Direct Mail Tips

Take It Easy

A direct mail advertising campaign can sometimes become very complicated. There are printers, designers, mail houses, list brokers, copy writers, etc. But there is an easier way...

Contemporary Communications has been a leader in the direct mail industry for 30 years. We help our clients with every aspect of their marketing needs. There's no need for you to struggle with deadlines, art work, demographics, etc... All we need to know is your requirements and expectations and we handle all the rest for you.

Get More Personal

If not handled correctly, direct mail can seem impersonal. However, it doesn't have to be that way. You can take advantage of the lower postage rates of a bulk mailing without sacrificing that all-important first impression.

Did you know that bulk mail doesn't have to have a meter imprint or indicia? You can apply a stamp to your mail for a more personal impression. And did you know that your mail could be targeted? That's right. Every letter you send can have a customized salutation. Your form letters will no longer look like form letters, they will have salutations, dynamic content and even real signatures.

There's more to 1 to 1 marketing than just salutations. VDP means you can change whole paragraphs, letterheads, graphics, fonts and even the entire letter based on anything you know about the recipient. Want to track responses? Customization makes it possible to attach a unique tracking number to every piece. The tracking number can even be disguised as a barcode, character code, graphic or glyph.

Take Advantage of Discount Postage Rates

The USPS has special postage rates in place for mail that meets certain criteria. Things such as barcodes, presorting, standardized addresses, and CASS certification allow the letters you now mail at 34 cents to be mailed for only 17.4 cents for a 50% savings.

CCI employs the top Address Correction Software available. Our Data Processing Department will standardize and correct your addresses with this software. The result is a CASS certified list ready to presort complete with barcodes, carrier routes and 9 digit zips. Then your list will be presorted to take advantage of the lowest possible postage rates. If you are a nonprofit organization, you qualify for even lower postage rates of up to 85% savings over first class rates.

If you allow CCI Marketing to design your postcard size mail piece or direct mail envelope we can assure you the lowest possible postage.

Get Better Response Rates.

A clean, up-to-date mailing list is prerequisite for a good response. Bring your mailing list to CCI and let us 'clean it up' for you. Through the MCAP Plan, we correct and standardize the addresses to match the USPS's own records eliminating those addresses that are not likely to be delivered and we purge out duplicates.

CCI can even help you design a 1 to 1, customized direct mailing that is sure to bring you the highest response you've ever received. Visit the Data Processing page for more information on our computer and database services.

Don't Pay for Anything You Don't Have To

Don't pay the postage and printing costs for mail that goes to the same house twice. Don't pay for the ones that don't get delivered at all. Don't pay for the mail that comes back undeliverable. Put CCI's Data Processing to work to save you money. We'll save you printing costs. We'll save you postage costs and we'll increase your response rate. We standardize your addresses to the USPS's own records so you are assured of the lowest postage costs. We can purge your list of duplicates that inevitably creep into a database. We can eliminate addresses that according to the Post Office are not deliverable before you mail them. We can even get Change of Address information before you mail. We can add phone numbers so that you can follow up with a call. CCI can also order special targeted lists by region, income, purchasing habits and other demographic factors. And CCI will presort your list for the Post Office which will lower your postage by as much as 50%.

This is the direct mail secret to great advertising. Take advantage of the MCAP Plan and let CCI give you a quality service at a lower price. Learn more about our Computer Services on the Data Processing page.