Getting into Mailing: What Printers Need to Know

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Many printers, frustrated with minimal revenue gains, look to mailing services to drive incremental profits.
Adding mailing services can offer synergy with existing printing services, with minimal investment and a fast learning curve. Are You Ready? Recent surveys indicate 65 percent of everything printed is eventually mailed.
If your printing jobs follow this pattern, you could be ready to incorporate mailing services into your business. Step one is to review your mailing-service plans with key customers, whose buy-in is critical to your success.
These discussions will provide a better understanding of what it will take to get the job done, which in turn can strongly influence initial software and equipment priorities. Likely components may include a workstation (minimally, a powerful desktop PC equipped with USPS-approved presorting software); an inkjet addressing machine; work tables for staging; a strapper, tabber, postage meter and scale; plus a conveyor, inserter, and assorted supplies.
Naturally, you’ll need additional floor space to accommodate this equipment; most mailroom floor plans suggest a minimum requirement of 400 square feet. Investment Costs and ROI Speed, volume, and mailing class all significantly influence initial cost outlays.
An occasional mailer — handling postcards with small runs, for instance — can probably get started with little more than $15,000 in startup expenses; larger-scale operations may require a substantially greater initial investment. Don’t let the price tags scare you away: with an expected average revenue of $.07 per piece mailed, a $15,000 investment would take roughly 215,000 pieces of mail to break even.
And depending on the nature of your planned mailing services, you could even repurpose existing equipment or buy refurbished hardware resources until you’re on your feet. As you shop for mailing solutions, you’ll notice the cliché “You get what you pay for” applies far more to hardware purchases than to software, where big performance can come in remarkably cost-effective packages.
How can you tell what software is right for you? Start with basic USPS qualifications: The USPS: Intimidating, but Manageable Don’t let postal rules frighten you away from potential new revenues! Requirements set by the United States Postal Service for mailings are undeniably complex, but resources are everywhere that can help you stay compliant, productive and profitable in your new venture. First, trust your mailing software: those CASS and PAVE certifications prove it’s been programmed to follow ever-changing postal details.
Also, many software developers offer free technical assistance; some even train their support staff in mailing details as well as the software itself. The right provider will be happy to hold your hand until you are comfortable with their product.
Instead of trying to achieve mailing “expert” status overnight, pace yourself by becoming well versed in regulations that apply directly to the mailing needs of your key customers. The USPS posts the latest regulation changes in the Domestic Mail Manual (find it at pe.usps.gov/text/dmm300/dmm300_landing.htm), and plenty of other free publications are available to walk you through essential postal rules.
Safety in Numbers: Professional Mailing Resources Try to develop a working relationship with your local Post Office — not just meeting the local Postmaster, but getting face-to-face with the personnel who receive and handle your mailpieces. Many new-to-mail printers join their local Postal Customer Councils, which offer forums to discuss general mailing issues among postal representatives and mailers at all levels of expertise.
Your most significant organizational “ally” might turn out to be the Mailing & Fulfillment Service Association, the national trade group that serves as the “voice” of mailers. (For details, visit www.mfsanet.org.) Choosing Mailing Software What qualities should you look for in a software solution? Consider these factors: Marketing Mailing Services Many printers stumble into mailing services; some subcontract direct mail jobs, only eventually realizing the benefit of bringing jobs in-house; still others buy, or merge with, existing mail houses.
Here are some strategies for building mailing services into your business: What’s In It For You? Once you’ve answered the questions and checked off the “to-do” points described above, you’ll find mailing to be a rewarding addition to your printing-services business. It’s hard to imagine a better way of exposing such a sizable chunk of your existing business to incremental revenues.
What’s more, printer-mailers often claim that incorporating mailing services even helps build their printing business. Customers enjoy the convenience and economy of a “one-stop” print-and-mail house — and they’ll have you to thank.
Good luck, and good mailing. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .