Navigating the complexities of direct mail campaigns can be a daunting task for any company, whether you're launching your first campaign or you're a seasoned marketer looking to enhance your strategy. But direct mail, with its tangible touchpoint, offers a unique opportunity to connect with your audience in a way that digital channels can't match.
If you're considering a direct mail campaign with Integra Graphics Synergy, you should understand the steps in the process and exactly how your project will progress. We’ve been helping businesses succeed through direct mail for nearly 20 years, and we’d be happy to do the same for your company.
Not every business sending mail pieces out would make a great fit for Integra, and we’re just as interested in weeding them out as they are in weeding themselves out, which is why we’re here to give a detailed description of what our direct mail process looks like.
By the time you’re done reading this piece, you should know exactly how our process works and feel better equipped to decide whether we’re the right fit for you. If you choose to reach out to one of our direct mail experts, you’ll know right where we’ll start and how each step will look along the way, taking the guesswork out of every stage of your project.
Phase 1 of Your Direct Mail Project With Integra: The Conversation
Firstly, when you approach us with the idea of a direct mail campaign, our initial step is to understand your specific needs and goals. We work with both nonprofit and for-profit companies from just about every industry imaginable, at various stages of their campaign planning. You might have a detailed strategy in place, or you might be starting from scratch — either is just fine:
- For those with a detailed plan: If you already have your design, timeline, budget and mail list ready to go, we’ll focus on execution, learning these details down to the smallest elements. We can help ensure your mailing list is up-to-date and free of errors with list hygiene practices like National Change of Address (NCOA) updates. We'll also discuss the best mail class for your timeline and budget. During this conversation, we’ll establish whether you want any input or guidance on your design choices. If not, we’ll mention only any design choices that could interfere with USPS guidelines for your selected mail class.
- For those needing guidance: You might also reach out to us with little to no experience in the realm of designing for direct mail marketing, and that’s okay too. Our representatives will learn about your budget, timeline and the goals you hope to achieve before giving advice on the type of prints you could craft and what direction to take with them. Whether your goals involve driving donations, promoting an event or launching a product, we’ll help you find the best mail route and list for maximum impact. We'll also explore call-to-action strategies and design considerations to ensure your message is clear and engaging.
The process will look slightly different for every company based on goals, timeline, budget and whether or not input has been requested. That said, the overall process once the project begins will follow a similar path from campaign to campaign.
Are you wondering how long your project might take from start to finish? Check out our turnaround calculator below to get an estimate of your timeline.
Phase 2 of Your Direct Mail Project With Integra: Making It Happen
Once we've established your needs, we'll work together to craft your campaign, which might include:
- Budgeting: You’ll want a detailed budget that outlines the costs associated with executing your campaign, ensuring it aligns with your financial parameters. There are plenty of ways to lower your direct mail costs, but step one is figuring out exactly how much you’re able to spend on this effort. Your final budget should include the cost of a mail list if you need one, the postage rate for each piece in the mail class of your choosing and the cost of printing your batch. One element of this financial planning that you may not have considered is whether you want to make further impressions in the future.
- Follow-up planning: Direct mail is a high-performing marketing method, and it only grows in effectiveness as you hit each home or business more times. In the majority of cases, we recommend 3 to 4 mailings per campaign, spaced roughly 3 to 4 weeks apart. We’ll gladly handle a one-time mailing if that’s all you need, but if you’d like to send additional pieces, we can begin establishing what that looks like for your timeline, budget and designs right away.
- Decisions on digital engagement: You may or may not have already heard of “direct mail with intelligence,” which is a fancy way of referring to an online process that allows for additional impressions. Our SynergyMail add-on program can reach your ideal audiences before, during and/or after your mail pieces get to each home with additional outreach across various social media platforms. It’s not for everyone, but it’s a low-cost avenue to discuss with your representative if you’d like to boost your campaign’s effectiveness with a multichannel effort.
- Design and layout: If you’ve requested the help, we’ll work with you and your team to ensure your direct mail piece, whether it's a postcard, brochure, catalog or letter, is designed for maximum impact. We'll advise on text-to-image balance, clear messaging and color saturation. Otherwise, we’ll cover postal compliance and the appropriate specs for your mailing of choice to ensure each piece meets dimension, weight and thickness standards for the USPS.
- Sample signoff: Once you’ve communicated your specs, we’ll work with the best vendor for your job to print exactly what you’ve requested. If you’ve chosen to receive a sample, we’ll send either a digital proof or a physical proof — usually digital for the sake of convenience and timing — the moment it’s ready to get your final signoff.
- Execution and follow-up: After you’ve agreed on your campaign specifics, we’ll handle the logistics from printing to mailing. You'll be informed of key milestones, such as when your pieces are printed, mailed and expected to arrive in recipients' hands. You’ll also get login information for your SynergyMail dashboard if you’ve chosen this feature.
When you’re near or at the end of this section in your own step-by-step, you can go ahead and pat yourself on your back — your first mailing is in the hands of your audience!
Phase 3 (Optional) of Your Direct Mail Project With Integra: Further Touchpoints
We’re always willing to work as far in advance as a business wants us to, but we generally operate on a no-strings-attached basis. In other words, just because you signed off on your quote for the first mailing doesn’t mean you have to use us for your second, third or fourth in the campaign.
On the other hand, if you like the work we’ve done and enjoyed the process of seamless delivery, phase three is the time to get in touch with your Integra representative and begin planning for your follow-up mailings — assuming you haven’t already. It’s a bit of a rinse-and-repeat procedure, but because we worked on your first mailing, we’ll be better positioned to help you quickly design your follow-ups to maintain cohesive branding and consistent messaging.
Our team will also gladly walk you through your SynergyMail dashboard and help you understand the results before your next mailing. The more mailings you’ve done through SynergyMail, the easier it’ll be to analyze data and decide what’s working and what isn’t.
Finally, if we’ve already run a credit check and trade reference history on your business, the paperwork stage will be even quicker on future projects.
Reach Your Direct Mail Customers Without the Usual Stress of Mailing Logistics
You could kick your mail campaign off in a million different ways, including building each element from the ground up and reaching out to dozens of printers, mail houses, list companies and others to piece your strategy together yourself.
Or, you can turn to Integra to handle the details and skip all that time and effort. We’re all about coordinating designs, schedules, budgets, printers, mail houses, USPS regulations and overall customer satisfaction so that you don’t have to.
If you’re still not quite sure about us, you can read more about what it’s like to work with Integra on a print project. To take the next step and find out for yourself, click below to get started on your next mailing. Your customer’s mailboxes will thank you!
Topics:
