· The key to direct mail is frequency. The more you mail, the greater your response rate.
· Whatever you are mailing, make sure the results are measurable. It's the best way to gauge the success of a mailing. Try including an offer that is exclusive to your mail campaign or a one-day sale.
· Test your mail. Testing is easy with direct mail. A simple design change to a mailing is simple and direct mail offers measurable response. Try testing the difference between a humorous message and more informative message.
· Don't do it alone. If you're not a professional mailer, there is no need to learn everything about mail. Let the professionals take care of your mailing for you - they will save you money on postage and one big headache.
· Allow enough time for your mailing. There is a saying in the mailing industry, speed-quality-price, pick any two. Plan enough time to do the job right to avoid last minute charges.
· Partner up. If most of your customers are local, consider a team mailing with neighboring businesses. Sharing costs will help drive more business to local merchants and help grow your business.

· Before printing your pieces, make sure the design fits within postal regulations for size, weight and thickness. There's a reason you don't see many 5"x5" postcards. They are not postal friendly. Mailers and printers can help you with the specifics.
· Proofread your work carefully. Even the smallest mistake can have a big impact on the success of your mailing.
· Don't use bright or dark colored paper if you expect to print an address directly on the piece. Postal machines cannot read barcodes printed on these papers. Your best bet is to use a pastel or neutral color. Otherwise, leave enough white space on your piece to print an address.
· Use high-quality paper. In most cases, mail must be at least 7 thousandths of an inch thick to mail and at least 9 thousandths of an inch thick to qualify for automation discounts.
· Keep it simple. Don't let your message get lost in a mess of confusing text or busy pictures.
· Less is more. Utilize white space to increase the impact of your message.

· The success or failure of a mailing largely depends on the mailing list. Make sure your list targets your demographic and is current.
· Get specific. List brokers develop lists on any number of criteria. If you want to target homeowners over the age of 50 that are near your business, ask for it.
· For the most cost-effective mailing, identify your ideal customer and target just those people. Then find more of those people.
· Keep track of your customers. Remember, the top 20 percent of your customers account for 80 percent of your business. A well-maintained customer database is a landmine of valuable information and helps you find your "model" customer.
· If you have more than one database to mail, put them in the same format. This saves processing time and ensures no lost data.
· Send a field layout file with your database when possible. This decreases room for error.
· Americans are mobile! Process your list for National Change of Address updates yearly for best results. (Note: This is required for First Class Presorted files.)

· Do you really need a nine-line address? Remove extraneous data so your piece is not cluttered and free of unnecessary data.
· Keep it short. A lengthy address does not necessarily improve deliverability and may create more readability problems at the post office. This, in turn, may increase delivery time.
· Separate the street address from the suite/apartment number for a more correct address.
· Print addresses directly on the mail piece when possible. Labels can fall off or tear. Inkjet or laser your addresses for a more professional look.
· Standardize your addresses with C.A.S.S. approved software. This makes your mail more deliverable, flags invalid addresses and decreases delivery time.
· Inform your mailer if you wish to keep vanity addresses. Many list cleansing processes will change a vanity address to its postal correct counterpart. (For example, Prairie Village is actually part of the city of Shawnee Mission.) Vanity addresses are deliverable. Alert your mailer if you would like to preserve them.

· Utilize postal discounts. When mailing to a specific region, try to mail to enough people in a zip code to receive Sectional or Destination discounts. Professional mailers can help you with the specifics.
· Automate your mail. C.A.S.S certification costs extra up front, but can save you a bundle on postage. Automated mail also gets delivered faster.
· Use a good list. Bad or old addresses in a mailing list increase printing and postage costs without improving response rate.
· If you don't mail frequently, don't buy a permit. Most professional mailers offer their permits at no charge.
· Cluster your mailings by region. More mail delivered per ZIP code increases postage discounts.
· Design postal-friendly mail. The size, weight and thickness of your mail are a large factor in postage savings.

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