Don’t DIY: What to Look for In Direct Mail Marketing Companies

Did you know direct mail marketing companies can save you money on your mail advertising campaign? It’s true. Hiring the right company is cheaper than handling the campaign yourself.

But beware. Hiring the wrong company can actually increase the cost instead.

So how can you know what to look for in a direct mail marketing company? Just keep reading.

In this guide, we’ve listed all the factors of a great direct mail company. For a successful campaign, hire a direct mail provider that meets these criteria.

In-House Designers

As crucial as graphic design is to your direct mail campaign, it should be a standard feature of direct mail marketing companies. But it isn’t.

Many direct mail companies don’t offer design services at all. That leaves you to find and hire yet another company to design your mailers, in addition to the company you’re paying to mail them. What a waste of time and money!

Other direct mail companies do offer design services, but not their own. With the money you pay for “their” design services, they outsource to a third party graphic design company anyway. You’re literally paying them to pay someone else to design your ads.

That means you don’t even have direct communication with the person who determines what your mail ads look like. This disorganized approach leaves way to much room for error.

Unless you already have a graphic designer on your payroll, never hire a direct mail company that doesn’t design.

Marketing Skills

Secondly, your direct mail company should also be experienced in marketing. Yet, surprisingly, many direct mail providers know very little about this.

They mostly just print and mail—how does that help you? You could do that yourself.

A good direct mail marketing company is one that has years of experience processing hundreds of campaigns for various industries. They’ll have the wisdom and insight to know the best type of direct mail advertising campaign for your business. This wisdom includes which postcard size is best and how to target, or retarget, the right audience.

Also, direct mail companies with marketing skills will be able to track the success of your campaign. One of the biggest benefits of direct mail marketing is how easily and accurately the results can be tracked. However, that won’t matter if your direct mail company knows nothing about tracking marketing metrics.

Mailing Lists

Furthermore, your marketing-savvy direct mail company will provide you with relevant mailing lists. Or, better yet, they’ll create a custom mailing list for you based on your company/campaign and their own extensive pool of resources.

To reiterate, that’s a list of qualified leads from an experienced direct mail marketing company in your local area. There is no better mailing list you could possibly wish for than that.

Pricing

The pricing of direct mail services depend on a lot more than the products and services you choose. Here are a few hidden costs to watch out for.

First, if you’re paying for design services, how much will it cost to revise a design you aren’t satisfied with? Some companies will allow a certain number of revisions for free, while others charge a fee.

Also, how much will the service save you on postage? Many long-established direct mail companies get special postage rates because of deals they’ve made with the postal service. This way, they can charge you less postage than you’d pay if you mailed your advertisements yourself.

Meanwhile, other companies charge you the same postage the post office would. Steer clear of these. There’s no reason you should have to pay full postage plus all the fees the direct mail provider charges you.

Know What to Look for In Direct Mail Marketing Companies

Don’t let the knowledge you’ve gained today go to waste. Bookmark or print out this page for reference. Then, use this checklist when comparing direct mail marketing companies to ensure a successful campaign.

Now, read How to Make a Direct Mail Marketing Budget.