Direct Mail Secrets: How to Quickly Add a Card to Your Campaign

We recently worked with a direct mail company whose client, a national mortgage lender, wanted to increase their business with a direct marketing campaign to consumers. The mailing would include a home loan offer and, to improve lift, the company also wanted to add a plastic card. The campaign would need to launch within two months and, over the course of a year, would be sent to more than 70 million consumers. So what does it take to launch a program with this many cards in such a short time? Let me share some secrets that have helped us create and win-win partnership with our client, the direct mail company.

Three secrets for adding direct mail cards to any campaign, quickly and efficiently

• An experienced customer. Direct mail cards are not new to direct mail companies. And neither is direct mail, of course, but adding the impact of a plastic card to the package is a big step and our customer was up to the task. Important decisions had already been made, like vendors, quantities, and general product design. There are very few direct mail card marketers out there who have run many of the largest programs in the county, and our contact is one of them. He understands what kind of lift the company will get by adding a well-designed card, improving messaging and fine tuning their mailing list. With twelve years of experience in card mailings, our contact gave us the latitude to form a partnership with other vendors that enabled all of us to move quickly and efficiently to build a product solution in such a short period of time.
• Great vendor partners. Over the years, we have assembled the most amazing partners for fulfilling direct mail card programs. Imagine proofing, printing, and delivering over 6 million cards in 4 weeks! Great color control, eye-popping graphics, and sensitivity to the details in the final product, all while meeting a quick due date and challenging price points. That’s the definition of a great partner! On the other side, having a mailing team with tremendous experience, a wide array of solutions all under one roof, and the determination to work with others to get the job done.   But what really sets this partnership apart is the willingness to be open to each other, to new ideas, to provide resources, and genuinely focus on the ultimate goal – satisfy the customer and their aggressive schedules.
• All hands on deck. Sales, service, production, and finance all pitched in to the get the direct mail card program running. Coordination was key. From the top down, this had to be a corporate project with all hands on deck, working together. Another key component – communication. Carefully sharing information and taking the time to double check with your customers and partners results in a perfect end product. Also having the capacity to meet the challenge head on. If need be, purchasing “insurance capacity” to make sure your customer’s needs, expected or not, are always met. Great programs are always great team efforts!

So, as you can see, all three secrets involve one key element – PEOPLE! The core of any successful program launch requires experience, open communication, cooperation and team work.

Tom Knaus is president of CPS Cards and, with more than 25 years of experience, is a veteran in the card industry. He has played an integral role in establishing several card personalization companies and he guided the opening of the first ISO-certified secure card mailing facility in the U.S. Tom is a highly sought-after industry speaker, is considered a leading expert on the plastic card industry, and is passionate about helping clients find the best-suited solution for their card-related projects.