3 Steps to Tracking the Success of Your Direct Mail Campaign

Financial Strategies for Small Business in Houston

1. Seed your mailing list.

By “seed” I mean, add in a few names from different locations that you know will report back to you and tell you when your mail was delivered and what condition it was in when it arrived.

For example, if you are doing a regional mail­ing of only 700 pieces, add in four or five seed names within that region. You could add in your own home address, a few of your friends’ addresses, and maybe a relative’s address.

Or, if you’re doing a national mailing of 10,000 pieces add in ten seed names from across the country. You could include your address, a ven­dor you work with who is in a different region, your list broker’s address, your great Aunt, your friends who live in other states, etc.

The goal is to get an accurate read on the prog­ress and condition of your sales pieces. You’ll need to have reliable “seed” receivers who will report back to you.

2. Use US Monitor.

If you are doing larger national mailings, you must subscribe to US Monitor. US Moni­tor will provide you with seed names that you can add into your mail file. These names are spread throughout the country. When you send your mailing out with the US Monitor names included, you’ll be able to track when your mail is being delivered.

For example, you may have ten seed names in ten differ­ent locations throughout the country. US Monitor will keep you informed of when your mail arrives in Florida, Maine, Oregon, New Mexico, etc. Not only will you get to see when your mail is arriving, you’ll also get reports on the condition of your mail. You can even have your seed pieces mailed back to you so you can see the exact pieces that went through the mail stream. This is a good way to see if your printer is doing a quality job without them knowing!

3. Use TrackMyMail service.

The Pitney Bowes TrackMyMail service is the most effective way to track your mailing delivery times. This system works differently than adding in your own seed names or using US Monitor.

Track­MyMail does not give you seed names; instead they work with you to put a special barcode on a number of your sales pieces (most of the time they barcode about 1,000 pieces). The USPS scans this special bar­code every time the piece is transferred from one location to the next. You can look online and see exactly where your mailing is and how many pieces have reached their final destination.

Source: Entrepreneur

Patty Block, President and Founder of The Block Group, established her company to advocate for women-owned businesses, helping them position their companies for strategic growth. Charting the course for impactful, sustainable, profitable businesses, the beacon is control: of your strategic direction, your money, your time, your staffing, and your ability to bring in business. The Block Group brings together the people, resources and ideas that build results.

Financial Strategies for Small Business in Houston.

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