Mailings Can Be Cheaper And Easier Than You Think!

by Alex Plachta, Print Department Manager

A few years ago there was a thought that everyone would go to exclusively digital invitations and advertisements, but that has proven not to be the case - at least not yet. Maybe in another 15 years it will be, but even the younger crowd likes getting some physical material and research shows that people are more likely to remember information when there is a physical piece to touch and feel.

It can be less expensive than you might think to have your mailings professionally done. Often times people utilize volunteers (but sometimes it is paid employees) or they stuff their letters into envelopes themselves and then mail them. If you have ever done this, you know it takes longer than you would think by the time you manually stuff the envelope, address everything, and put it in the mail. It can take hours and hours! The pros to this are you don’t have to pay for the mailing fees, but I would encourage you to check this charge next time you arrange a mailing. A mail house utilizes machines to make the process much faster and not incur as much labor as you might think. A mail house also gets a better rate on postage, which can help offset some of the cost - especially if your mailing can use an indicia instead of physical stamps.

What is an indicia? An indicia takes the place of a stamp and is printed directly on the envelope or another mailing piece and is less expensive. Indicias require a permit (which a mail house will have) and if your mailing list is in the thousands this option will help offset a good chunk (or potentially all the cost) of the mailing fee. If you are a non-profit organization you might qualify for a non-profit mailing authorization, which will save you even more. You can start that process here: Nonprofit Authorization Application.

Try it and email me at print@oexusa.com the next time you do a mailing - it might be less expensive than you think and can save a lot of time that might be better served doing something else.

Thank you for reading!