How To Prepare For Automating Your Business Mailing Needs
Automated mailing services can help any organization connect with customers and other target audiences. Regardless of a company's needs, it should use the simplest and most cost-effective way to contact customers. To make the most of the process, however, you'll need to be prepared. Doing these 5 tasks will improve your odds of success.
Ready a Mailing List
The principal value of automated business mailing services comes from mailing lists. Ideally, you'll have an established mailing list from your current business operations. Customer orders, for example, should have provided mail information.
If you don't have a mailing list, be creative about developing one. The fastest solution is to buy one, although accuracy can be an issue. You also can survey customers and ask them to opt into your mailing list with their information.
Duplicate and Spelling Checks
Even with the added cost-effectiveness of automated mailing services, reducing losses will always be a win. Scan your mailing lists for duplicates so you can eliminate them. Also, verify the spelling of names and addresses to ensure the mail will get where it's going. While the postal service will return such items, it's not going to refund your costs. Avoiding spending money on mail items that will return whenever possible.
Identify Target Geographic Areas
Typically, a business will want to limit the geographic span of its mailed items. Depending on the nature of your business and the surrounding, this could be quite tight, only covering a few ZIP codes. Other companies may need to cover several counties or even states.
Fortunately, modern automated mailing service tools allow you to strictly define target areas strictly. Especially if you're starting with a third-party mailing list, geotargeting can reduce costs by not unnecessarily sending items to people who can't respond to your advertisements or other messages.
Employ Analytics
You will want to measure the performance of your campaigns. In addition to automating labeling, you can also automate your appeals. For example, you may want to include a coupon code specific to each geographic area. When you see people enter the code or provide a coupon with it, that will allow you to analyze the performance of that particular campaign. Use scanning software so you can feed the redemptions into your system as rapidly as possible.
Leverage Bulk Mailing Tools
Some forms of mail are just significantly cheaper than others. For example, the postal service discourages the use of weirdly-shaped envelopes by charging more for non-standard items. Have your automated mailing services provider only use these sizes to keep your costs under control.
For more information on automated mailing services, contact a professional near you.