The “bread and butter” of any mail house operation,
the main focus of our computerized mailing services department is to keep
up with the ever-changing role computers play in the mail service industry.
Customers in need of postal, or business related, data-processing needs
can certainly benefit from our expertise. For most mailing projects, we
are the step between the client’s print shop and the post office.
We are also equipped to handle printed-material assembly as well as literature
and premium fulfillment. Each mailing is unique, but the basic steps needed
to plan for and prepare every mailing are:
File Format Conversion/Import
Mailing lists come in all shapes and forms. Popular computer
formats include ASCII delimited, ASCII fixed, dBase, Quatro Pro, and Microsoft
Excel, just to name a few. This jumble of formats in further complicated
by the various computer operating systems that are available: Microsoft
Windows, Apple McIntosh, Sun Microsystems UNIX, IBM OS/2, etc.
Our job at Effective Mail Marketing is to uncomplicate the process of getting
a client’s mailing list “ready to use” by allowing our systems
to read their database. EMM will gladly walk the client through the procedure needed to export their database for use with their mailing
project. Our extensive technical expertise allows
us to make this a painless first step in the mailing process.
For the technically savvy client, Effective Mail Marketing is on the cutting
edge of today’s technology. Transfer of mailing lists via the Internet
and direct modem-to-modem communication is fully supported and encouraged.
Record/Field Manipulation
Before mailing, your list has to be “just so.” Need basic data entry of customer records into an electronic database? How about modifying customer records in an existing database? What if you do not even have a mailing list? Effective Mail Marketing is ready to step in and help with all phases of basic and advanced database preparation and creation.
Address Standardization
When working with mailing lists, it is very important
that the addresses are correct. A mislabeled mailer can be delayed in delivery
or, even worse, may not get delivered at all. The U.S. Postal Service does
what it can to direct and deliver mail, but it can only do so much. Part
of the Postal Service’s solution is to offer postage discounts to
those who utilize USPS certified PAVE and CASS address standardization
software in conjunction with mailing databases.
Effective Mail Marketing utilizes such software in order to maximize the
potential of almost every aspect of our computer service department. Essentially
a database of every deliverable address in the United States, by cross-referencing
each address in our customers’ databases against this USPS supplied
list, we are able to:
• increase delivery time for our customers mailers
• correct over 75% of typographical errors incurred from data entry or scanning
Merge/Purge
Unwanted duplicate mailings can be a costly problem, but
how can one easily remove these duplicates from a mailing list? Easy! Let
Effective Mail Marketing do it for you. We can search for and remove listings
with similar addresses, last names, or just about any combination of data
fields a customer may require.
When each household or business should receive only one copy of your mailing,
Effective Mail Marketing can make it happen.
Zip Plus 4 Coding
The first step to automated mailing is to assign the USPS “plus 4” to all valid five digit zip codes in a mailing list. Again, with Effective Mail Marketing mailing software, this first step is automatic.
Carrier Route Coding
USPS Carrier Route rates are the way to go when extensive coverage is needed and cost is a factor. Walk sequence saturation, high density saturation, and standard line-of-travel enhanced carrier routes rates are all available (based upon list quality) using USPS certified mailing software which assigns the appropriate rural or carrier route to every address.
Barcode Printing
Now that the client’s mailing
list has been updated to include “Zip+4” zip codes and route
numbers, our software seemlessly goes to work again assigning a “DPB,”
or “delivery point barcode,” to each address. This information,
in turn, is read by Effective Mail Marketing's high speed printers to produce
a valid 11-digit USPS barcode for each address, allowing our customers
to take advantage of desirable postage discounts when coupled with...
Postage Discount Sorting
Electronic sortation, the final step in the automated
mail sequence, essentially saves the post office money, thus saving our
client’s money too. By sorting the mail according to stringent USPS
standards, placing the mail into mailing containers (sacks, trays, or tubs),
sealing each container securely, then delivering the mailing to the local
Bulk Mail Unit or Destination Delivery Unit, the majority of the mail preparation
has already been completed by Effective Mail Marketing. In exchange, the
USPS grants generous postage discounts which we pass directly along to
our clients.
Mail prepared this way gets to its destination faster, traveling alongside
traditional First Class mail and, to paraphrase Postmaster General Marvin
Runyon, “If it costs less for the USPS to process and deliver, it
should cost less for the client to mail!”
Envelope Inserting and Sealing
In the case of folded materials, or those requiring envelope insertion, our next set of equipment consists of high-speed inserters to arrange a mailer according to the client’s unique specifications, insert them into envelopes, and seals them all in one step. Special applications, such as nesting and collating, can be accomplished during this step as well. Our equipment can detect every conceivable discrepancy in the materials along the way, allowing for efficient, and error-free, insertion of important mailing materials.
Numerous Types of Handwork Applications
Our customers can take advantage of our ability to not only produce their usual mailings, but also to help put together their products. Whether it involves paper products, magnetic media, or other dry goods, our mailing partners can be confident of our second-to-none quality assurance and feel secure that all services are being performed by USPS certified professionals.
Label Printing (inkjet, laser, and pressure sensitive)
When it comes to actually applying addressing information, there are almost as many different types of labels as there are mailing pieces. As so many of our customers choose from the wide spectrum, Effective Mail Marketing is able to produce virtually any label necessary for any project. In fact, we are prepared to meet our clients’ special needs with the ability to develop brand new label formats. From “label-less” labels (essentially printing the mailing address on the piece itself) to more common pressure sensitive labels, popular label formats supported by EMM include:
• Avery labels (1-up through 4-up formats)
• Piggyback labels
• laser labels (from round to rectangular)
Postage Applications
Once the materials are ready for postage, we offer the
client several options in postage application. Along with permit imprint,
another often used form of applying postage is by “metering”
the outside of the mailers. This is done by running the mail through machines
that stamp postage and post office information in the upper right-hand
corner of each piece. Most bank statements are processed this way as it
eliminates having to lick and stick stamps for each envelope, and helps
to take advantage of the many postage discounts available via the United
States Postal Service. Although it is a very effective way of saving time
and money, we would also offer a popular alternative: “Real”
stamps.
Using the same postage metering system, we can apply genuine postage stamps
to mailers and take advantage of the same postage discounts. These stamps
come in special rolls and are used primarily because of their attractiveness
and for the “personal touch” that they can add to the client’s
mailing.
• stamped
• permit imprint
Onsite List Storage
Finally, Effective Mail Marketing's comprehensive Confidentiality
Agreement assures clients that their mailing information will remain safe
and secure while in our keeping, but what about those unforeseen on-site
mishaps? Computer failures or viruses, employee mistakes and other equally
disastrous events can ruin a mailing list, especially when there are no
backups of your valuable data. Or are there?
At EMM, we retain copies of most of our clients mailing lists for six months
to a year, based upon frequency of mailing. As an added benefit to a being
a valued Effective Mail Marketing mailing partner, a quick trip to your
location by one of our technical specialists allows you to be “back
in business” with a fully operational copy of your most recent mailing
list.
At no additional cost to the client, this is just another of the many convenient
services offered by Effective Mail Marketing.