Direct Mail News

Addressers Urges Businesses to Use Fulfillment Services for Speedy Service

Direct Mail Company Says Speed of Response for Product Fulfillment is Most Important Factor in Customer Satisfaction 

The Addressers (www.theaddressers.com), a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, is urging businesses to use order fulfillment services in order to get products out quickly to customers and achieve good customer satisfaction.  

Kent Moon, President of Addressers, stated “Product fulfillment services are important, because they insure that your customers get their products in a timely manner. Studies have shown that speed of delivery is the chief determining factor in whether or not a customer returns to buy more products from you. Speed of delivery is more important than quality, more important than reliability, even more important than customer service. So whether you hire an outsourced fulfillment house to provide product fulfillment services or you have an in-house fulfillment manager that handles this, you have to firmly keep in mind how important it is to get the product delivered in a timely manner.” 

“If your product fulfillment team is inefficient, delays getting the product out to the customer, or makes lots of errors in terms of sending the wrong items or allowing them to be damaged, this team is killing your business. Contrast that with the order coming in today, and the customer receiving his item tomorrow. The customer is thrilled and customer retention is much more likely,” concluded Moon. 

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database services using time-tested proprietary modules.

Addressers Urges Businesses to Use Full Range of Direct Mail Types

Direct Mail Company Says Different Types of Direct Mail Pieces Suit Different Purposes

The Addressers (www.theaddressers.com), a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, is urging businesses to make use of the full range of different types of direct mail. According to the company, this avoids falling into a rut, and different types of direct mail pieces are good for different purposes.

Kent Moon, President of Addressers, stated “There are basically five different types of direct mail, and each is good for different uses and different purposes. If you get one successful piece and always use that same type of piece, then you will tend to get diminishing returns after a while because the target public is always used to seeing the same thing. It’s important to keep things fresh.”

According to Moon, the five types of direct mail pieces are:

Classic Package: “The classic package is the most important type of direct mail. It is a package which is sent inside an envelope, and includes a letter and a response device such as a business reply card, or an order form and envelope. It often contains other items too, such as a brochure or flier. The classic package is considered the most effective type of direct mail piece, but it is also the most expensive because of having to print the several items included.”

Postcard: “Postcards are the most affordable type of direct mail. If your postcard is at least 3-1/2 x 5” and no bigger than 4-1/4 x 6”, you can get the basic postcard first class postage rate which is 28 cents. But you can design many other sizes of oversized postcards which are cheap to print and have excellent impact when arriving in someone’s mailbox.”

Self-Mailer: “A self-mailer is defined as a direct mail piece that mails by itself, without being put inside an envelope. These can be anything from an 8-1/2 X 11 sheet folded down to the size of a standard envelope, to larger size sheets folded down to various sizes, to a brochure, etc. There are many options.”

Newsletter: “Newsletters are a very effective vehicle to sell your products and services. Usually these are used for maintaining current customers and keeping them buying more, although newsletters can also be used effectively for selling to raw public. Newsletters are usually inexpensive to print and mail, although they require a lot of man-hours to put together and regularly maintain.”

Catalogs: “Catalogs are excellent for companies that offer multiple products. This category also includes the circulars that are put out by grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, etc.”

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database services using time-tested proprietary modules.

Addressers Offers Database Management Services

Services Geared to Improving the Response of Client Direct Mail Campaigns 

The Addressers (www.theaddressers.com), a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, is offering database management and list brokering services to help clients improve the response level of their direct mail programs. The services include appending demographic or telephone data to existing databases, merging and purging lists, and list rental or brokering.  

Addressers also offers other database related services such as Data Storage, Data Conversion, Data Mining, Response Analysis, Database Analysis, and Data Warehousing. 

Kent Moon, President of Addressers, stated “Bob Stone, author of ‘Direct Marketing Methods,’ one of the bibles of the direct marketing field, says that maximizing direct mail success depends first upon the lists you use, second upon the offers you make, and third upon the copy and graphics you create. So from this you can see that the list that you send to is the most important factor in the success of any direct mail campaign, much more so than the offer or the creative elements. That’s why we offer a variety of services to clients to improve the quality of their mailing lists. One example of this is adding value to your database by appending demographic information to the list. This is also called an ‘overlays’ or ‘list enhancements.’ This can include data like lifestyle characteristics, income, age, marital status, and likelihood to respond by mail or phone. This data can be appended to lists that you already have by comparing it to other lists. By appending demographic information that is relevant to your product or service offering, you can increase response. We have over 500 demographics, psychographics, and lifestyle elements available.” 

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database services using time-tested proprietary modules.

Addressers Offers Fulfillment Services to Ease Burden on Small Business

Fulfillment Services Save Time & Can Actually Save Money Over Businesses Doing it Themselves 

The Addressers (www.theaddressers.com), a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, is offering fulfillment services to help ease the burden on small to medium sized businesses. The services include fulfilling product orders and literature requests, and can also include storage and warehousing of products. 

Fulfillment typically refers to the services provided by a company that offers to store products or literature, receive the orders, package, and then ship the ordered or requested item to the end consumer. A fulfillment company will typically maintain inventory counts as goods are shipped, and provide those inventories to the client on a regular basis. Pick and pack, another service offered by fulfillment houses like Addressers, is the process of selecting items currently being stored by the fulfillment company and preparing them for shipping.

Kent Moon, President of Addressers, stated “Often a fulfillment house, because of its high volume, can offer shipping discounts that their clients would not be able to get on their own. Unless your company is shipping thousands of products per month, you will not get the "bulk" shipping rates available to fulfillment companies like ours. The amount of savings can often be 30% or more. In some cases, the savings associated with shipping bulk rates can outweigh the costs of our services, making the fulfillment costs effectively zero. Similar to the savings associated with shipping costs, shipping materials, such as envelopes, boxes, labels, etc., are bought in bulk by us at lower rates. Compared to purchasing supplies for shipping through places like Office Depot, savings can amount to up to 50%. For companies of all sizes, including small startups, using the services of a fulfillment house can be a cost effective solution, saving you money and taking a bothersome task off your plate.”

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database services using time-tested proprietary modules. 

Addressers President Urges Companies to Mail to Prior Responders

Those Who Responded to Prior Promotions But Did Not Become Customers Are Halfway to Purchase

President of Addressers (www.theaddressers.com), a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, Kent Moon notes that companies need to respond to economic duress in the most efficient ways possible. “When it comes to marketing, efficiency is all about the mailing list. Lists of prior responders to earlier campaigns are lists pre-qualified by a company’s earlier efforts. These are individuals who have demonstrated interest or need for your product or service.” Moon said.

Yet many companies fail to even capture the names and contact data of those who respond but do not buy, making this marketing resource unavailable.

Bob Bly, independent copywriter and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Direct Marketing, says: “The best list available to you is your “house” list—a list of customers and prospects who previously bought from you or responded to your ads, public relations campaign, or other mailings. Typically, your house list will pull double the response of an outside list. Yet, only 50% of business marketers I’ve surveyed capture and use customer and prospect names for mailing purposes.”

At a time when marketing budgets are under pressure, companies need to get response from direct marketing efforts and convert those responses to sales.  With mail volume reduced due to the recession, now is a great time to get your company’s message out by direct mail.

Bly points out: “The most common direct-mail mistake is not spending enough time and effort up-front, when you select—and then test—the right lists.  Remember: In direct marketing, a mailing list is not just a way of reaching your market. It is the market.”

Mr. Moon’s most recent direct marketing article on the Addressers blog covers this subject in more detail. http://theaddressers.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database using time-tested proprietary modules.

Direct Marketing Increasingly Seen as Customer Retention Tool

The Need to Retain Customers Increases Significantly During Economic Downturn

President of Addressers (www.theaddressers.com),  a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, Kent Moon has observed increased interest in use of direct marketing and direct mail as a means of customer retention. “When a company has spent a small fortune to acquire a customer, it only makes sense to focus on the actions that help retain customers. Direct mail is one of the best ways of reaching customers, introducing them to all the benefits of the service of product they now own.” Moon said.

Health insurance is an example of a large industry beginning to consider the need to market direct to existing customers. "Health insurers are just beginning to open their eyes to something that other industries have been doing for years," says Carlton Doty, vice president and research director at Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research, Inc.

A 2008 study conducted by Forrester found that 18% of people with coverage in the individual health insurance market indicated that they are likely or very likely to change insurers. With annual premium of $5,500, failure to retain health care customers is an expensive proposition.

Richard Tooker, Vice President of KnowledgeBase Marketing, a Texas-based direct marketing firm, says: "Health insurers are spending money and effort to improve the member experience, but what they don't do very well is communicate with their members. Some people never hear from their [health plan], but they do hear from all of their competitors."

“Customer retention is not just a concern for huge companies.” Addressers President Kent Moon noted. “It is even more important for small business where margin for error is smaller. Direct mail is the best way to reach and engage customers. The most recent article on our blog addresses this subject.” http://theaddressers.typepad.com/

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services to companies primarily in the greater Los Angeles area for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and databases using time-tested proprietary modules.

Competition for Consumer Attention in the Direct Mail Channel Falls – Presenting Unique Opportunity

Decline in Direct Mail Volume Creates New Space for Direct Marketers to Get Their Message Through

President of Addressers (www.theaddressers.com),  a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, Kent Moon commented on recent studies showing declines in direct mail, saying: “You don’t need national surveys to see the reduction in direct mail – a look in your own mail box will tell you that mail volume is significantly down. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for companies with needed products and services to create impact and generate response.”

A recent research study published by The Winterberry Group found that direct mail in the U.S. declined in 2008 and projected a further 10% to 15% drop for 2009. Thirty years of steady increase have abruptly ended and the study predicts that high growth rates of the past will not return as marketers turn to other less expensive channels.

Bruce Biegel, Winterberry Group's senior managing director, said "Postal shocks, environmental pressure, recession, media consumption shifts and enhanced targeting tools have brought about an end to the 'batch-blast' era of direct mail... mailers have shifted their focus to lower-volume, more targeted and higher-value campaigns, with traffic generation to the store, Web and call center being the primary objective."

Mr. Moon noted that Addressers had made consistent investments in technology over the years, making it possible to deliver personalized messages to correct demographics for any product or service while reducing postage costs. “There has never been a better time to reach the consumer by direct mail, a time when it was so easy to stand out, grab the consumer’s attention and deliver the message.”

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database using time-tested proprietary modules.

Direct Mail Service, Addressers, Launches Two Blogs on Direct Marketing Issues

Addressers President Encourages Direct Marketing Experts to Share Cost Reduction and Response Improvement Methods  

LOS ANGELES: President of Addressers (www.theaddressers.com), a Southern California Direct Marketing Company, Kent Moon announced the launching of the blogs addressed to issues related to direct mail services, fulfillment services and needs of direct marketers.  “Turbulent economic times are a great opportunity for companies with great products and a great marketing plan.” Mr. Moon said. “But it is more critical in periods of contraction to use the marketing budget efficiently and to get more response for every dollar spent.” 

As the US Postal Service prepares to raise the cost of mailing and bad news on the economic front dominates headlines, companies need to refine their direct mail, fulfillment and business mailing list practices. Partnering with specialists in the direct mail field is vital, but so is the ongoing accumulation of information, new technology and improved processes. Mr. Moon and his company, Addressers, have put up the blogs http://theaddressers.typepad.com/my_weblog/ and http://theaddressers.typepad.com/direct_mail_news/) in order to share news and information that marketers can use to improve results.  

“Nearly 100 billion pieces of First-Class mail reached individuals in 2007.  And more than 100 billion pieces of Standard Mail and Periodicals were sent in that year.  That is a lot of mail competing for response among consumers.” Mr. Moon observed.  “The current economic conditions are an opportunity to gain market share as competitors react with reductions in marketing communications. When a company ceases to communicate, it can be easily mistaken for a corpse or at the very least forgotten about. Those companies with efficient and effective direct marketing programs will win the day.” 

Addressers is a direct marketing company that has provided direct mail and fulfillment services for more than 20 years. Unlike many companies where customization capabilities are limited, Addressers can provide clients with timely and cost-effective solutions by custom designing mailing, fulfillment and database using time-tested proprietary modules.