HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUEST A DEMO

HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail

HIPAA is short for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The act is meant to protect the medical or health information of patients. It provides data confidentiality and security provisions for safeguarding sensitive information and allowing people to have better control over how their data is used.

HIPAA applies to all organizations, including healthcare institutions and pharmaceutical companies that deal with health information on a regular basis. These companies are called HIPAA-covered entities and are supposed to carry out all their offline and online communications under its provisions. Any violation of the HIPAA provisions could attract legal action and heavy penalties.

One of the main purposes of HIPAA is to regulate marketing activities that require dealing with PHI (Protected Health Information). While sending direct mail, including PHI, direct mail marketers must make sure to stay HIPAA compliant.

What is HIPAA?

HIPAA was brought into force in the year 1996 by Congress for two main reasons. The first reason was to regulate the use of PHI and protect it from fraud and misuse, while the other reason was to help people get healthcare insurance benefits while they shuffle between jobs.

HIPAA direct mail is crucial to establish patient communications through correspondence, keeping the patient’s information on priority. You cannot expose confidential information when sending a HIPAA direct mail including fingerprints, date of birth, Identification information, license and security numbers. With HIPAA compliance, businesses have the right to safeguard their personal information. Mail items are targeted to a specific demographic audience with content related to their health. These items include Explanation of Benefits (EOB), Patient billing statements, Patient letters and notices and, more.

Title 2 consists of the Privacy Rule that was established in 2003 and states the use and handling of PHI. It limits the disclosure of personal information to third parties for marketing purposes. As the name goes, the rule was formed to give absolute control of one’s own health information to people and prioritize their privacy. This rule was accompanied by several provisions and protocols that healthcare providers and other covered entities should strictly follow.

One of the other rules of HIPAA is the security rule that states everything regarding data stored and transmitted electronically. It also prohibits organizations from sharing sensitive information with third parties so that the privacy rule can be honoured. Similarly, the enforcement rule makes sure that all involved parties comply with HIPAA. All violation investigations are conducted under this rule.

What Is Protected Health Information or PHI?

We have already come across the term PHI, so let us know more about it. PHI could be any slightest information that reveals a person’s medical data or even their identity. Even a person’s name is considered as PHI that should be protected and kept private.

Find below a list of details considered as PHI:

• Name
• Email address
• Mailing address
• Date of birth
• Facial images
• IP address
• Medical statements
• Health insurance information
• National insurance number
• Phone number
• Availed health plans
• Any medical test reports
• Medical billing information
• Correspondence between medical staff pertaining to a patient’s health
• Biometric identifiers and anything that can possibly be related to a person’s health or identity

HIPAA-Covered Entities

Any business or individual handling PHI can be referred to as a “covered entity.” This term was coined for easy classification of entities and to determine whether they should be HIPAA compliant.

• Health plan entities like all the health insurance companies are covered entities and need to follow all HIPAA provisions strictly. Though not all their communications are covered under HIPAA, they always need to be careful.
• The next on the list is healthcare clearinghouses that process medical information. Clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes, and even professionals like doctors, psychologists, and dentists are all covered.
• Other than all the healthcare providers listed above, there are more entities and people who need to remain HIPAA compliant. For example, clinical trial recruiters, someone working in an old age institution, or a home nurse. When it comes to communicating private medical data, especially via post, all related individuals and organizations are covered entities.
• All the above points talk about providers that directly or indirectly deal with medical data regularly. But, HIPAA applies to a lot more companies, such as a gym promoting their services based on people’s medical data or a belly band manufacturing company. Any company that is likely to use health information to promote its products and services is advised to comply with HIPAA. Not only that, since a person’s identity is also regarded as PHI, every company that uses names and mailing addresses to send out direct mail is the covered entity.
• Cloud hosting companies, email and direct mail solution providers, and fax and SMS service providers are also not excluded. Furthermore, firms storing PHI electronically, also called “business associates” who take data from covered entities for providing their services are indirectly covered under HIPAA.

The Royal Mail, FedEx, and other mail service providers are excluded from HIPAA because they don’t have access to view, create, receive, store, or transmit PHI. They merely take letters and parcels from one place and drop them off in another without knowing the exact contents of the mail.

HIPAA Compliant Mailing: The Use Cases

HIPAA compliant mailing service providers like PostGrid help you send high-quality items without displaying a patient’s health condition, finances, treatment-related data, and more that is kept private. In addition to this, HIPAA compliant mailing is one of the great ways for hospitals, healthcare marketers, etc. And, they can send the following documentation:

• Explanation of Benefits (EOB)
• Patient billing statements
• Patient letters and notices
• Medical statement inserts
• Patient or physician mailers

Sending HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail

Basically, HIPAA restricts all hospitals, nurseries, clinics, healthcare professionals, and other healthcare providers to share data with other companies for marketing purposes, although it doesn’t stop them from marketing their own services to their patients using PHI.

For example, a hospital can send direct mail, including information regarding their upcoming diabetes checkup drive to their old patients, irrespective of whether they are diabetes patients. Hence, they can use their own data for advertising but cannot share the same with outsiders.

So, what can covered entities and associated businesses do to remain HIPAA compliant? Firstly, they can send out all their communications using envelopes. Avoid sending postcards or self-mailers that allow the postal workers to view your mail. It is best to stuff your mail in sealed envelopes with no windows so that all PHI is completely kept hidden.

Secondly, select a HIPAA compliant direct mail solution provider like PostGrid. Its print and mail API can store your data securely while also assisting you in all your direct mail activities. Find below a few examples of healthcare documents that PostGrid can help you print and mail safely and legally:

• Medical statements
• Test reports
• Invoices
• Discharge summaries
• Medical receipts
• Patient letters
• Breach of security notifications
• EOB (Explanation of Benefits)
• EOC (Explanation of Coverage)

There are many benefits of sending mail through PostGrid. You can be relieved of the stress related to dealing with PHI. With PostGrid, you can make sure that all your data is handled well and all the HIPAA provisions are followed strictly, leaving no room for legal hassles.

Moreover, PostGrid offers cost-effective and all-in-one rates and speedy turnaround solutions for delivering your medical documents swiftly. Other than that, it also helps you with your direct mail planning, designing, printing, and tracking activities.

Some more tips for sending HIPAA compliant direct mail are:

• Obtain the explicit consent of patients prior to sending them any direct mail item.
• Send all correspondence via certified mail so that you can receive the recipient’s signature and proof of delivery. These things can safeguard you from any possible legal issues.
• Clearly state your company’s identity on all your mail items.
• Explain the purpose of your mail and how it is relevant to the recipient.

Wrapping Up

HIPAA is meant to safeguard the interests of the general public as data breaches are happening more regularly now. It states that all medical information must be used only for relevant purposes. Hence, healthcare institutions and providers are prohibited from sharing data with outside parties for any purpose, let alone selling it.

Following the rules laid down by HIPAA enables entities to avoid legal issues and fines. It also helps them target an audience relevantly and focus only on prospective customers.

Streamline your direct mail activities while conducting campaigns legally. No more manual effort or mental stress. Get Started with PostGrid’s direct mail API and automate everything.

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

SIGN UPREQUEST A DEMO

The post HIPAA Compliant Direct Mail appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/hipaa-compliant-direct-mail/

source https://postgridunitedkingdom.blogspot.com/2022/04/hipaa-compliant-direct-mail.html

source https://suzannefcox.tumblr.com/post/682816616973598720

Best Direct Mail Marketing Companies

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUEST A DEMO

10 Best Direct Mail Marketing Companies For Your Business

Direct mail marketing campaigns are not easy! And, by the looks of it, you already know that since you are here looking for the best direct mail marketing companies. It is not hard to find direct mail companies for printing and delivering your marketing mailers.

But, finding a direct mail service provider that needs to meet all your direct mail needs is a different story altogether. We have compiled a list of the best direct mail marketing companies along with their features and capabilities. 

Hence, if you have any confusion or questions about which direct mail company is best suited for your business, this article is for you. 

What is Direct Mail Marketing?

Direct mail marketing involves sending physical correspondence such as letters, postcards, brochures, etc., to generate a desired response from the target audience. Before you pick the best direct mail company for your business, let’s discuss some basic direct mail marketing requirements.

The basics of a direct mail marketing campaign are pretty simple, and all it needs are three things:

1. Design or Branding elements to identify your business
2. An attractive Call To Action or CTA pushes the target to take action
3. A way for your target audience to get in touch with your business

But, as we have already pointed out, these are just the basics you need for your direct mail marketing campaigns to succeed. Suppose you want to make a considerable difference to your ROI. In that case, you must consider using only the best direct mail companies for your business instead of going for the affordable option.

Is Direct Mail Marketing Still Effective?

Many marketers believe that direct mail marketing is among one of the most cost-effective ways to convey a brand message. However, most marketers and business owners are too focused on their digital marketing campaigns.

They often fail to see the true potential of direct mail, let alone understand why they need a direct mail company to help them. Did you know that the response rate of direct mail increased by 43% in 2016?

One of the top ten marketers listed by Forbes, Niel Patel, explains that direct mail marketing is now more effective than most digital marketing campaigns. You should also know that direct mail offers a higher ROI for your business than paid search and online display ads.

In addition to this, the response rate of direct mail can get as high as 5%! We will not say that it is easy to get the maximum response from your direct mail campaigns. However, using the best direct mail marketing companies can help you.

10 Best Direct Mail Marketing Companies

Choosing the right direct mail company for your business can make a huge difference in your efforts at direct mail ROI. But selecting a reliable direct mail service provider can be tricky. Finding one that perfectly fits your direct mail needs is ever more complex.

You’re probably wondering how you can choose the best direct mail service provider for your business. Let us help you beat this dilemma by listing out the best direct mail companies you can choose for optimising your direct mail marketing efforts.

1. PostGrid

If your business is looking for a unified system to meet all aspects of your direct mail needs, then PostGrid is your best choice. Companies in different verticals such as healthcare, finance, etc., hardly have enough time to manage their business operations.

Now, imagine throwing complex and manual direct mail marketing into the mix. It would just drain time, money, and resources from the companies. PostGrid is a direct mail company that allows you to upload a design or template to print and deliver highly personalised marking mailers.

Features and Capabilities

• Fully Automated Direct Mail System: PostGrid offers a fully automated direct mail system. It enables you to automatically personalise, print, and deliver your direct mail. In addition to this, you can also schedule when to send mail and even set up triggered direct mail.
• Address Verification Tool: Apart from a fully automated direct mail system, the direct mail company also offers an address verification API. It lets you validate the deliverability of your addresses by comparing them against Royal Mail’s official address database.
• GDPR Compliance: PostGrid comes with GDPR or General Data Protection Regulation compliance which ensures the valuable data of your customers and prospects remain secure.
• Geocoding: One thing that makes PostGrid one of the best direct mail companies in the UK is its ability to geocode addresses. It enables you to identify patterns and target specific localities for direct mail marketing.
• Address Autocomplete: You can implement the address autocomplete feature on your website, landing pages, and even mobile apps. The system automatically suggests verified addresses to the user based on the information they enter in the form and their location data.

2. PsPrint

PsPrint is a direct mail company that offers top-quality direct mail service at a budget-friendly price. Businesses can print various types of custom marketing mailers. Additionally, it uses a simple system that even a middle schooler can use to choose a direct mailer, upload a design, and attach a relevant mailing list.

Features and Capabilities

• On-Demand Mailing List: Are you holding yourself back from implementing a direct mail campaign for your business because you don’t have a mailing list? With a direct mail company like PsPrint, you can get a mailing list in under 15 minutes by answering a few simple questions.
• Quick Turnaround Time: If time is a significant consideration for your direct mail marketing campaign, PsPrint might be your best choice. It has a turnaround time of 2 to 5 days after placing the order. 
• Mail List Processing: Apart from the various direct mail products, PsPrint also offers mail list processing such as inkjet addressing and postal resorting.
• Direct Mail Finishing: The direct mail company offers advanced print finishing services such as die-cutting and foil stamping. If you want to know other print finishing methods for your direct mail, click here.

3. Gunderson Direct

Gunderson Direct can be a good fit for businesses that feel more comfortable with an experienced direct mail company. The company has sent more than 1.5 billion mailers! A speciality of this direct mail provider is that they provide strategic partnerships for continually improving your marketing campaigns.

Features and Capabilities

• Strategic Expertise: As an industry expert, Gunderson Direct offers strategic helps you form advanced direct mail strategies for your business. Hence, the direct mail expert helps you perfect your direct mail campaigns and optimise them for better results.
• Vast Data Network Providers: One thing that makes Gunderson Direct an ideal direct mail partner is its enormous data network providers. It allows you to target a wide range of audiences throughout the UK and beyond.
• Budget and Timeline Management: Are you a business owner who finds managing your direct mail budget and timeline hard? If yes, the direct mail company will help you out by creating a direct mail plan specific to your budget and timeline requirements.
• Performance-Focused Analytics: With the performance-focused analytics from Gunderson Direct, you get valuable insights that can help you minimise your expenses and boost productivity.

4. MailShark

Mail Shark is one of the best direct mail marketing companies you can choose for taking care of your direct mail campaigns. The best thing about Mailshark is that it can handle every aspect of your direct mail campaign, from design to print to delivery of your marketing materials.

Features and Capabilities

• Diverse Mailing Options: Some of the mailing options available from Mailshark include targeted direct mailing, Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM for US addresses), and even a mailing program for new movers. 
• Professional Guidance: The direct mail company provides professional guidance from direct mail marketing experts to create the perfect strategy for your business.
• Custom Direct Mail Marketing Solutions: Custom solutions are another nifty advantage you get from a direct mail service provider like Mailshark. The custom solutions from Mailshark are suited to your requirements and budget.

5. Vistaprint

The best thing about Vistaprint is that it doesn’t require you to sign any contracts. So, if signing a contract or making an upfront payment is a dealbreaker to your business, then Vistaprint is your best option. However, there is a catch. You can only print postcards using Vistaprint.

Features and Capabilities

• Over 4000 Postcard Templates: Vistaprint offers a whopping 4000 postcard templates for you to choose from. 
• Highly-Targeted Mailing Lists: Don’t have a mailing list for sending your marketing mailers? Worry not because the direct mail company provides you with highly-targeted mailing lists based on demographic data.
• Drag And Drop Designing Platform: Vistaprint offers a convenient drag-and-drop designing platform that even a child can easily use to design marketing mailers.
• 24 Hour Customer Support: With Vistaprint, you get 24-hour customer support, so you can always depend on them to help you with any roadblocks.

6. Cactus Mailing

Cactus Mailing may not be the most significant direct mail company we have listed here. But, they are famous for their quality direct mail designing, printing, and mailing services. 

It gives you access to a humble tool where you can upload your designs and use targeted mailing lists for direct mail marketing campaigns. 

The downside is that the company does not offer an advanced design tool like its competitors.

Features and Capabilities

• Smart Marketing Concept: The direct mail company combines digital tools like landing pages and Google display ads with direct mail marketing materials like brochures. 
• No-Obligation Direct Mail Plans:  Smart Marketing service from Cactus Mailing provides you with a no-obligation direct mail marketing plan and attractive discounts.
• Help In Improving Brand Awareness: Cactus Mailing offers special services to help businesses improve their brand awareness and boost sales through direct mail marketing.

7. Next Day Flyers

Suppose yours is a company that often runs high-volume direct mail campaigns. In that case, Next Day Flyers could be the perfect direct mail company for you. The company lets you send all mailers, including brochures, postcards, etc. 

With two production facilities on either coast, the company can ensure a quick turnaround time for your direct mail campaigns. However, there are other ways you can speed up the postal mail delivery, and you can read all about them here.

Features and Capabilities

• In-House Postal Service: One thing that makes Next Day Flyers stand out from the rest of its competitors is its in-house postal service. However, you can choose not to mail your marketing materials and collect them directly from the direct mail company.
• In-house Graphic Designers: By employing Next Day Flyers for your direct mail marketing. They help you choose the perfect size, fold style, coating, etc., for your marketing mailer. However, the design service comes with an additional fee.
• Rent Targeted Mailing List: With Next Day Flyers, you can rent out their targeted mailing lists for your direct mail campaigns. Even if you use your mailing lists, the direct mail company will help you ensure their deliverability by verifying your mailing addresses.

8. Modern Postcard

Established in 1994, Modern Postcards is among the oldest direct mail companies on this list. It is one of the few direct mail service providers that tend to the needs of small, mid-market and enterprise-level businesses. 

They print all kinds of direct mail marketing materials, including postcards, booklets, business cards, calendars, and more.

Features and Capabilities

• Direct Mail Retargeting: The direct mail company offers a feature that lets your business send postcards automatically to lost website visitors. It is an effective way for businesses to reengage with their prospects even after failed conversions.
• Dedicated In-House Team: Modern Postcards has a dedicated in-house team that works personally with its clients. The group provides expert direct mail marketing services in every aspect, including design, print, and delivery of mailers.
• Advanced Postal Analytics: Advanced postal analytics is one of the many direct mail marketing features offered by Modern Postcards. With advanced analytics, the direct mail company ensures timely delivery of your mailers while minimising your expenses.

9. SaaSMQL

SaaSMQL is unlike any direct mail companies we have discussed in this so far. Why? Because, unlike other direct mail companies, SaaSMQL provides direct mail services to SaaS businesses only. 

Another noticeable characteristic of SaaSMQL is that it combines online and offline marketing channels. They use direct mail as the primary channel for initial engagements because of its high response rate.

Features and Capabilities

• Triggered Direct Mail Sequence: One of the specialities of this direct mail company is that it can integrate so well with a business sales funnel. It accurately begins a direct mail sequence at the right time and prospect and maintains a consistent workflow.
• Package Deliveries: If you ever want to make an unforgettable impression on your target audience, you can send them a package instead of a letter. SaaSMQL is one of the rare direct mail services that lets you send parcels to your customers and prospects.
• Targeted Direct Mail Campaigns & Analytics: SaaSMQL is a perfect direct mail company for targeted direct mail campaigns. It has a superior analytic capability to optimise your campaigns and perfect your direct mail targeting.

10. PostcardMania

PostcardMania is an all-rounder direct mail company that can fit perfectly for first-time and expert direct mail marketers. One of the specialities of PostcardMania is its high-quality targeting and optional matching ads on social media. 

Features and Capabilities

• Superior Customisation Options: Customising your direct mail marketing is so much easier using PostcardMania. It allows you to customise all aspects of your business’s direct mail campaign and not the mailpiece alone.
• Robust Tracking System: The direct mail company provides a powerful tracking system for your business. What’s more, you get a sneak peek into how to respond to your direct mail marketing campaigns.
• Upload Designs Or Hire In-House Team:  The direct mail company lets you upload your designs for printing direct mail marketing materials. However, if you don’t have a format, you can always turn to PostcardMania’s in-house design team.

How to Choose The Best Direct Mail Company For Your Business?

Although there are several advanced and technologically superior direct mail solutions, none of them is perfect. In other words, there is no direct mail solution that works perfectly for every business. The ideal choice of direct mail company for your business depends on your unique requirements.

However, here are some of the best features that can work for your business’s direct mail marketing regardless of which industry vertical it belongs to.

Full Direct Mail Automation Capability

You can not go wrong with a fully automated direct mail solution. It saves you a whole lot of time, resources, and money while getting rid of any chance of errors. In addition to this, an error-free process leads to maximum deliverability and minimum return rates.

Address Verification Capability

At this point, an address verification capability is a must for all the best direct mail companies out there. Your postal mail process is incomplete with an address verification capability because you can’t be sure your mailing lists are accurate. Hence, address verification is needed to ensure maximum deliverability and response rate for your direct mail campaigns.

Certifications

Another critical aspect of choosing the best direct mail company is its certifications. For instance, the healthcare industry puts the safety of patient data above anything else. In the UK, we already have data protection rules like GDPR. Whereas in the US, patient data is protected by HIPAA regulations.

At PostGrid, we have worked with numerous healthcare companies because we are compliant with data protection rules like GDPR and HIPAA. One of our clients – a healthcare company- sent regular and consistent direct mail to its patients using PostGrid. We successfully integrated our system with the client’s CRM for sending triggered mailpieces, effectively minimising patient response downtime.

Conclusion

Choosing your ideal direct mail service provider from the best direct mail marketing companies is easier said than done. On the bright side, there are so many diverse direct mail service providers that there is a perfect fit for all businesses and industry verticals.

Some features that you can look for in a direct mail service include full direct mail automation, address verification, and relevant certifications. In addition to this, businesses must also consider their unique requirements.

For example, if you want advanced bulk mailing capabilities, you need to pick a direct mail tool like PostGrid. PostGrid offers full direct mail automation, ensuring your bulk mailing is always on time.

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

SIGN UPREQUEST A DEMO

The post Best Direct Mail Marketing Companies appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/best-direct-mail-marketing-companies/

source https://postgridunitedkingdom.blogspot.com/2022/04/best-direct-mail-marketing-companies.html

source https://suzannefcox.tumblr.com/post/682804928030375936

Direct Mail Fulfillment Services

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUEST A DEMO

Why Does Your Business Need Robust Direct Mail Fulfilment Services?

Are you using mailing services to print personalised direct mail for your business but taking care of the fulfilment process yourself? If yes, you would have already noticed the time, money, and effort that goes into mail fulfilment. And if no, then consider yourself lucky because direct mail fulfilment is not nearly as easy as it sounds. Here we will make a case on direct mail fulfilment and how a business can prepare itself for an effective fulfilment process.

Better yet, the article also explains the different stages involved in direct mail fulfilment. Companies that want to try a new fulfilment process can use this article to optimise their direct mail process.

What is Direct Mail Fulfilment?

Direct mail fulfilment is a process that involves preparing the printed materials ready for distribution or mailing. As you know, printed materials come in different sizes and practically in every shape. Some of the most common types of mailers you can see in mail fulfilment are as follows:

• Postcards
• Brochures
• Flyers
• Letters
• Catalogues

As you can see, direct mail fulfilment is a part of direct mail marketing most of the time. It is the final stage of postal mail marketing campaigns. However, mail fulfilment also helps to optimise regular direct mail communication with customers and business partners.

An in-house mail fulfilment process often takes up a lot of time and effort from companies. Imagine the mess it can create when a company that sends bulk mail uses an in-house and manual fulfilment process.

Hence, it is no wonder that most business organisations prefer using advanced mail fulfilment services like PostGrid for mail fulfilment. Tools like PostGrid provide you with advanced automation capabilities that enable you to meet your fulfilment needs with the click of a button.

What are Direct Mail Fulfillment Services?

Direct mail fulfilment services include preparing printed material for mailing them as a packaged item by a third-party service provider. With a mail fulfilment service like PostGrid, you can ensure that your direct mail reaches its destination with the minimal scope of error.

With advanced direct mail tools like PostGrid, mail fulfillment services are not the only direct mail service you receive. PostGrid is not just a direct mail fulfilment service but a well-rounded tool that takes care of all aspects of your direct mail.

Tools like PostGrid can personalise, print, and deliver direct mail for your business. You can even access PostGrid’s template gallery for creating marketing materials like postcards and brochures for your business.

Many businesses print their direct mail by themselves and take care of the direct mail fulfilment. Some firms outsource their direct mail printing and carry out the mail fulfilment part themselves. But a fully automated direct mail tool like PostGrid takes care of your printing and fulfilment requirements simultaneously.

Preparation For Direct Mail Fulfillment

Unless you are using a fully automated system for mail fulfilment, you need to prepare yourself for it. Without proper preparation, you can’t hope to execute direct mail fulfilment accurately. Furthermore, you may yet be unaware of several stages in the mailing process.

Step 1: Gain Access To The Printed Materials

The first thing to do for preparing yourself for direct mail fulfillment is to access the printed materials. For bulk mailing, the printed materials are usually stored in onesie warehouses. You can keep an agreed stock of printed materials here for your future direct mail campaigns.

Companies that use a third-party service provider for their printing needs can have the printed materials delivered to their location. The printed materials and inserts are saved securely in the warehouse or office until they are sent out.

Step 2: Check Address Information

In most cases, the address is printed on the mailer with the help of Variable Data Printing. However, not all mailing services come with Variable Data Printing capability. Hence, it would be good to check that before you choose a printing service provider.

The mailers are then arranged according to their postcode order for easy distribution. Furthermore, sorting the mailers like this qualifies you for lower postage rates from the Royal Post. Your mailers must have accurate addresses for accurate and on-time delivery, including the postcode.

Step 3: Check Material Availability

Another major step in direct mail fulfillment is checking whether your business has enough material to send your mailers. The materials needed for sending can be:

• Envelopes
• Inserts
• Packaging materials

At times you may be in a situation where you do not have enough materials for sending all your direct mail. Such a situation can lead to unnecessary delays and could be fatal for time-sensitive direct mail marketing and communications.

Hence, you must evaluate the availability of materials as part of your direct mail-out process. If a deficit is detected, you need to procure the low inventory material immediately during the process.

Step 4: Plan And Manage Your Mailing Process

The planning and management part of direct mail fulfilment includes tasks such as choosing the right staff and equipment. Furthermore, you will also need to ensure that the staff and equipment you want to use are available at the right time.

You then need to plan the entire fulfilment process, including when you should start and finish the process. It is also your responsibility to inform the staff about your fulfilment plan and assign relevant tasks. If you are using equipment or a new approach, the team should first be trained on the same.

What Are The Stages OF Direct Mail Fulfillment?

Now that you know how to prepare yourself for fulfillment mail let us look at the different stages of the fulfilment process. But, before we dive into the steps of fulfilment mail, you must understand that the stages can vary depending on the project’s requirements.

Each direct mail project has a different or unique goal. Hence the direct mail volume, materials required for fulfilment, etc., can also be different or unique. However, the fulfilment process generally includes the following stages regardless of the changes in requirements.

First Stage: Direct Mail Collation

The collation process is where one or multiple inserts are put into an envelope. In an automated process, collation happens at high speed. Numerous inserts are put into the mailer in the blink of an eye. When it comes to bulk mail, even something as simple as putting inserts inside envelopes by hand takes hours.

The inserts put into the envelope can be anything. You can choose an insert for your direct mail campaign based on your marketing strategy, target audience, etc. Some of the most widely used inserts in direct mail fulfillment are as follows:

• Sample product
• Leaflets
• Letters
• Promotional cards
• Discount coupon/vouchers

Second Stage: Folding Direct Mail

Folding direct mail is also a part of the direct mail fulfilment process. Unless you are not using advanced mailing services like PostGrid, you will have to fold your direct mail, such as brochures. A simple single-fold direct mail is easy to create and execute.

However, some mailers may require more complex folding options, such as roll fold or “slit and nest.” Such folding options may require special equipment or machines. Hence, you need to ensure that your business can handle such mail fulfilment requirements.

Third Stage: Closing The Envelope

Closing the envelope is also a crucial stage in direct mail fulfillment. As you can guess, this stage does not apply to all direct mail. For example, postcards do not require an envelope to send via Royal Mail.

Manually closing envelopes can be a drag and take hours and hours of work. Furthermore, there is also a chance of error when you manually place the content inside the envelope. With an automated solution like PostGrid, you can use special equipment for enveloping your bulk mail within a matter of minutes.

Fourth Stage: Poly-Wrapping And Poly-Processing

Some direct mail fulfillment may also include a poly-wrapping and poly-processing stage if it is required. It is usually necessary if you are sending printed materials like:

• Magazines
• Brochures
• Catalogues

Additionally, you can use poly-wrapping as an alternative to sending multiple enclosures. You need not use an envelope in such fulfilment mail because the sections are more than enough to seal your mailer securely.

Fifth Stage: Bundling, Packing and Packaging

In this stage of direct mail fulfillment you can start bundling your mailers into boxes. Once in the box, you can package it and prepare it for mailing. It is a stage that requires a lot of attention because you don’t want to leave anything out.

Sixth Stage: Collection By Postal Service Provider

After packing your direct mail securely, you are all set to hand it over to the postal service provider. Royal Mail offers the best postage rates and extensive service for your business’s direct mail. Furthermore, packing your bulk mail and handing it over to the Royal Mail qualify you for postage discounts.

 Also Read: Easy Ways to Reduce Printing Costs and Save Money

Automating Direct Mail Fulfilment With PostGrid

As you can see, direct mail fulfillment services can be a handful for businesses. There are several steps involved in preparing for mail fulfilment. Furthermore, the fulfilment process itself can have different stages. Using an automated direct mail tool like PostGrid lets you bypass these lengthy processes.

PostGrid uses a fully automated direct mail system that carries out all the processes in sending your direct mail. So, not only can you automate the fulfilment process but also print personalised mailers for your direct mail campaigns.

Conclusion

Direct mail fulfillment is a process that involves a lot of steps and stages that can hardly be met through a manual process. It is highly impractical to use a manual fulfilment process for bulk mail as it can cost you a lot of money and labour.

Furthermore, manual processes are prone to errors that can set back your direct mail campaigns. The best solution for businesses is to employ advanced direct mail fulfilment companies like PostGrid. Powerful direct mail tools like PostGrid automates the entire marketing process, including mail fulfilment.

Using a single direct mail provider like PostGrid, you can personalise, print, and deliver your mailers using an automated process. Furthermore, PostGrid uses Royal Mail to send all your direct mail, allowing you to minimise your expenses with postage discounts.

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

SIGN UPREQUEST A DEMO

The post Direct Mail Fulfillment Services appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/direct-mail-fulfillment/

source https://postgridunitedkingdom.blogspot.com/2022/04/direct-mail-fulfillment-services.html

source https://suzannefcox.tumblr.com/post/682710518023241728

Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

TABLE OF CONTENTS

REQUEST A DEMO

10 Tips to Help You Get Started With An Effective Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign

For several decades, marketers have been trying to develop different marketing channels to approach their target audience. The old marketing forms, like radio broadcasting, telemarketing, etc., still exist but as a part of broader strategies that consist of digital channels. 

Today, several companies indulge in multi-channel marketing comprising several inbound and outbound channels. Indirect or inbound marketing platforms, such as social media, websites, etc., help companies spread brand awareness and improve their reputation. On the contrary, outbound channels like direct mail, physical stores, etc., help them connect with prospects proactively.

Multi-channel marketing is a mix of direct, indirect, offline, and online channels—allowing customers to choose how they want to engage with a brand. The concept is making a presence on all popular platforms to help prospects reach you and vice versa.

In this blog, let’s discuss what is a multi-channel marketing strategy and how to make it result-driving and effective.

What Does Multi-Channel Marketing Mean?

Multi-channel marketing is the mixture of multiple channels to promote a company’s products and services. It helps businesses create a brand image of themselves and boost recognition.

Instead of running a one-and-done campaign and waiting for results, marketers can now conduct recurring, simultaneous campaigns to get more responses. Such integrated marketing strategies also help them always have leads in their pipeline. 

For example, several world-renowned brands, like HSBC and Vodafone have adopted a multi-channel approach to boost conversions. Gone are the days when they used to promote their offerings on a single channel only. Now, they use a blend of several marketing methods to reinstate messages and increase impact. 

Thus, they are able to tap the potential of every marketing form and get the most out of it. Also, it helps businesses leave behind their competition by levelling up their marketing game.

 Also Read: Integrated Direct Mail Campaign

Why Multi-Channel Marketing Is Important?

With increasing social media and other digital platforms, customers have more choices and opinions. They decide how to buy, where to buy, where to obtain the information, etc. For instance, before purchasing from a brand, they might read its social media reviews, go through some blog posts, and talk to a salesperson in-store. Imagine not advertising on a platform where your prospects are actively looking for brands to buy from. In this situation, you may lose several customers to your competitors. 

Hence, conducting a multi-channel marketing campaign enables you to present your brand in front of prospects in multiple ways and convince them to select you. 

Benefits of Multi-Channel Marketing System

Below, we have mentioned some prime benefits of multi-channel marketing to help you understand if it is worth the investment and make a wise decision:

Expanded Reach and Visibility

The more channels you use for marketing, the more attention you get from your potential customers. Hence, a multi-channel approach helps you grab attention and persuade people to respond to your offers. 

Also, it allows you to reach as many prospects as possible, so you have more leads to work with. 

More Touchpoints

Multi-channel marketing helps you collect more customer data and use it for understanding your buyer persona in-depth. This information is also helpful in personalising marketing plans and measuring campaign success. 

Connect With People On Their Preferred Channel

People interact daily on several offline and online channels that influence their buying decisions. Instead of wanting your prospects to find you and learn about your products and services, you can meet them on their preferred platforms. Adopting a multi-channel approach helps you do that, increasing your chances of conversions. 

Maintain Consistency

Even though multi-channel marketing calls for marketers to use several channels, they should ensure consistency. Without consistency, their marketing plans are likely to distort and fail. 

For example: if you combine TV and direct mail advertising, it is better to promote the same offer at both places. Otherwise, your audience may get confused and not reply. They might also not remember your brand because of varied messaging. Thus, try using the same headlines, offers, and graphics on all channels to increase brand recall among your target audience. 

Competitive Advantage

Using various channels to communicate with existing and potential customers gives you the edge over your competitors. By being present everywhere, you are stealing competitors’ opportunities to win over your customers. Thus, a multi-channel campaign helps you convert new leads and retain customers. 

 Also Read: PostGrid for Customer Success Teams

Challenges Faced by Multi-Channel Marketers

Like any other marketing method, multi-channel marketing also has its own pros and cons. Above, we discussed the advantages of this marketing strategy; let us also talk about the challenges that multi-channel marketers usually face. 

Personalisation and Targeting

With millions of people being active on different platforms, companies need to zero in on their prospects. They can employ several demographic and psychographic factors to find their customer look-alikes and channel their strategies accordingly. 

Businesses can also use other factors, like purchasing history, buying habits, interests, etc., to figure out whom to target. Once they get a viable audience, they can personalise their offers to amplify their marketing plans and convince prospects to respond right away. 

Highly-Coordinated Campaigns

Using hybrid channels and multi-channel marketing is not as simple as it may appear. It requires tons of effort, time, and resources. Also, it takes intensive planning and coordination to put together such campaigns. 

Therefore, businesses need to develop and modify their touchpoints constantly in a way that their prospects find trustworthy and helpful. They must ensure that they use the correct channels and attend to every respondent systematically.

Response Attribution

In a multi-channel marketing strategy, it can be hard to determine the origin of a response. But, it is crucial to know which channels generated the maximum and minimum responses to learn what works best for you. Thus, response attribution is a big challenge that marketers face, especially while using more than two or three channels. 

Keeping Up With the Latest Trends

We often see new social media trends dictating your prospects’ preferences. It is safe to say that customer choices change frequently, and companies need to keep up with them. 

Until a few years back, marketers were getting started with Facebook and email marketing. Today, they are constantly trying to understand new social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. Hence, multi-channel marketing pushes companies to upgrade themselves regularly and keep up with the latest trends and channels. 

10 Tips to Help You Get Started With Multi-Channel Marketing

Now that you know what is multi-channel strategy, we have also compiled some tips and tricks to help you get started:

Let Your Marketing Strategies Evolve

Having a lot of customer data does not guarantee your campaign success. Try to update your data frequently, build new models, and evolve your marketing plans. It will help you adapt to new things and develop strategies around your prospect’s needs and preferences. 

Focus On Customer Experiences

Several marketers often distinguish multi-channel marketing from omnichannel marketing. The reason could be that a multi-channel approach is focused on using multiple channels, whereas omnichannel marketing prioritises customer experiences. 

As a multi-channel marketer, try integrating your customer view and tracing customers’ journeys throughout your marketing campaigns. It helps you understand their requirements and take the necessary steps to push them ahead of the sales funnel.

Some customers may respond to your offers using more than one channel. Hence, it is your job to stay on top of such details and deal with every respondent smartly. 

Align Your Marketing and Sales Teams

For your multi-channel marketing campaign to work, it is crucial to eliminate organisational silos. Silo working means not sharing information with other departments of the same company, leading to a business’s stunted growth. Hence, companies must break down such barriers and facilitate the flow of information that benefits everyone. 

In multi-channel marketing, marketers need to hear and accept feedback from several teams, including sales, marketing, and customer service. This way, they can align their efforts, combine all helpful information, and bring in more conversions. 

Know Your Target Prospects

The most significant aspect of any marketing campaign is its target audience. Before planning and executing a multi-channel campaign, list your marketing objectives and define your target audience. You can start by answering the following questions:

• Are there common characteristics among your existing customers? 
• Where do they reside? Are they customer-dense localities that you can target?
• Are your prospects already looking for a product or service that you offer? 
• What are the buying habits and likes of your prospects?
• Should you use generic marketing or targeted marketing to reach your audience?
• On which channel can you find the maximum customer look-alikes? 

These questions can help you outline what you should and should not do. For example, imagine most of your customers reside in a specific neighbourhood. In this case, it is more profitable to include a Royal Mail Door-to-Door campaign as part of your multi-channel marketing strategy. 

 Also Read: Door-to-Door Mail Delivery

Develop Individual Strategies for Every Channel

If you are using more than one marketing form, you need to know the rules and algorithms of every channel. Even though your messaging should be consistent, there are some tweaks you need to make on every platform. 

For example, Instagram needs marketers to create more visual images, whereas they need to draft written articles for LinkedIn. It is how you can do well on every channel and see positive results. 

Create Compelling Artwork and Copy

Multi-channel marketing is not only visible everywhere; you also need to create meaningful, persuasive, and worthy content. Therefore, you need a compelling copy to discuss your offerings and push people to get onboard. Make sure your copy comprises a catchy headline, message, offer, and CTA. Here’s an example of a marketing postcard copy:

Hi Mr. Andrew, are you looking for a home loan with zero processing fees? Look no further!

HVSB Bank makes loan processing effortless, less time-consuming, and advantageous. Our zero processing fees and quick applications help us serve millions of customers in the UK. And we look forward to serving you with the same zest! 

Interested in knowing more? Just scan the QR code below to learn everything about us and schedule an appointment with one of our talented, helpful customer representatives!

P.S.: Also, look into our insurance plans offering appealing features, like low premium rates, lightning-fast claim responses, etc. 

The above copy is personalised and responsive. On the one hand, it creates curiosity about your products or services. And on the other hand, it helps people move ahead in the marketing funnel by completing the CTA. Combining such messages with eye-catching graphics can help your multi-channel marketing campaign succeed and increase your engagement levels. 

Look Into Retargeting

Targeting a new audience every time may give your brand more exposure, but it can slow down your conversions. Retargeting specific audiences over and over again can help you see more engagement. It is because prospects don’t usually reply the first time they hear from a brand. They need some time to know and trust your brand. Hence, it is more productive to create a multi-channel campaign to retarget hot leads. 

Select the Right Marketing Channels

The marketing forms you choose can either make or break your multi-channel campaign. Hence, select carefully and ensure that you have the right mix. 

You have several options, like:

• Email
• PPC and SEO
• Content marketing
• Social media
• Direct mail
• Mobile advertising
• Brick-and-mortar stores
• Hand-outs, etc.

There is no hard and fast rule about how you must combine these channels or use them. Hence, ensure that you consider your goals and target audience before making any decision. Suppose you want to target older citizens. In this case, newspaper advertising, hand-outs, and direct mail may be the ideal combination. However, targeting millennials may need you to combine online and offline channels in the correct proportions. 

Test Your Multi-Channel Marketing Plans

Designing a robust multi-channel marketing strategy is not a one-time task. Also, you may not get the desired results the first time itself. Hence, try employing A/B testing to see which of your plans works best. In fact, you can test every aspect of your campaign, from timing to offers. 

Testing your plans beforehand helps you understand them more deeply and make the necessary modifications. Don’t forget to create a smooth tracking mechanism to help you measure your campaign results.

Use Marketing Automation

As said earlier, multi-channel marketing requires a lot of time and effort. Hence, it is advisable to switch to automation to streamline your activities and get everything done effortlessly. 

For instance, PostGrid’s direct mail API can help you automate your mailing tasks and improve efficiency. It also enables you to save costs and drive higher responses. 

Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign Examples

After knowing what is a multi-channel strategy and how to boost results, you must also be aware of some commonly-used examples that you can use. Here, we have listed some for your reference:

• Direct mail and email marketing: Marketers use this combination to reinstate their offers and follow up on prospects. For example, most companies first send direct mail items to their potential customers and drop a follow-up email within two or three days. It helps them re-engage their audience and increases the possibility of getting a response.
• TV advertising, social media, and direct mail: This mix may be among the most effective ones as it focuses on all popular channels. Your prospects are more likely to complete the CTA when they see it via these platforms. 
• Social media and email marketing: Modern marketers opt for this multi-channel marketing combination, as it is purely digital and easy to launch. However, it lacks a personal touch and cannot assure long-term, genuine results. To fix this issue, you can combine this mix with an offline channel, like newspaper advertising, postcard marketing, etc. 

How Can PostGrid Help You Conduct a Successful Multi-Channel Marketing Campaign?

As said above, PostGrid’s direct mail services help marketers automate their offline mailing activities. You can integrate our API into your CRM and combine direct mail with any channel. For example, PostGrid can be integrated into popular platforms like Hubspot, Zapier, Salesforce, etc. 

Apart from the API integrations, PostGrid also offers many more features, including:

• Pre-built templates: Our HTML and PDF templates help you design your marketing collateral within minutes. You can also customise these templates according to your needs and re-use them if needed. 
• Mailing list compilation: We understand that compiling a segmented mailing list is not easy. Thus, PostGrid helps you build a custom, targeted mailing list from scratch before every campaign—guaranteeing positive results. 
• Per-piece tracking: PostGrid helps you see the delivery status of every sent item, helping you plan other multi-channel marketing tasks accordingly. 
• Address verification: You no longer need to deal with lost mail, delivery delays, and returns. PostGrid’s address verification API allows you to standardise and validate all mailing addresses to ensure that your campaign is executed smoothly. 
• Bulk mailing: With PostGrid, you can mail your marketing collateral on-demand and in bulk. Our API can handle millions of requests in one go, making it simple to mail in any number. 

Therefore, PostGrid helps you improve your offline marketing activities and combine them into a broad multi-channel marketing strategy without any issues.

Wrapping Up

We hope this blog helps you know what is multi-channel marketing give an example. Using a multi-channel approach, marketers can fulfil their objectives and drive conversions. Also, they can strengthen company-customer relationships and boost brand reputation. Undoubtedly, it enables businesses to beat the ever-growing competition and increase sales levels.

However, it may be complicated to conduct a multi-channel campaign, making it essential to use automation. Try choosing marketing automation platforms that assist you throughout the campaign and help you improve your ROI, like PostGrid.

Sign up now to know more about launching an effective mailing campaign as part of your multi-channel approach with PostGrid!

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

SIGN UPREQUEST A DEMO

The post Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy appeared first on PostGrid UK.

source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/multi-channel-marketing-strategy/

source https://postgridunitedkingdom.blogspot.com/2022/04/multi-channel-marketing-strategy.html

source https://suzannefcox.tumblr.com/post/682182065768333312