Mailing preparation is an important part of keeping in contact with clients. The better companies are able to organize their mail and plan appropriately, the more success they will have reaching out to clients for marketing or general business purposes. Mail continues to be a prevalent way to maintain customer communication, but there are a lot of factors to take into account, such as the accuracy of contact information and effectiveness of the message. Address management technology helps with the former and keen marketing tactics aid the latter. Whether companies are utilizing direct mail for promotional purposes or basic billing purposes, they need to know how to prepare it properly.

Mailing campaigns are simple, cost effective and an efficient way of communicating a message to customers. This method requires accuracy and a strong attention to detail, though. If companies don’t take the proper measures to ensure that employees receive the piece of mail, their efforts may be fruitless. This can be a problem for businesses, especially if the mailer requires a response from a client or the recipient needed the mail in a timely fashion. In order to make sure every mailing goes according to plan, here are five tips:

1. Implement list cleansing
It’s important to always clean contact information before deploying any mail. Clients’ addresses change at a rapid rate and lists can decay a significant amount every month. List management is a great way to combat poor data and make sure efforts pay off and help companies avoid sending mail to old addresses, the wrong client or shipping off duplicates. These mistakes could result in a lower return on investment than hoped for or a misstep in client communication, thus compromising the relationship.

2. Test first
This is especially important for marketing campaigns. It is a good idea to try out new direct mail tactics as well as make sure that mail is reaching its intended target. Test different variables of the piece of mail, such as the message, the type of mail, the call to action or design aspects to find the best strategy that will resonate with customers.

3. Create worthy mail
Designing the piece of mail is something businesses should spend the most time on. The look and functionality of the piece of mail, whether a newsletter, a billing statement or a postcard, need to be effective and easy to interact with. Play around with the text, colors and brand logo, among other aspects of the piece. Make sure it accurately reflects the image of the company and communicates an honest and compelling message. Something that stands out in the mail box won’t mistakenly get put aside.

4. Try automated systems
To make sure companies don’t gloss over certain client interactions, it may be a good idea to initiate an automated mailing system. This makes client experiences as personal as possible and ensures they don’t miss out on anything. Under 30 CEO pointed out that there are multiple benefits to creating a mail automation process, namely the ability to offer clients better communication without missing a beat. This method also calls for impeccable data and address verification efforts.

5. Revisit data
The importance of clean data can never be overemphasized. When businesses think they have mastered the art of data quality and have a perfectly accurate system is when they will fail. Contact information is always changing, despite any internal efforts to maintain a great system. Databases require constant attention. When marketers or customer service professionals looks to follow up with a client after a meeting or purchase, they need to be able to rely on the accuracy of the information to get in touch with that person.

MCC can help you ensure your business is equipped with the tools necessary to run your direct mail campaign. From address management, addressing your mail, automation and postage we have you covered. Contact us today for a demonstration and consult.