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direct mail

Integrate.

Our direct mail marketing solutions combine the best thinking and experience to create

unique results-driven and effective marketing  campaign that is measurable and proven.

With a core competency in direct mail, we are well-versed in the latest USPS programs and

can eliminate many of the costs associated with direct mail, such as list rentals, labels, and fulfillment charges.

No other agency shares our unique infrastructure either locally or nationally.

Allow Maestro Graphic Studios to deliver your message for only $0.35 cents per postcard.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long should a letter, email or subject line be? (The person asking this question usually adds, "I never read long copy.")

No matter which type of media is delivering your message, the content needs to be as long as it needs to be to generate action from your targeted audience. That said, here are some guidelines:

  • Lead generation copy is typically shorter than one-step sales or fulfillment kit copy;
  • Email content with the job of generating clickthroughs to a website is generally shorter than the page(s) it links to;
  • Effective email subject lines can vary in length. When in 
doubt, test.

I'm new to direct marketing. 
What response rate should 
I expect?

It depends. Response rates are affected by many variables, including media selection, list segmentation, timing, offers, copy and creative.

While companies with a response-rate history can project response rates fairly accurately, new tests are more difficult to project. If you have no history of doing direct marketing (tracking, measuring and analyzing results), you have no basis for making a projection other than industry standards or results generated by others. But neither is necessarily meaningful nor reliable for 
your situation.

For example, life insurance marketers with high value customers and high renewal rates can live with lower initial response rates, sometimes under 1 percent.

But this may not work for your business model. Track, measure and build a response history to help you make future projections.

Does an offer have to be free shipping or a free gift to 
be successful?

Offers are actually much more than just freebies that you throw into your marketing campaign. An offer is a package of elements. It’s everything you’re willing to give your readers in exchange for their response. Your offer is what pushes a fence-sitter off of the fence, adds value to your buying proposition and addresses buyer objections.

So an offer is not just free shipping or a premium. Offers are multi-faceted and include product, pricing, customer service, incentives, and even payment options and terms. Test your offers for the best response, because they’re essential to your direct marketing success.

Is direct mail dead?

Direct mail is not dead, but it’s changing. To remain cost-effective, it’s become much more targeted and is now integrated with digital media.

Direct mailers also are testing the use of QR Codes to link their ink-on-paper messages to videos, personalized landing pages and other digital content. If you’ve always used direct mail, don’t jump ship without testing. If you’ve never used direct mail, consider whether or not it may be appropriate.

Even Google has recently used direct mail to reach small and medium size businesses. And insurance and credit card marketers continue using direct mail as a mainstay of their media mix. I repeat: test, test, test.

Social media is all I'm reading about in trade pubs and hearing about at industry conferences. 
Should my company be using 
social media?

We will counter this question with another: Is social media appropriate for your audience, your offer and your brand? I once wrote for Kleen Leen, a division of Ralston Purina that sold hog sperm to hog producers for breeding using artificial insemination. If Kleen Leen were still around, I doubt that social media would be the best option for engaging hog producers with their brand. But who knows?

That’s why whether you use social media now, later or never, you need to become informed so you can make smarter, educated decisions about what is appropriate. With social media opportunities, followers and analytics changing almost daily, the best answer is to stay informed, keep an open mind and test for success.

Why should we care about response rates? (as copy writers, designers who involved in the creative process)

Front-end response and back-end customer satisfaction are what drive everything direct response writers and designers do. No matter how many creative awards our work wins, awards don’t matter if we’re not generating profitable clicks, calls and visits to websites and stores.

The best direct response writers and designers learn from their successes and failures. They appreciate the power of tracking, measuring and analyzing results.

Are direct marketing and direct mail the same thing?

No. Direct mail lists were the original workhorse used by direct marketers, but the two terms are not synonymous. The direct marketing process is channel agnostic and is powered by both traditional (such as direct mail lists) and new digital media. What makes direct marketing unique is that it allows you to track, measure and analyze response/action to the individual level no matter which type of media you are using.

What is Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®)?

EDDM® is a program created by the United States Postal Service®. The program enables advertisers to reach every address within targeted carrier routes, at reduced rates, without the need for additional mailing services.

EDDM® reduces costs by eliminating the need for mailing lists and additional services such as tabbing, and ink jetting, and data processing.

It also provides discounted postage rates compared to other mail options.

What is a carrier route?

A carrier route is a group of addresses used by the USPS® to deliver mail in a specific area. ZIP CODES™ may contain anywhere from several, to over a dozen carrier routes, depending on the rural or urban nature of the region. Carrier routes are quite similar to what most people consider neighborhoods in general terms.

How much does it cost?

There are several factors that play into your total cost per piece. Production costs (design, printing, folding, bundling, etc) and postage costs will determine your rates. By mailing larger quantities, you can obtain “all inclusive” rates as low as $0.39 per home, delivered.

How long does it take?

The turnaround time varies based on the required creative and production processes associated with each campaign. In general, the entire production and mailing process usually takes from two to four weeks to deliver into mailboxes. The creative process (design) usually plays the largest role in determining total turnaround time.

How do I target carrier routes by demographic information?

With our new Demographics (with Heatmap ROI) feature, you can include up to three demographic selects to identify the most relevant carrier routes based on your criteria.

Available demographic selections include:

  • Household Income
  • Age
  • Home Ownership
  • Gender
  • Presence of Children

What size mail pieces qualify for the program?

The EDDM® program requires you to mail commercial flats. A commercial flat must be more than 6.125″ tall OR longer than 11.5″ wide. The largest size the mail piece can be is 12″x15″ to qualify. The mailers must also be equal to or greater than 0.007 thick. (6.5″ X 9″ is the most popular EDDM Postcard size)

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY ABOUT OUR WORK

I’ve been working with Maestro Graphics at least 4 years now. They were actually recommend to me by the USPS when I was learning about Every Door Direct Mail. I have used them for all of my marketing needs including postcards, logo design, social media banners and full website design. They do their very best to understand my business so that they can help steer me in the right direction and provide me with the right tools for my business. Maestro is always prompt and helpful when a request is made and their charges are very reasonable. Thank you Maestro Graphics! Keep up the good work!

– Paul Michelotti, Broker

I really didn’t know what I was doing when first trying out the Every Door Direct Mail service from the post office. Maestro Graphic Studios was listed as an agent who knew how to handle this type of mailing. I called Micheal and from the first phone call I knew he was a great guy! He was my personal guide through the EDDM procedures and even contacted my local USPS rep and had him help me as well. The printing Maestro provided was superb! I am very pleased! I will be using Maestro again in the next couple of weeks. Thanks so much Maestro!

– Susan Torregrosa, Studio T Photography

Maestro Graphic Studios has been extremely helpful in fulfilling my printing needs. They deliver very high end quality results in a timely manner. They always produce crisp, cutting edge designs! They have been very helpful with the EDDM mailers and process. I have used other printers and Maestro has been by far the best yet! Their prices are fair and staff is very friendly. Thank you Maestro Graphics!

– Jennifer Flinchum, Re/Max