportunity to personalize and target your advertising to the specific group of people that you are trying to reach in a way that social media can't.  

Having something tangible to touch and hold on to gives direct mail a distinct advantage.  Getting an advertisement in the mail for something you have an interest in having tends to be saved for the most convenient time for the consumer to respond to it.   Whether it is for the local pizza joint, 5-star restaurant dinner special, or a notice from my local hospital or other business, I get to choose the time to look over the offer.

There is a place for all forms of advertising - whether it be direct mail, print, radio, tv and social media - when it comes to reaching a specific audience for your product or service, direct mail is still the best way to reach them.  DBSLists.com has access to thousands of mailing lists whether it be consumer (with demographics like age, income etc), business lists, or direct response lists (for specific comsumer buying patterns) -- let us help with your next mailing project.

DBS - helping you mail smarter!

Are you getting the best postage rates?

The best postage rates - Automation and Presort - for large volume mailings require certification that your mailing list has been matched against NCOA (National Change of Address) within 95 days of mailing.  If you do not have this certification, the only way you will still get the best postage rates is to have "Or Current Resident" below the person's name.

What is NCOA ?   When people move, they fill out (or should anyway) a Change of Address (COA) form for the Post Office so that their 1st Class mail gets forwarded to the new address. Your mailing list is matched against the Change of Address (COA) records that will indicate COA orders sent to the U.S. Postal Service by individuals, families, and businesses.   Luckily, most  lettershops run mailing lists through a NCOA process prior to mailing, but not all do - this is something you should verify with your lettershop.

Why does the Post Office require NCOA matching?  According to their statistics, 45 million people move every year.  No matter how often a mailing list is updated, there will always be a certain percentage of your mailing that reaches households where people have moved.  Plain and simple - delivering mail to addresses where people have moved costs the Post Office money.  And, ultimately, it costs you a lot of money as well - producing a mail piece, paying for printing and postage for something that might not ever be delivered if the person who is on the address label have moved.  Best case is that if mailed 1st class, the mail will be forwarded.  But, is it best for you to have mail forwarded to someone that may have moved to a whole new area?  Or is it best for your mail piece to get to the people who are currently living at the address. 

If you are mailing something that is subscription or member based, it would be best to have the mail follow the person who moved.  But, the majority of mailings are intended to reach a base of people living within a geographic area and even if the person whose name is on the mail piece moved, it would be better for the mail piece to stay at the address rather than being undelivered or forwarded.

 Should "Or Current Resident" be on your address label?

Won't putting "Or Current Resident" make my mailing look like junk mail?  The only real answer to this is to test it.  In my opinion however, if your offer or message is relevant to a specific geographic area, it will rarely matter unless it is something formal like an invitation.

The question you should be asking yourself is..... is it more important for my mail piece to be delivered to a specific address that is in my geographic area - or is it more important that the mail piece follow the person regardless of where they live.

You can read more about NCOA and Move Update requirements at:  USPS - Guide to Move Update

DBS can help you mail smarter -- call us to see how we can help.

Important - Required New Design Changes for Self Mailers

Design Changes Required for Self-Mailers in 2013

The United States Postal Service® (USPS®) published the final regulations for Folded Self-mailers (FSM's) and other unenveloped pieces in the December 1, 2011 Federal Register.

These final rules take effect on January 5, 2013, so Mailers need to make plans to use up remaining stock and to make design changes for affected mailpieces that will mail after the effective date.

 These new rules do not apply to cards, envelopes, booklet style letters or mailpieces designed to carry discs - only self-mailers.

The notice lays out other specific requirements:

• Length: A minimum of 5 inches and a maximum of 10.5 inches.
Height: A minimum of 3.5 inches and a maximum of 6 inches and
Maximum thickness of 1/4".

• The final fold must be at the bottom
• Rectangular within an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of 1.3 to 2.5, inclusive (see Domestic Mail Manual 601.1.4)
• The paper basis weight for folded self-mailers is based on book-grade paper unless otherwise specified and varies depending on the total weight of the mail piece.
•  Minimum of two tabs
• Can not use perforated tabs.

After January 5, 2013, folded self-mailers that do not meet these requirements will be assessed postage as follows: First-Class Mail® and Standard Mail® customers will pay nonmachinable prices; Periodicals mailers will pay nonbarcoded prices.

Please visit the USPS website to see all of the new rules affecting self-mailers.

https://ribbs.usps.gov/fsm/documents/tech_guides/FSMWorkshopPresentation.pdf

DBS - Helping You Mail Smarter