The jobs in a mailing
- Strategy
- List
- Copy + design
- Sort + postage
- Track
| Job | Printer | Mail house | Marketing service or agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategy and audience | Rarely | Rarely | Yes |
| Lists and data | Sometimes | Often | Yes, or through a partner |
| Copy and design | Sometimes | Rarely | Yes |
| Printing | Yes | Sometimes | Through a partner |
| Addressing, sorting, postage | Sometimes | Yes | Through a partner |
| Tracking and reporting | Rarely | Rarely | Yes |
When to hire one
- You don't have time to plan, design and track the mailings yourself.
- You want a repeating program, not a single drop.
- You need lists or data work you can't do in-house.
- You want someone accountable for results, not just for printing.
When you can do it yourself
- A simple EDDM® postcard to your own neighborhood.
- Mailing your own customer list with a local printer and mail house.
- You're testing whether mail works at all before committing a budget.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Which of the jobs above do you do in-house, and which do you pass to partners?
- What will each mailing cost, line by line: printing, postage, list, design and your fee?
- Whose postage permit is used, and is postage passed through at cost?
- How will results be tracked, and what will the reports show?
- Who owns the design files and any list built for me?
- What's the minimum commitment, and how do I end it?
Questions
What does a direct mail marketing agency do?
It plans the program, chooses the audience and offer, designs the piece, coordinates printing and mailing, and tracks the results.
Is a printer the same as a direct mail service?
Not usually. A printer produces the pieces. A marketing service handles the strategy, design and tracking, and may arrange the printing and mailing too.
Should postage be marked up?
Ask. Many services pass postage through at cost and charge for their own work separately. Either way, you should see it on its own line.