Effective March 29, 2009 the Postal Service will enact new requirements for flats.

These new requirements are necessary for the implementation of the new FSS ( Flats Sequencing System) that will enable postal employees sort flats into delivery sequence.

The new requirements affect address characteristics (how the address looks) and address placement (where the address is located). Here are the new requirements:

1)      Mailers must address each piece using a minimum of 8-point type. Each character must be at least 0.080 inch high.

2)      If the mailpiece bears a POSTNET or Intelligent Mail barcode with a delivery point routing code, mailers may use a 6-point type in all capital letters. Each character must be at least 0.065 inch high.

3)      On all automation flat pieces, the characters in the address must not overlap, the address lines must not touch or overlap, and each address element may be separated by no more than five blank character spaces. (A blank character space can equal the width of the widest letter used in the type.)

4)      Mailers must place the delivery address in the “top half” of the mailpiece.

The “top half” of the mail piece is described as follows:

For pieces in an envelope, the top of the mailpiece is either of the shorter edges. For self mailers or booklets, the top is the upper edge when the bound edge or final fold is vertical and on the right side of the mailpiece.

Simply put, if your flat is an envelope, the address can not be in the dead center of the piece. It must be adjusted so as to be fully contained either in the right ½ or the left ½ of the mailpiece. If your flat is a booklet or self mailer, it must be fully contained within the upper ½ of your piece when positioned so that the bound edge or final fold is on the right side of your flat.

Direct mail remains one of the most effective response-driven media channels available to marketers. It offers advantages few other mediums can match — in target ability, measurability and almost limitless creative possibilities. By being more environmentally focused and becoming environMAILists in producing and implementing direct mail campaigns, companies will continue to benefit from the power of mail while increasing its value and reducing its impact on the planet.

A new survey of 1,000 consumers revealed a large gap between the perceived eco-impact of direct mail and its actual influence. “They widely overestimated direct mail’s impact on the environment,” says Michael Critelli, executive chairman of Pitney Bowes, Inc which co-sponsored the 2007 DMNews/Pitney Bowes Survey of Consumer Attitudes. Critelli says he expected a disparity between perception and reality – “but not nearly as much as we saw.”

For instance, asked to estimate the amount of municipal waste created nationwide by advertising mail, 48 percent of respondents thought direct mail accounted for more than half of it. Thirty-six percent said it accounted for more than a third. In fact, direct mail generates just 2 percent of all U.S. municipal waste according to a DMNews article about the survey.  However, many opportunities exist to lessen it’s impact even more.

Taking advantage of the digital print-on-demand technology we offer instead of printing large quantities and warehousing them until they are needed is one way to lessen direct mail’s impact on the environment.

Listen-up all you business advertising mailers. Standard mail pipelines will begin to fill over the next 30 to 60 days which may effect your scheduled in-home dates.

If you use standard mail to promote dated events or sales, you may want to begin advancing your mail drop dates a day or two to compensate for the huge volume of standard mail that will soon begin inundating the mail stream.

While the US Postal Service is second to none in being able to efficiently accept and deliver large volumes of advertising mail, please be advised that, once every 4 years, candidates will dump large volumes of mail into to the mail stream which may have the effect of slowing your regular mail by a day or two.

Typically, it will begin slowly and gradually increase with the largest volume being right around election day. Most candidates operate under the strategy that, if their piece is the last piece the voter sees in the mail box just prior to going to the polls, it gives them an added advantage. As you can imagine, multiple candidates, all trying to make sure their piece is the last piece, usually results in a large bog-down of mail right around election day.

So now, you’ve been informed — be safe, mail early.

Have you ever had an application where you needed to insert multiple personalized, targeted documents into an envelope? These types of applications are normally used in a “fulfillment” environment.

Let’s suppose, for a moment, that your application entailed responding to requests

from potential tourists about what types of activities exist in and around the Orlando area.  

Inquiry number 1 needed to know about area golf courses and any golfing discounts that can be taken advantage of. Inquiry number 2 was interested in theme parks and Inquiry number 3 needed to know about area fishing charters.

Traditionally, these three inquiries would be fulfilled by pulling pre-printed brochures and coupons relative to their area of interest , inserting them into an envelope, addressing the envelope and mailing it back to the potential visitor. Along with the brochures and coupons, you would also want to insert some type of personalized letter thanking them for their inquiry along with a strong appeal to entice them to come and stay here in Orlando.

Ok, so, inquiry number 1 gets a personalized letter, 6 brochures (1 for each golf course in the area), some greens fees coupons from a couple of the courses, a couple of discount coupons for motels and resorts that are near the courses, and maybe a coupon for golf equipment from one of the equipment manufacturers all inserted into an envelope.

Inquiry number 2 gets a personalized letter, along with brochures and coupons relative to theme parks, while, inquiry number 3’s package would be relative to area fishing charters, professional fishing guides, discount coupons from bait and tackle shops, and so on.

Along with the tedious work of hand-inserting all the correct individual pre-printed brochures and coupons, one also has to keep up with the on-hand quantity of each brochure and coupon you have left in inventory so you know when to reorder the printed material.

The new “envelope” streamlines, simplifies, and automates the entire process by printing an on-demand facsimile of each of those brochures, personalized letters and coupons all in one pass and then binding them into a “booklet” that is then wafer-sealed and mailed immediately. No inventory to keep up with, no hand intervention, and no possibility of inserting the wrong information into the wrong envelope.

The inquiring tourist perceives a higher value by receiving a professional looking, fully personalized, and fully targeted booklet containing all the exact information requested.

It’s also less expensive, overall, to produce these “new envelopes”.  Since all the pieces are printed “on-demand” from blank paper, you have no money tied up in inventory. You don’t pay for for warehouse storage and also don’t waste money by throwing away and re-printing existing inventory due to current changes that render the original brochures or coupons obsolete (new theme park rides, changes in rates, etc).

These printed-on-demand, digital, variable image, variable data booklets are being used more and more each day for everything from insurance enrollment kits, 401-k investment fund reports, stock and investment portfolios, to travel itineraries and resort reservation confirmations. It’s the wave of the future, the “New Envelope” and, it’s available right now at Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group! Call today for more information.

Whether you are mailing First Class or Standard (bulk advertising) mail, the US Postal Service assesses postage rates, in part, by the “processing category” of your mail piece.

Knowing what category your mail piece will be placed, is extremely important when designing your mail piece. We see instances all the time where, a very slight change in the height or width of your mail piece (usually 1/8^th of an inch or less) would result in postage savings of as much as 10 to 15 cents each! Also, each of the different processing categories have different postal regulations as to eligibility for special bar coded postage discounts and preparation requirements. So, here’s the scoop on how the post office will assign a processing category to your mail.

When you read the word “post card” in the DMM (Domestic Mail Manual), they are referring to the official definition of a USPS “postal card”. The rest of us think of a “post card” as a single sheet of card stock with color, text or pictures on the front and back of the card with an area to put the name and address of the person you are mailing to. In order to qualify for a presorted first class “post card” rate (as, there is no “post card” rate for standard mail), the size and dimensions of your mail piece must be at least 3 ½  inches high and 5 inches long, but not more than 4 ¼ inches high and 6 inches long.

Most of your standard mail (advertising mail) post cards will exceed those dimensions and will be categorized by the post office as a “letter” sized piece. For instance, if you design a large postcard that is 6 inches high and 11 inches long, it will be assessed a “letter-rate”.

A “letter” sized piece is defined by the post office as a mail piece that is at no more than 6 1/8 inches high and 11 ½ inches long. “Letter” sized rates are the most common for standard mail. If your piece is taller than 6 1/8 inches, your mail piece will be placed in a much more expensive postage category called “Flats”. So, be careful!. I can’t tell how many pieces we’ve seen come in at 6 ¼ inches high (1/8 of an inch too high). In most cases, the aesthetics of the piece would not be affected by shaving off that 1/8 of an inch. Especially if it saves you an extra 10 to 15 cents per piece in postage.

“Flats” are the more expensive postage rate and consists of any mail piece that is taller than 6 1/8 inches high or wider than 11 ½ inches long.

So now that you know the way that the Post Office will categorize your mail piece, you can use that information during your mail piece design stages to insure the best possible postage.

Four-color variable image mail is, hands-down, proving to be the single most successful innovation in mail advertising since the invention of the envelope. With success stories of mailers who have received response rates as high as 80% and return on investment rates in the one-thousand-percent range, advertisers everywhere are beginning to take a serious look at this new technique.

“How do I get started?” Actually, it’s easier than you think.

The ability to vary pictures, images and text based on what you know about the recipient all starts with taking a good look at the data file that you will use in your mailing.

For instance, is the recipient male or female? If “male,” you may want to design your images, text, and motif for a male or masculine point of view. Whether working with tools in the garage, cars and trucks, or maybe even a sport such as football, basketball or baseball. If “female,” you’ll want to tailor your images, text and motif to more of a feminine angle, possibly, with images of shopping, family, health and fitness, and so forth. 

If “gender” isn’t one of the stored columns in your database, there are several software packages that we can use to assign gender, based on the prospect’s first name. Keep in mind that you will need a “default” non-gender-specific motif for instances where the recipient’s first name could be either male or female such as “Francis” or “Jackie.”

Of course, the more information you have about a recipient, the easier and more effective your message will be. But, lack of information is not as detrimental as you might think. More often than not, the information is there; it just takes a little imagination to capitalize on it.

For instance, the city, state and zip can give you a lot of information, if you think about it. Does this person live in upscale Metro-West, downtown Orlando, or out in rural Eustis? If you are mailing in the middle of winter, does this person live near the beach in Florida or in Green Bay, Wisconsin? Is the address type an “SFDU” (single-family dwelling unit) or an apartment complex? All these little pieces of information can fit together to allow you to produce a variable image and text mail piece that is targeted specifically toward that person. Your message and offer becomes relevant and personal to the recipient, which results in much higher response rates.

Remember, designing successful variable image advertising campaigns starts with your data file. Try and put yourself in the shoes of your prospect and what they deal with on a day-to-day basis.                 

Just in case you’ve been living in a cave over the past year, “Going Green” is the new initiative and battle cry for 2008 and beyond. It’s in the news, It’s on radio and television commercials. Automobile manufacturers are building Hybrids. New fuel resources are seriously being investigated. It’s all the rage.  It’s what happening now! New environmental issues such as global warming and preserving our natural rain forests as well as rising fuel and transportation costs dictate that we all begin to be a little more responsible with what resources we have left.

In fact, I predict that over the next 5 years, you will see mandates from the large users of printed material that their print buyers must begin to use Digital Print On Demand rather than traditional offset print.

Digital print on demand allows you to print only what you need, when you need it.  Because it is printed in smaller quantities and “on-demand”, it is always current – never obsolete.  An InfoTrend study done in 2003 showed that, on average, 12.6% of all printed material, nationwide, sitting on pallets in warehouses becomes obsolete and must be thrown away before the first piece is ever used. A study by Xerox back in 2002 showed that, on average, businesses will spend $4 in usage, storage, obsolescence and shipping of printed material for every $1 actually spent in printing the material in the first place.

Does that make any sense to you?

So, save some trees. Be “eco-friendly”. Go “Green” and save money at the same time! Use Digital Print On Demand from Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group.

The USPS has petitioned the Postal Regulatory Commission to make repositional notes a permanent option on all mail. The PRC has 15 days to consider the measure; but, since it is not a controversial decision, they are expected to approve the regulation immediately.

The “repositional notes,” more commonly referred to as “sticky notes” or “post-it notes” can be removed from the front of a mail piece and “repositioned” or re-affixed to another object (for instance, your refrigerator), giving your mail piece an extended life after the mail piece itself is read and disposed of.

The notes were first introduced in 2005 as a one-year experiment by the Postal Service and have been renewed in 2006 and 2007.

Other than the normal postage, the Post Office charges an additional ½ cent on first-class mail and 1.5 cents on standard mail and periodicals for those wishing to have the sticky notes as part of their mail piece.

Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group maintains the automated equipment on-site to perform this service for you.

In a perfect world, highly successful direct mail campaigns all have two things in common: The piece was mailed to the right person, at just the right time. But, this isn’t a perfect world. Good list selection will get your piece to the right person, but, was it at the right time?  It may be that, at the time they received your mailing, they did not need your product or service, or, were happy with the company they are currently using. But, as we all know, things change. The question is, when they become unhappy with their current vendor, or, suddenly develop a need for your product or service, will they remember who you are?

“Permanent” mailers always keep your name and phone number at their fingertips. These mailers contain a mounted magnet on the mail piece that can be variable lasered during the variable imaging process. The magnet is removed from the form and attached to anything metal (refrigerator, tool shed, filing cabinet etc.). We can also perform the same process with a 7-mil plastic card mounted on the lasered form that can be removed from the mailing and inserted into a card holder, wallet or purse. Both of these techniques extend your message well beyond the life of the mail piece. When they are finally ready, they have your information readily available.

Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group’s vast array of folders and bindery equipment is capable of performing many complicated finishing tasks. Paper can be cut, trimmed, folded, nested, scored or perforated to produce a beautifully finished product. Unlike most print and mail facilities, we have the ability to secure open-end self-mailers during the folding process by laying down tiny spots of glue prior to the mail piece passing through the final pressure roller.

On a daily basis, Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group receives data generated by reservations being made at any one of the area’s largest resorts. Within 24 hours, that information is used to produce and mail a totally personalized confirmation reflecting which resort you are staying at, how many guests, names and ages of each guest, arrival and departure dates, room rates for each night of your stay, special activities booked, and any detailed information about the specific resort, activity, or special needs of any of the guests.

Whether it’s keying membership applications from hand written forms, updating information about a member, changing addresses, or mailing out newsletters and communications, Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group has been maintaining club memberships for some of Florida’s largest corporations for over 10 years. Our industry experience and tools allows us to deliver the very best in club membership administration.

Strategic alliances with several mailing list vendors allow the list department at Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group to acquire the best possible mailing list for your project at the best possible price. Our data entry department can also key and compile lists from applications and entry forms. Our information technology department can scrub, securely store and process all your lists for you.

With a combined knowledge of over 100 years in the direct mail advertising industry, there’s not much that Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group hasn’t seen or performed. We know what works. We know what doesn’t. With an insiders’ knowledge of over 500 pages of United States Postal Service rules and regulations, we can help you design your mail pieces to not only get results, but save you postage money at the same time. Once designed, Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group also maintains all the necessary automated mail processing equipment to produce your mail as quickly and inexpensively as possible.

Whether it’s one order at a time or thousands of orders, Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group has been performing Pick & Pack fulfillment for over 30 years.