Direct,Mail,Postal,Regulations marketing Direct Mail Postal Regulations
Awhile ago, I got an email from one of the "gurus" I follow and it shocked me. The gist of it was this person wanted to trade services for a household item.To say it floored me would be an understatement.What was worse was a few days later t Automation technologies represent a fundamental aspect of any modern industry. The major types of industrial automation solutions, such as DCS, PLC, SCADA, and MES, are used on a large-scale in process and discrete industries.DCS technologie
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-priority:99;mso-style-qformat:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;mso-para-margin:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-pagination:widow-orphan;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}At some point, those involvedin the direct mail industry haveheard a story about a direct mailproject that took a costly turn at the moment of mailing because someone failedto check if the format and content of the mail piece met post office directmailing requirements. Like my non-profit client whohad a showpiece brochure printed before letting me review. The address panel placementdid not meet the Address Standard for Commercial Flat Size mailers. They had 3options: 1) Print and insert into an envelope, 2) Apply an address label over the misplacedaddress panel or 3) Pay the first class postage for the directmail piece. Because the image of the piece was critical,they had no choice but to pay the higher postage at 3 times the rate they had budgeted for their direct marketingcampaign. A simple email during theinitial design stage would have allowed me to identify the costly issue. Now more than ever, due tothe USPS effort to improve processing efficiencies as well as identifyadditional revenue opportunities, a clear understanding of postal regulationsis crucial to insure that direct mail packages are designed for optimal postagesavings. No one can afford to absorb expensive re-work in direct marketing budgetsor delays that could sabotage the project. Whose responsibility is it tocheck the rules .the designer, the printer, the lettershop or the mail owner?Ultimately, its the responsibility of the mail owner to make sure their designmeets postal regulations. Should they be expected to know all the rules? No.I work at the directmarketing services company DCG West in Seattle (www.dcgwest.com)that has over 100 years of combined postal regulation experience and we stillget stumped occasionally. So, whats the best way tocheck the rules? Contact your account service person at your mailhouse, likeDCG West. They will do the legwork for you and find the answer. Be sure to getthe response documented so that you are not caught in a he said/she saidargument later on. I would strongly recommendthat you take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with recent significantchanges in postal regulations at www.USPS.com. The staff at DCG West can also assistyou with any questions. If you want your DM project tomail on time and on budget, MIND THE RULES! For more informationon direct mail print, database marketing, lettershop, mail services and postalregulations, visit www.dcgwest.com
Direct,Mail,Postal,Regulations