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.                 

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.

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.

Personalizing your communications always gives you an edge over others who simply print and mail a generic mail piece. At Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group, your letters can be personalized throughout the entire text, not just at the salutation line.

Printing only what you need, when you need it allows your brochures, flyers and sales collateral to always remain current – never obsolete. Using Fulfillment Partners, Inc – Millennium Marketing Group for all your 4-color digital print-on-demand needs not only saves you money, but also lets you “go green” and become eco-friendly by not printing large amounts of material that may become obsolete and thrown away before it is used up.

4-color variable imaging gives you the ability to change pictures, graphics and text on one run during the color laser printing process. Each sheet of paper that is printed can contain a unique picture, one right after the other. This allows you to create 1:1 communications that are personalized to each recipient which can increase your response rates by as much as 500%. Fulfillment Partners, Inc – Millennium Marketing Group uses several different 4-color variable image production presses, giving them more flexibility in paper sizes and stocks.

Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group has two (2) high-speed ink jet addressing systems that can process more than 30,000 mail pieces per hour. Each ink jet has the ability to affix tabs, wafer seals, or postage stamps in-line during the ink jet addressing process.

Always there to help in the Orlando tradeshow and convention industry, Fulfillment Partners – Millennium Marketing Group can assemble and ship goody bags and lanyards, as well as print tent cards, name tags, posters, programs, brochures and signs.