Go Beyond Search Marketing

There are three central components of our direct mail pricing model. The first is the initial one-time setup effort. Those prices are unique and individually-scoped for each new campaign template we build.

The second component is a  dedicated analytics engine and database that we provide for each client. This engine is responsible for routing and tracking all QR code activity to various links on your site, as well as keeping a log of any unsubscribe requests you receive from your prospects. From what we can tell, no other postcard company offers this level of powerful insight. The cost for the analytics engine is $50/mo.

The final component is just a per piece rate (currently $1.05/ea). This rate includes the printing and postage for each piece, but it also includes our management fee. Much like when we manage paid search campaigns online for clients, significant work goes into examining performance reports and making adjustments to your campaigns each month to optimize their performance. 

One additional component may be for your prospect list. But since some clients have their own customer lists already we remove this element from the core campaign expenses. Also, as these lists are typically reusable for up to 12 months bundling them into either the setup or the per piece components wouldn’t make sense.

There is always a setup component for our campaigns, since every one of our managed campaigns requires at least some strategic planning to optimize your response rates. The setup fee amount will depend on the scope of the campaign, and we will individually scope and price this for you before any implementation occurs.

We have a growing library of templates to choose from and in the near future we plan to showcase some of our favorites on our site. Regardless, we include rough template mockups for each and every client proposal so you can get a sense for the “look and feel” of your campaigns before you commit. Ultimately, we will create something that matches your existing brand guidelines and preferences.

Of course! You don’t have to work with our templates. We can work with you to design whatever you have in mind.

Our system can certainly handle custom data imports. However, please keep in mind that in order to maintain our reputation as a trusted sender we cannot always use just any list of mailing addresses or prospects that you might have. Lists of your past customers are usually no problem to use, but lists that you may have purchased or rented elsewhere may just be subject to a little vetting. It just depends on the nature of your data source.

Certainly! We have relationships with a number of reliable data brokers, so we can help you navigate what can otherwise be a confusing process. We can also help you create some sets of highly targeted filters, as this tends to significantly improve the ROI for your campaigns. This service will be scoped and priced separately from your campaign.

Our vendors change their rates from time to time, especially when it comes to anything involving postage. But whenever that happens, we will try to give our clients as much notice as possible so that any campaigns already in the planning stages may be adjusted as needed.

The analytics engine charge will start as soon as your first campaign is published. The per piece rates are collected in advance of the campaign going into production.  For clients with complex campaign timelines (with weekly sends, for example), we typically create a credit system that allows you to just top off your balance from time to time. Besides needing to collect the payment in advance of going to print, we can generally be quite flexible depending on your budget and needs. 

As long as the campaign hasn’t gone into print we can typically make changes. Once you approve a campaign though and we are within three business days of the scheduled send date, no changes are possible. If you have an ongoing campaign, where we plan to repeat the campaign with a different batch of prospects over a certain time period, then you can adjust future batches at any time as long as you are within three business days of the next batch.

The short answer is yes, but it can be a tricky area. Depending on the data broker you talk to, everyone seems to have different terms around this question. Consumer lists have local and sometimes federal laws in place that prohibit re-use, but even generic property/address lists are not always allowed to be re-used.

We know that most marketing efforts tend to take multiple “touches” or impressions before a stranger finally ends up taking action. That’s why as a rule of thumb we primarily work with data brokers that allow at least one-year of re-use for any purchased prospect lists. 

A lot of direct mail services offer multiple sizes of postcards, but we like to keep things simple. We are currently exclusively using 6 x 9 postcards because we think they are the perfect balance of being large enough to stand out from people’s stack of mail (the small ones seem to get lost), without being unnecessarily large and expensive. Our postcards have a basis weight of 100# - 120# Cover, a GSM of 255 - 325, and utilize full bleed with 1 Side UV Gloss. They have a nice weight and feel, and definitely will help your brand look professional!

Most of our direct mail campaigns can usually be planned, built, and launched within just 1-2 weeks. Once mailed, postcards typically take 3-4 days to reach your prospects.

Depending on where you are looking, the average response rate for a direct mail campaign can vary widely. Some sources claim response rates of 0.5%-2%, while others claim that it is more like 2.9 to 4.9%. 

Your response rate will depend on how targeted your list is, how strong your value proposition is, and any other number of factors. Since we put such a focus on planning detailed campaign strategies before moving your campaign into production, the odds of our campaign response rates meeting or beating industry averages are obviously higher. We also analyze your results on an ongoing basis and optimize your campaigns over time to further boost performance where possible. Basically, the “managed” element of our service is designed to help your campaigns perform better than you might see from our competitors, but it’s still difficult to give a blanket estimate. 

In most cases, campaigns won’t likely result in a flood of leads (though it’s possible!). Rather, the goal is to achieve a positive return on investment over time. We usually advise that 1%-3% is a conservative estimate to expect in terms of responses.