The best direct mailing services
Direct mail marketing is still a viable marketing strategy. It is easy to overlook it when placing more emphasis on online ads, email, and other digital marketing tactics.
But direct mail is an effective and affordable way to increase brand awareness, generate leads, and reach new customers. It is a great opportunity for new and established businesses to reach consumers who may not see their digital presence.
To succeed in this space, you need to find a reliable direct mail service. Direct mail services help you deliver promotional content to consumers and businesses' mailboxes.
A basic mailing company will print, stamp, and distribute your flyers, postcards, or brochures. Some services go further by providing you with design templates and helping you create a viable mailing list.
Use this guide to find the best direct mail company for your business.
The 8 best mailing services of 2020
Even though many people believe that direct mail is dead, there are still countless direct mail services available in the market today. The high number of companies in this space proves that the industry is still alive and thriving.
After thorough research, I have narrowed down the top direct mail companies to eight options
PrintingForLess.com
PsPrint – La plupart des options pour les produits à envoyer par la poste.
Vistaprint – Il convient à tous les besoins d’impression et de promotion en plus du publipostage.
NextDayFlyers – Meilleur service de publipostage avec impression le jour ouvrable suivant.
Gunderson Direct – Meilleure agence de marketing direct à service complet.
PostcardMania – C’est la meilleure solution pour les campagnes de cartes postales à grand volume.
Envoi de cactus – Meilleur service de publipostage pour les brochures.
SaasMQL – Meilleur service de publipostage pour la génération de la demande de SaaS.
I will present below a detailed review of the features, benefits, and use cases of each of them.
The best direct mail services
PrintingForLess (Best for Every Door Direct Mail)
- A comprehensive mail service
PrintingForLess.com is a well-known and reliable direct mail service. It is a one-stop shop for businesses' printing and direct mail needs.
As a full-service direct mail company, PFL offers mailing lists and home direct mail services.
It also offers a wide range of tools such as free templates and tips for direct mail.
Before starting to produce and ship on a large scale, PFL will provide you with personalized and free printing samples. You can choose from different types of paper, weights, coatings, binding options, effects, and other products to see which is best for your business.
To request a sample, simply fill out an online form, send an email to PFL, or call their customer support team.
Among the features, sizes, and options available for direct mail through PFL, we can mention
Standard delivery
EDDM
Empreintes de données variables
Courrier de taille et de forme personnalisées
Taille et emplacement des fenêtres sur mesure
Taille et forme des rabats d’enveloppes personnalisées
Onglets et insertions
Encre, revêtement et finitions personnalisés
Papier standard, premium et spécial
More than 200,000 companies trust PFL for their needs. The service has been used by popular brands such as Zappos, 99designs, Constant Contact, British Airways, and many others.
PsPrint (Most options for products to be sent by mail)
A wide range of products
PsPrint offers a wide range of products available for direct mail. Unlike other services that only offer postcards or flyers, PsPrint takes care of the design and mailing process
Postcards
Brochures
Cartes de voeux
Invitations
Brochures
Catalogues
Bulletins d’information
Their services include processing mailing lists, CASS certification, inkjet addressing, and using the postal service.
PsPrint also offers a quick turnaround time. In just two to five days after printing, your order can be shipped via mail.
The entire process can be managed online. Simply select your product, upload your artwork, and attach your mailing list. PsPrint will even send you an additional print that was not sent by mail. "Overs" are free if they fit in one box.
For those of you who do not have a mailing list, PsPrint will help you create one in less than 15 minutes. You just need to answer a few questions related to your target market based on your age, income, postal code, and other details.
Vistaprint (the best for all printing and promotional needs)
Postcard sending service
Vistaprint is undoubtedly the most recognizable name in the world of commercial printing. This online service offers everything you can imagine for every type of business.
Here are some popular categories:
Promotional products
Étiquettes et autocollants
Sacs et vêtements
Signalisation
Salons professionnels
Matériel de marketing
Cartes de visite
This platform also offers a postcard sending service. This means that Vistaprint will create and send these postcards for you. You just need to design your card, send them your address list, and Vistaprint will take care of the rest. Vistaprint offers standard postcards and oversized postcards.
You don't have a mailing list? No problem. You can also purchase a targeted list directly through this platform.
I like using Vistaprint because they have a lot of other products and services. If you want to get your mailing service from the same provider as your other promotional products and printing needs, you can get everything in one place.
NextDayFlyers (the best for next business day printing)
A wide range of products
NextDayFlyers is one of the most popular direct mail services on the market today. It offers a wide range of products at an affordable price and fast delivery times.
With NextDayFlyers, your business can send:
Postcards
Brochures
Cartes à râtelier pour le courrier
Produits sur mesure
NextDayFlyers will stock your inventory, verify addresses, pre-sort your products, and send out your mail. You can also rent mailing lists for your campaigns.
Use NextDayFlyers for EDDM postcards (Every Door Direct Mail) campaigns.
It is easy to navigate this platform. You just need to choose the size of your brochure, customize the cardboard paper, add a glossy or matte coating, and select your quantity. You can create illustrations directly on their website or upload your own file.
You will see the cost of your direct mail campaign in real-time, as you make changes.
As its name suggests, NextDayFlyers offers next business day printing. Although you pay a higher price for this superior quality service, it is an excellent option for time-sensitive offers and campaigns.
Gunderson Direct (top full-service direct marketing agency)
- Full-service marketing agency
Gunderson Direct is a direct marketing agency offering a full range of services.
For over 16 years, this organization has taken actions for major brands such as PayPal, ZipRecruiter, Postmates, AAA, Adobe, Wells Fargo, and Dish Network. They even work with some of the top business lending companies like Lending Club.
The experts at Gunderson Direct have everything you need to know to make the most of your direct mail campaigns.
Here is how the process works...
You will start with a consultation with the Gunderson Direct team. Depending on your needs, they will help you create a mailing list using their own database as well as external resources.
Gunderson Direct manages your entire direct mail campaign from start to finish. They take a creative approach to direct mail and provide detailed reports and analysis for each campaign. These reports indicate key performance indicators (KPIs), benchmarks, and outline new opportunities for improving performance and return on investment.
All services from Gunderson Direct are personalized. Get in touch with their team to obtain a unique quote for your business.
PostcardMania (ideal for high-volume postcard campaigns)
- Direct mail, EDDM, and bulk mailing
More than 90,000 companies trust PostcardMania for the printing and sending of their cards. It is a top choice option for high-volume postcard direct mailings due to its low prices and quantity discounts.
PostcardMania offers the following services:
Postcard printing
Conception de cartes postales
Publipostage direct
Envoi massif
Listes de diffusion
Le publipostage à domicile (EDDM)
I really like PostcardMania because the platform has a vast resource of designs for businesses in almost every category. Here is a sample of the approximately 80 different sectors served by PostcardMania:
Lawyers
Concessionnaires automobiles
Nettoyage à sec
Aménagement paysager
Massothérapie
Optométrie
Toitures
Restaurants
Vente au détail
Bijoux
Aménagement intérieur
Meubles
The list is long.
PostcardMania offers a unique service called Everywhere Small Business. As the name suggests, it is a multichannel marketing effort that includes direct mail. In addition to mail, you will also benefit from mail tracking, targeted follow-up ads on Facebook, Instagram ads, Google follow-ups, and call tracking.
PostcardMania targets the same people who receive your promotions by mail on digital advertising channels. It brings together multiple campaigns to generate leads and increase brand awareness.
The price of standard size postcards in bulk starts at just $0.05 per piece. You probably won't find a better wholesale price in the industry.
Sending cactus (ideal for brochures)
- Mailing and call tracking
Cactus Mailing is a simple and direct direct mail service, ideal for small businesses. Among their main successes, we can mention a 700% return on investment for one company and over $150,000 in new revenue for another.
In total, Cactus Mailing has helped over 17,000 businesses increase their sales, promote brand awareness, and acquire new customers through direct mail marketing.
Among the main services, we can mention
Direct mail postcards
Brochures de publipostage
Listes de diffusion ciblées
Conception de l’envoi postal
Suivi des appels
Like some of the other services on our list, Cactus Mailing also offers "Smart Marketing". This program includes display ads and Google landing pages in addition to direct mail postcards.
Cactus Mailing has a useful tool for calculating return on investment and an extensive design gallery.
Among the main industries using Cactus Mailing, we can mention dentists, restaurants, salons, spas, churches, real estate, retail, fitness, etc.
Another reason to consider Cactus Mailing is that they always offer special deals if you combine multiple services. Contact them today to get a quote on your direct mailing needs.
SaaS MQL (Best for SaaS demand generation)
- Focused on SaaS businesses
SaasMQL is extremely unique compared to other email marketing services on our list. I will start by saying that this company is not for everyone. SaasMQL offers SaaS companies the opportunity to generate demand from an account.
If your organization falls into this category, SaasMQL will be a top choice to consider.
In most cases, direct mail is not associated with SaaS. But SaasMQL has revolutionized the way you approach your lead generation strategy. They use direct mail to create leads and opportunities with mid-level and enterprise prospects.
Thanks to a direct mail campaign, one of their clients generated over 50 qualified meetings in less than two months. This resulted in over 2 million dollars in revenue.
How do they do it?
Instead of simply sending a brochure or a postcard, SaasMQL sends packages to businesses. This sets it apart from the hundreds of emails, calls, and junk mail that these individuals receive on a daily basis. Nobody is going to take a package and throw it in the garbage.
In addition to direct mail, SaasMQL will help you execute other account-based marketing campaigns and analytics. They have everything you need to generate SaaS demand across multiple channels.
How to choose the best direct mail service for your business
As you can see in this list, each direct mail service is unique. It can be difficult to find the one that best suits your business if you don't know what to look for.
This is our methodology to narrow down your options. I will explain each factor in more detail below.
Design Options
The first impression is crucial for direct mail campaigns. You want the final product to be clean and beautiful when it arrives in mailboxes.
Find a direct mail service that helps you create high-quality designs. Some services offer industry-specific templates. Other companies allow you to choose the quality, size, and finish of your products. The designs should be attractive and informative.
Types of senders
Some direct mail services are limited in what they can print and send for you. Just because a company offers a product for personalized printing does not mean it is available for direct mail.
The most common types of shipments are as follows:
Postcards
Dépliants
Invitations
Cartes de voeux
Brochures
Bulletins d’information
Catalogues
Brochures
Produits sur mesure
For some of you, a postcard will be sufficient. But if you wish to send more detailed information about your organization, you may consider sending a brochure or a catalog.
Although uncommon, companies like SaasMQL even send packages by direct mail for certain types of businesses.
Mailing lists
Who do you send your direct mail campaigns to?
Not all companies have a mailing list. For those who do not have one, you will want to find a direct mail service that will help you generate a targeted list. Sometimes, this service is free and is an integral part of the service. Other times, you will need to pay an extra fee to purchase or rent a list.
Execution time
Some direct mail campaigns are more sensitive to the time factor than others.
If customers and prospects receive a mail after the expiration or end of a promotion, it is a huge waste of money. Once the printing is completed, the mail execution time varies between the next business day and ten business days.
You can usually pay an extra fee to get your mail out faster. But it is best to find a direct mail service that works quickly and without additional charges.
Price and volume
In most cases, price and volume go hand in hand for direct mail campaigns. The more you order, the less you pay per unit.
Make sure to use a direct mailing service that offers transparent pricing. Sometimes, companies will lure you in with a low cost per piece, but do not include printing and mailing fees until the end.
Sometimes, you can check prices online. But many direct mail companies offer personalized quotes based on your needs.
Additional services
It is rare to see a company that only offers direct mail. Many options on our list include additional services for other marketing campaigns and common business needs.
For some of you, it may be more cost-effective to consolidate these offers with a single company. Even if you don't need it today, it's something to consider for your future projects.
Conclusion
With so many direct mail services on the market today, here are the top eight that I would recommend:
PrintingForLess.com
PsPrint – La plupart des options pour les produits à envoyer par la poste.
Vistaprint – Il convient à tous les besoins d’impression et de promotion en plus du publipostage.
NextDayFlyers – Meilleur service de publipostage avec impression le jour ouvrable suivant.
Gunderson Direct – Meilleure agence de marketing direct à service complet.
PostcardMania – C’est la meilleure solution pour les campagnes de cartes postales à grand volume.
Envoi de cactus – Meilleur service de publipostage pour les brochures.
SaasMQL – Meilleur service de publipostage pour la génération de la demande de SaaS.
There is a service provider for every business in all sectors. From startups to B2B organizations selling software, direct mail caters to all.