Direct Mail Production Timelines for a successful campaign
More often than not, the traditional letter shop was thought of as the last stop in the production cycle of the direct mail piece. The reality is that companies like Russell House Marketing offer so much more than just stamping, bagging, tagging, and bundling. While mail processing can be a relatively quick undertaking, there are so many additional ways to make your next direct mail campaign better. Continue reading and learn about the stages of production and the timelines your marketing partner needs to bring you the desired result that you are looking for – a tremendous response!
You focus on your business and leave the mail campaign to us
The direct mail relationship should be viewed as a prosperous partnership; you are involved in it because it helps you, it benefits you, and it rewards you. You can get further ahead and focus on the areas of the partnership that you excel in to make it stronger and better.
The direct mail partnership –
Don’t worry about every component of your campaign;
Focus on your business, your clients, your sales, etc., to further support expanding and growing your business and marketing efforts!
Eight steps to make your life easier for your next mail campaign?
Here is a basic 8 point framework of your next steps. As you can see, you have a lot of hats to wear if you go the road alone. You don’t want to work 8x harder than you need to – do you?
- Start the mail planning conversation – decide that you are going to mail
- Define your campaign objective and your target(s)
- Identify your mailing list(s)
- Determine your message
- Layout your artwork
- Produce your material(s)
- Prepare your data
- Prepare your mail
Many marketers only consider #8 as a point where a company like Russell House Marketing is needed. Wouldn’t it be a welcomed relief to know that you didn’t have to manage all of this yourself?
Well, you don’t! By engaging us at the earliest stage of your campaign, a Direct Marketing Advisor can help you plan an effective campaign that will perform well and set you up for future success. They will help demystify the process and help organize you. They will be your sounding board, your advocate, and that second set of eyes you can rely on.
While we can bring a campaign to market extremely quickly, it is best to understand conservative guidelines in order to appreciate what we can offer you fully.
Take a look at the mailout timelines you can expect to follow:
- Marketing plan development — Up to 5 days
- Mailing list selection — 3 to 5 days
- List Rental (Not House List) — 2 days
- Development of rough copy and art — 7 to 10 days
- Development of final copy from the rough stage – 1 to 2 days
- Layout development — 1 to 3 days
- Printing — 3 to 10 days
- Envelope production:
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- Stock envelop – 3 to 5 days
- Custom envelope — Up to 6 weeks
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- Duplication elimination and data work – 2 to 5 days
- Lettershop (labelling, insertion, metering, mailing) — 5 to 10 days
*All of the timelines, and estimates will vary depending on the size of the mailing. Whether simple or complex, Russell House Marketing will get the job done accurately and on time.
Remember, while your campaign is the most critical campaign to you, there are numerous other production jobs and people in the overall equation. List brokers, Copywriters, Graphic Artists, Printers, and Data Analysts – all have other clients. And you may have internal sign-offs required at every stage. By working closely with your Direct Marketing Advisor and our team of industry specialists, you will have that marketing ‘muscle’ to help you reduce your timelines and push forward your campaign, allowing you to focus on the other areas of your business that require your attention.
By utilizing our full-service features you will streamline the entire direct marketing process. You will save money and time on materials. You will produce high-quality mail. You will have precision mailing accuracy. You will be in the best position for follow-up data analysis. You will be able to concentrate on your core competency – your business.
When considering your next mailing, remember that Russell House Marketing is not just a letter shop, we are proud to be your marketing partner! Let us help guide you through the process – it’s what we’ve been doing for over 20 years!
Contact a Direct Marketing Advisor today and start the mail conversation. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by how easy the conversation will go!