Variable Data and Direct Mail printing

What is Direct Mail?

Have you ever sent someone a birthday card? Yes, well you may not have realised, but you are already a Direct Mailer!

And, in fact, sending a Birthday Card is an example of perfect Direct Mail because it is:

• Relevant - The card is absolutely right for the person receiving it, because it is their birthday.
• Personal - It is a direct message from you and it is intended specifically for them. The card you chose and the message inside is exclusive and unique.
• Emotional - Receiving a Birthday Card lifts the spirits and makes you happy. It is nice to know that someone dear to you cares enough to send it.

Direct Mail should always be aiming to be engaging with the recipient as a Birthday Card. The nearer a mailing is to having that level of engagement, the more effective it will be.

Why use Direct Mail?

Direct mail allows you to cost effectively focus resources on customers who are most likely to use your services.

In today's tough economic environment it seems we are all running faster and faster just to stand still! In the competitive market where most businesses operate, creating or accelerating growth is a major challenge. It is certain that targeted promotion and the marketing of products and services is essential if a business is to realise its full potential.

There are a number of marketing techniques that can be used - though some are much more efficient and cost effective than others. Using Direct Mail allows you to target specific groups of customers. It is a powerful tool for small to medium size businesses as it enables them to focus resources on where they are most likely to yield results.

Our Direct Mail solution complements our Design and Print perfectly. Instead of taking on the management of your marketing campaign yourself, coordinating between design agencies, print supplier and mailing house, you could simply entrust the entire project to us.

The Stats

• Three in four people (71%) welcome receiving direct mail from organisations they are already customers of.
• 57% of those surveyed, feel direct mail contact was appropriate for prospective customers

Source: Marketing Magazine. Consumers Use Technology to filter relationships with Brands, Says Report

Professional Package

• Paper Type: Silk Art Board
• Paper Weight: 300
• Colours: 4:4 (full colour double sided)
• Variable Data: Variable addresses to reverse
• Turnaround: 5/7 days from approval & payment (subject to spec)
• download design template

Deluxe Package

• Paper Type: Silk Art Board
• Laminated Front: Gloss or Matt
• Paper Weight: 300
• Colours: 4:4 (full colour double sided)
• Variable Data: Variable addresses to reverse
• Turnaround: 5/7 days from approval & payment (subject to spec)
• download design template

Data Services

So, you have decided to give Direct Mailing a go, but where should you start? The first thing to think about is who you are going to send your information to. We can offer you two options, you can either send us an existing database, or we can source a brand new list on your behalf.

Using you existing database

Your existing list of clients (database) is a valuable asset. Selling to existing customers is far easier and cheaper than finding new ones. However, your database must be kept up to date if it's to be a business asset. Research suggests that business data decays at approximately 30% per year. Therefore if your database is a couple of years old, more than half of your direct marketing budget could be going to waste! However, all is not lost as we can offer you database verification and cleaning services.

This includes:

• MPS Data Cleaning - This will remove records that are registered with the Mail Preference Service. They hold a list of everyone who doesn't want to receive direct mail and has opted out. It is recommended that any mailing lists are run thru MPS Cleaning as failure to do so could result in a fine and/or adverse publicity.
• Address Validation - Validate, correct and update address information.
• Duplicate Removals - Identify duplicate records within your file and remove them.

Finding a new audience

If you are looking for new sales leads and you want to generate more business revenue then you may be interested to find a new audience for your products and services. We partner with Thomson Business Search (the people who publish Thomson Local Directory) when new clients need to be found. They have over two million verified business contacts and the information they hold is re-verified every three months to ensure it is as accurate as possible.

All you need to do is supply us with the details of the clients you are looking for. You may tell us the business type you want to find, where they need to be, the sort of turnover or number of employees they should have and let us do the rest. Of course we can help to define your audience too. Whether you require Electricians in Edinburgh or Lawyers in London, you can be sure that this service avoids wasted efforts.

Mailing options and using variable data

Now that you have your database, you can use this in a number of ways to create your mail shot. The degree of personalisation we can provide ranges from the most basic (address block) to the more sophisticated (insert name here, change picture specific to client and address block for example). Our mail fulfilment machines can send single items, or insert multiple inserts into envelopes or polybags of varying sizes. We can undertake the design and print of your mailer, or alternatively you can supply your own marketing literature for your project.

Sending you mail

We work with a number of Mail Delivery providers, choosing the most cost effective solution for each mailing.

Royal Mail offer a range of services to match your deadlines and budget, there's also a choice of delivery speeds:

• Mailsort 1 - 1st Class - targeted for delivery the next working day after the day of posting
• Mailsort 2 - 2nd Class - targeted for delivery within three working days after day of posting.
• Mailsort 3 - Economy Service - targeted for delivery within seven working days after the day of posting.
  (to qualify for Mailsort 3, the data must be postcode sorted, and in the region of over 3000 names and addresses).

With Direct Mail, you've arrived!