Growing up I remember waiting with anticipation for birthday cards and other sentiments to arrive in my mailbox from family and friends across the country. It was and to this day remains a great feeling to know that someone cared enough to send me a personal note via the United States Postal Service. Nowadays with email being so fast and free some of that personal touch is gone and it really is a shame. Given the speed of email versus the slower delivery times of USPS mail, sending a letter or card via the USPS has now commonly been referred to as sending “Snail” mail (slow to deliver). Well for some of us it still has a special meaning so I prepared this short list of 10 reasons to still use snail mail:
1. It’s exciting to receive a personal letter or note. Whether it’s a love note passed in class under your desk or a carefully written letter from a loved one, reading a personal letter or note has always been exciting and feels special in direct proportion to the effort the sender went through to get it to you.
2. You can add confetti or creative designs to your letter or card. This again points out the time and effort that can be relayed by snail mail much more easily. For birthdays and other special events I like to fill the envelope with stars or confetti so if you get a letter from me be prepared for a surprise inside!
3. There’s more privacy to snail mail. Unlike with email it is much less likely that a letter or communication sent via postal mail will get intercepted and read by another party. It’s possible but unlikely and the recipient can generally tell of the letter has been opened.
4. Emails can get lost in junk mail filters. While it’s possible that a letter sent via snail mail can get lost in shipping it happens far less than emails getting lost in the abyss that is the modern day junk mail filter.
5. Emails are prone to quicker judgments and rash decisions. It’s so easy to send an email that we can write something in haste and send it before we actually take enough time to think it through. That is generally not the case with postal mail unless you work in a post office and have direct access.
6. You can send more variety of items via snail mail. Sort of like my confetti trick above you can also add pictures or other personal touches to a snail mail all the way up to complete packages, boxes, etc. So far we haven’t found a way to transport something like that through our computers.
7. People tend to elaborate more with snail mail. In general, people drop the abbreviations when they are handwriting a letter so instead of (LOL, ROFL, OMG, etc.) people tend to actually write out their words and thoughts. If nothing else, sometimes it’s just good to know that you can still do that.
8. There’s no virus attached. Generally speaking there are no viruses attached to a snail mail that you can catch on accident by previewing the snail mail before opening it. I’m not saying that someone couldn’t send a virus via snail mail it’s just far, far less likely.
9. It’s too easy to forward your email content to thousands of people worldwide (on accident). With a few clicks of the button, you can send it to everyone on your list, which is dangerous if the content is important. Unfortunately there is no undo button for sending email in most cases so you are stuck with the consequences of your actions.
10. The check is in the mail… yes it still works. One of the most important reasons to use snail mail is for cash management purposes if you need to pay a bill but have a couple of days until you are going to get paid or have the money, then snail mail is much more effective for you that online bill payment. You can simply call the provider/vendor and let them know “the check is in the mail”.
So these aren’t the only reasons but they are some good one’s. An honorable mention that didn’t make the list is the excuse that you can always use for a greeting being late (birthday card, graduation card, etc.). You can say you had trouble getting to the post office or that your letter was lost in the mail, but be careful with that one though as most people are smart enough to look at the postmark date.
shared by our friends at changeofaddress.org
Hi Michael,
We would love to share with you an article that we just posted on our own blog! “Top 10 Reasons to Use Snail Mail” (http://www.changeofaddress.org/blog/2010/top-10-reasons-to-use-snail-mail/) would be an interesting story for your readers to check out and discuss on your blog, so we hope you will consider sharing it!
Thanks so much for your time, and have a wonderful day!
Sheryl Owen
CSG Direct Mail continues to evolve direct mail into the service it was always meant to be. At CSG, Direct Mail is responsive, accountable, trackable and now it is also completely mobile. CSG Direct Mail is now available in the iTunes App Store.
We put all our CSG Direct Mail Tracking tools on the iPhone. CSG Direct Mail for iPhone was released into the iTunes App Store May 7th 2010. You can now track every aspect of your direct mail projects with DIRECT MAIL by CSG Direct, Inc.
Track Your Projects:
The #1 question in the direct mail industry is "Did my mailing going out", so in 1999 CSG Direct built the very 1st direct mail project portal. Our portal has been modernized many times and new services continue to be added. Now available on your iPhone and iPad.
In our direct mail portal you have always had LIVE tracking of every project from start to finish. Then as each project is delivered to the post office you get an automated notice to let you know. You always know when it is expected to mail and what steps are left, Folding, Inserting, Addressing and more. Every Step is tracked. You get Live Access to all this information.
Track Your Individual Direct Mail Pieces:
That's right! Direct Mail has Evolved at CSG Direct, Inc.
After we complete your direct mailing and take your mailing to the US Postal Service, you can track the movement of your mail pieces en route to their individual destinations.
In 2008 and 2009 we invented a whole series of tools, widgets, maps and reports around the new 
IMB barcodes and the USPS Confirm services in order to let our customers track individual mail pieces. This innovation was long overdue.
This was our DIRECT MAIL DREAM and we made it a reality!
These newest innovations are built on our proprietary Direct Mail Tracking Systems. Now available for iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Now you can easily tell when pieces are arriving in-homes and have all your direct mail project information with you when you need it most.
Check on your projects in your marketing meetings when you are called on. No need to look things up after the meeting and look unprepared while in the meetings. Show people you run the direct mail and you have your fingers on the pulse at all times with CSG Direct Mail for your Smartphone.
With our US Mail Tracking innovations we have millions of records and we have lots of unique ways we plan to give you this data. I have goosebumps on what is still coming. Get CSG Direct Mail for your iPhone so you don't miss out on our next planned updates too.
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(More Smartphones coming soon)
Even though the United States Postal Service is reporting a significant decline in the volume of mail we all know from the contents in our mailboxes that we still seem to get plenty. It’s clear that direct mail marketing budgets have been slashed in many cases, but of course as some companies pull back from sending mail others see that as an opportunity to send more. We decided to research which profit and non-profit organizations are currently sending the most mail.
Top 10 For-Profit Mailers
56% of all the top 50 mailers in the U.S. are for-profit ogranizations. Several of these are large publishing companies athat sending publications, renewal notices, and other offers to the public.
- -Publishers Clearing House – This household name in the sweepstakes industry makes over $620 million dollars a year through publishing and distributing millions of magazines and other publications. They are the overall largets user of direct mail in the U.S.
- -The Economist Group – With revenues north of $516 million this is another publishing giant. They publish under the brands of The Economist newspaper, The Economist online, Edonomist Intelligence Unit, and a few more.
- -Conde Naste – You may not be familiar with this massive publisher with revenues of $454 million per year. They own some of the most subscribed to magazines in the World (GQ, Vogue, The New Yorker, etc.).
- -Direct Brands – Like Conde Naste, you may say Direct Brands, Inc. who? Well they have revenues of $402 million per year with services you will recognize (Columbia House, Book-of-the-Month Club, etc.).
- -Consumers Union – This company has revenues in excess of $249 million per year on sending direct mail, you may be more familiar with Consumer Reports.
- -Omaha Steaks – With revenues of $200 million per year this company has made a bundle off of selling mail order mouth watering meats. Now that’s mail with some sizzle to it!
- -Rodale – Has revenues of approximately $136 million per year and publishes magazines like Men’s Health, Runner’s World, and Prevention.
- -Hachette Filipacchi Media – Another massive magazine publisher with revenues reported at $123 million from magazines like ELLE, Woman’s Day, Car and Driver, Road & Track, and more).
- -International Masters Publishers – This publisher is well known for Recipes & Cooking, Wildlife & Nature, Home & Leisure, and similar categories of publications. They have annual revenues of $230 million.
- -Boardroom – This is another publisher for a list that is most well-known for their Bottom Line newsletters in the subject areas of Personal, Health, Retirement, Natural Healing, and Wealth. Their revenues could not be reliably collected.
Top 10 Non-Profit Mailers
44% of all the top 50 mailers in the U.S. are non-profit ogranizations that are either soliciting for donations or attempting to collect on pledges via mailers.
- -Smithsonian Institute – They generate donations/revenue of $532 million per year.
- -U.S. Fund for UNICEF – They generate donations/revenue of $454 million per year.
- -Habitat for Humanity – They generate donations/revenue of $356 million per year.
- -The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – They generate donations/revenue of $269 million per year.
- -March of Dimes – They generate donations/revenue of $248 million per year.
- -World Wildlife fund – They generate donations/revenue of $180 million per year.
- -Paralyzed Veterens of America – They generate donations/revenue of $109 million per year.
- -Humane Society of the U.S. – They generate donations/revenue of $102 million per year.
- -Alzheimers Association – They generate donations/revenue of $95 million per year.
- -National Wildlife Federation – They generate donations/revenue of $83 million per year.
It’s always interesting to see who is using the mail more frequently as a means of communicating with the American public. The biggest surprise is that in this list of the 20 top mailers, that are no banks or credit card companies. Judging by the mail I get every day, that’s a surprise.
shared by our friends at changeofaddress.org
Hi Michael,
We would love to share with you an article that we just posted on our own blog! “Top 20 U.S. Direct Mail Marketer” (http://www.changeofaddress.org/blog/2010/top-20-us-direct-mail-marketers/) would be an interesting story for your readers to check out and discuss on your blog, so we hope you will consider sharing it!
Thanks so much for your time, and have a wonderful day!
Sheryl Owen
PCC of Northern Nevada Lunch and Learn Series
Guest Speaker: Michael Hemphill of CSG Direct, Inc
The US Postal Service continues to 
modernize and automate steps to keep postage low and better serve its clients. Come learn about the new Business Customer Gateway from the US Postal Service.
The Business Customer Gateway gives you a single, unified landing point to access the Postal Services' online business offerings. These channels consist of the products that support intelligent Mail Full Service Mailing. This includes PostalOne!, FAST (Facility Access and Shipment Tracking), CLDS (Customer Label Distribution System) and Mailer IDs (MID).
Here is the USPS Business Customer Gateway Powerpoint (trimmed)
Speaker: Michael Hemphill of CSG Direct, Inc
Topic: Business Customer Gateway
Location: Atlantis Casino, 3800 S Virginia St, Grand Ballroom 5
Date: Thursday May 20, 2010
Time: Registration at 11:30 am, Lunch served at 12:00
Cost: $20
Reserve your seat by contacting Cindy Cornelison at 775-788-0690.
Call early to request a vegetarian meal.
Here is a scanned copy of the postcard invite from the PCC:
If you are looking for Direct Mailing Pricing or Direct Mail Quotes for any kind of Direct Mailing Services make sure you are looking for more than just price.
GET A QUOTE FROM US!
OUR QUOTES ARE FOR SUCCESSFUL DIRECT MAIL
Are we inexpensive, sure! We are The Greatest Value in Direct Mail.
We are also highly qualified, focused and more experienced than most companies you will meet. Plus, 25 of us have been USPS Mail Piece Quality Certified and we have people certified in all departments and all steps of your project. Your Bid should require expertise and a long deep track record of no-problem mailings, correct?
..nobody matches our accountability standards! - NOBODY!
As the only direct mailing company that lets you track every stage and status of your direct mailing project, we are the most accountable direct mailer in the country. Then we take it to the next level and you are able to track each and every mailpiece as they travel through the US Postal Service with our US Mail Tracking. Additional US Mail Tracking is available through our TrackDirectMail.com tools.
Here are some Testimonials
Here we are on Facebook
Also, our newly launched US Mail Tracking widget is now available.
GET A QUOTE FROM US!
YOU JUST MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING NEW
If you haven’t already heard, the US Postal service will be implementing new postal rates and standards for folded self-mailers and letter sized booklets – also known as “slim-jims”.
These new standards were scheduled to go into effect with the postal rate increase on May 11, but then delayed after review until Sept. 8th of this year. These new standards pose a “double-whammy” on the industry, as new size templates will need to be implemented for designs and creative for mail-pieces. The new standards will also incur much deeper penalties for mailers who are not compliant.
Instead of getting non-automation rates for non-automation compliant pieces, mailers will likely be getting hit with non-machineable rates for virtually all mailpieces that do not comply with automation standards.
The only exception to this, as I am told, will be non-barcoded mailpieces that otherwise would be automation compliant in regards to size, tabs, folds, paper stock, etc.
The new maximum size for letter sized booklets and folded self- mailers is 6” x 10.5” x .25” thick. The post office will also be enforcing new tab and paper weight standards. Please review the information to avoid problems.
It’s important to stay ahead of the changes that the US Postal Service is continually making. This is why working with mail professionals helps to ensure that your direct marketing projects are prepared and presented without costly or problematic delays.
Your projects deserve the attention that only a true direct mail marketer can provide. Putting addresses on mail pieces as a side business, as many print shops do to enhance revenue, does not qualify them as professional direct marketers.
Give us call to discuss your next mail project – In these times of extreme budget monitoring and cuts…it is crucial that you get the absolute best value for your company’s marketing dollar. We invite you to compare us to your current mail shop, you will find that we are "The Greatest Value in Direct Mail”.
The US Postal Service is having it's first 'Sale' that I have seen in my lifetime of 20 postal years. They are going to give you 30% off of your postage rates for every dollar you spent 'above your average'.
The details are best to come directly from the US Postal Service so here is the quote from the Post Office customer Relations:
"The Postal Service will offer qualifying Standard Mail customers a
30 percent discount on eligible mailings this summer. This will provide
those mailers with an incentive to prospect for new customers and
reconnect with existing customers.
We think Direct Mail has tremendous value in growing your business.
With Direct Mail accounting for 22 percent of the $250 billion spent
nationwide on advertising each year, it’s big business. Direct mail is
targeted and measurable to an extent other advertising media can’t
match.
The summer sale is currently under review by the Postal Regulatory
Commission. We plan to begin the discounted pricing July 1. The sale
will run until September 30.
Obviously, this is a new initiative for us and we’re anxious to see
how well it will work. Are any of you going to take advantage of the
summer sale?"
– Steve Kearney, senior vice president, Customer Relations
The catch is, to be eligable you must mail over 1 million pieces of mail from October 1st 2007 through March 31st 2008. From those dates a 'threshold' is being established to compare your current summer mailings to.
You will pay your full postage rates through this season and then after October 31st the US Postal Service will determine your rebate and put that back on your permit by December 31st.
So there is a Sale, but only a handful of our direct mail customers will even apply for it as the discount is 30% of the postage spent above your average amount. Of course you still have to mail at least a million pieces in the 4 months as well.
I estimate that this will affect the 'publishers clearinghouses' and 'Capital Ones' of the world the most. I just wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't tell you about it. If you would like us to help you calculate, monitor and apply for your savings with you we will.
During difficult economic times, I find that the marketing professionals that I work with are more price-conscious than ever. Budgets are slashed, staff is reduced and expectations on marketing teams are raised. How do you do more with less?
Well, first of all you want to partner with a team that has A LOT of experience in dealing with direct mail marketing. Direct mail is the most targeted and trackable form of advertising. Savvy marketers have learned that having experienced vendors/partners is crucial when budgets are tight.
The anguish of having a budget overrun due to postage upcharges or undeliverable mail is an experience that has destroyed more than one career. One needs to analyze the true value of experience and leadership in their marketing campaigns.
You wouldn't hire an attorney or surgeon based on price. The end results are just too important. The same philosophy holds true on your marketing - the lifeblood of your company. A vendor who is less than qualified to properly assess, critique (really), analyze, and process your mail probably is not going to save you any money on your overall campaigns.
A Direct Mail specialist, such as you will find at CSG Direct; is trained and versed on postal regulations, design elements, USPS rules and regulation changes, and targeted marketing strategies. Our staff of fully certified USPS MQC (Mailpiece Quality Control) specialists often find design elements, size constraints or data problems that would get past the most experienced of mail shops.
We also offer creative solutions to save our customers money on production and postage rates, which sometimes makes an individual project less profitable for us... but we are here as a partner, for the long haul. Your projects deserve the experience and expertise that comes from seasoned mail professionals.
Let your competitors work with the inexperienced, fly by night companies while you shop for a company that makes you shine.
You will look better for two reasons:
#1) Your campaigns are effective because you found the true value of experience and expertise. The mailings are dropped in an efficient and timely manner to the intended recipients. You can track your mail through the mail stream (a CSG Direct exclusive) to identify when your target markets are receiving their mailings. You have confidence that your projects stay within budget, and are offered the tools to fully justify the mailing.
#2) You sleep well at night because you know you are working with detail oriented partners who care about your success and are certified in every avenue as meticulous professionals.
The next time you plan a mailing campaign, take a moment to reflect on who you are working with. Are you getting true value?
Are you comfortable with the experience level of your direct mail partner? Are you taking advantage of all of the benefits of a great response and postal discounts that are available?
Either way, get a quote from us so you can compare your vendors to the benchmark in direct mail. You deserve a good nights sleep!
Mailing lists can be extremely complicated or very easy. It depends on a couple of different things. One of these is what you are trying to sell. The other is what type of business you are.
If you are trying to open a new business or a new location, I believe the best strategy is to hit every address within a 2-5 mile radius. Your postage rate will go down significantly when you mail to every address in a neighborhood. The list is cheaper for more records (which is important in these times) and you can increase your overall ROI due to the larger area you are covering. Add “To Our Neighbors At” (which we pioneered!) and you give your mailpiece a more personal feeling.
If you are looking to target a specific group of people, then trust the experts at
CSG Direct to guide you down the right path. Whether you need to target golfers, motorcycle enthusiasts, or people interested in bingo; we can put together a great
mailing list for you. Since the data is self-reported, you know you won’t waste your valuable marketing dollars mailing to people not interested. If you can think of a list, CSG Direct can put it together for you. We can also add
variable data to the piece to give the client the feeling that you know them.
Give us a call, or just shoot us an e-mail, and the experts at CSG Direct will be happy to guide you down the path to building a successful mailing list.
The mailing industry is going through major changes and I have heard several industry predictions that many mailing services companys and mail processing printers will "get out" instead of keeping up. This isn't a bad thing.
It's an industry reborn!
So as you look for your partner for the next decade I want to tell you what you need to know about mailing services companys.
"They all specialize in something"
Due to the large amount of mail and data processing needs in our country, you'll find that almost every mailshop is eventually pulled into some large account they cater to first and foremost. I have seen it time and time again.
They get pulled into tabloids, invoices, publications, credit card mailings, real estate franchises, etc. You go into any mailshop and see for yourself. What is the primary industry they serve? That is the industry that they are best ready to serve and most prepared to consult in.
These days you will often find out that their primary industry isn't even direct mail. The printing industry started adopting direct mail as a side business to increase revenue about 2-3 years ago.
How would you feel if you found out your "mailing vendor" doesn't even specialize in direct mail at all? It sure would explain some things that have happened along the way with your mailings, I'll bet.
We're a mailing services company through and through. Sure, we have also grown one of the largest digital print shops in the state of Nevada and we keep every traditional press within reach dancing on our projects. But we are a mailshop and we take that very personally. We make a huge difference with the customers that choose us over the status quo. Ask!
It is a big difference and it is what you are looking for. You will never find deep success with people whose core focus is printing. Printing is a secondary skill in our minds. This is database marketing. We're database marketers with a reputation in variable data printing going back to the 80s.
That is just one of the reasons to keep us in mind on your next project. Because we are close, experts in gaming direct mail and have the tools you need.