What are Bulk Mail Services and How do They Benefit Businesses?
Bulk mailing services are offered by vendors that assist businesses in sending mail pieces in large quantities, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of thousands of items. It depends on the company’s budget and mailing objectives.
Bulk mailing is a popular marketing strategy for many companies because they can simultaneously reach out to large groups of people, even their entire target market. It brings them closer to their marketing and sales goals. Also, bulk mailing services are preferred by many businesses due to the significant price deductions in printing, postage, etc.
Below, we discuss more about bulk mailing services for businesses. Keep reading for in-depth information!
Key Takeaways:
- Bulk mailing services allow businesses to plan and conduct large-scale direct mail marketing campaigns. They can use third-party services to assist them in designing, producing, shipping, and tracking mail pieces.
- There are many advantages of using bulk mailing services, like postage discounts, lower per-piece prices, higher ROI, flexibility, broader target audience reach, etc.
- You can choose from many types of direct mail formats to send as bulk mail to your intended recipients. They include postcards, letters, personalized mail, neighbourhood mailers, etc.
- The Post Office offers huge discounts on bulk mailing. However, you might need a commercial permit to send mail in large volumes for an annual fee. Luckily, bulk mailing service providers, like PostGrid, can take care of that!
Benefits of Bulk Mailing Services
Bulk mailing in Canada can be incredibly beneficial for businesses of all sizes if they employ it right with a strong strategy. Below we discuss some of the main benefits of bulk mailing for your business.
1. Lower Per-Piece Rates
The first question that comes to your mind when thinking about mass mailing services is how much does it costs to send bulk mail?
The biggest advantage of bulk mailing over regular mailing is the low per-piece rate because the bulk mailing service entitles you to discounts that can fall anywhere between 5-30% depending on your mail quantity.
2. Demographics Targeting
Targeting your mail gets easier using bulk mailing. You can target specific demographics such as age, income level, gender, location, marital status, etc.
3. Flexibility
You have the flexibility to choose which type of mail you want to use for the campaign. Canada Post offers a number of postal mail such as
4. Positive Return On Investment (ROI)
Unlike what some of you may have thought, direct mail has a higher ROI than most other marketing methods, and the ROI can be enhanced by curbing your spending through bulk mailing discounts.
You can send tailored mail letters, postcards, or packages to all targeted customers under one campaign and convince them to buy something from you. Please ensure the marketing message is to the point.
Minimum Volume Requirement for Bulk Mailing
We know for a fact, that by using bulk mailing service, you can get discounts on your postal mails, but how many mailpieces do you need to send to get this discount?
If you are sending mail inside Canada via Canada Post, then you will need to send 1000 mail pieces or more to get Bulk mail discounts. If you are sending posts internationally, you are eligible for discounts as long as the number of mailpieces you send is 100 or more. This is an ideal way for business correspondence, invoices, and billing documents.
Types of Mail and How to Choose
You can use different types of mailpieces for your marketing campaign or communication efforts through postal mail. Canada Post even has some innovative solutions that can enhance your marketing efforts. Below we discuss some of the major types of mail you can use for your business.
Postcards
Postcards are an effective way to communicate with your target audience and make an emotional appeal to them. Their ability to personalize them with images or infographics printed on them makes them ideal for grabbing the attention of the recipients.
Lettermail
Lettermail is another common type of mail, and they get priority handling from Canada Post. This type of mail is used for sending invoices, billing statements, and time-sensitive documents. The Lettermails are usually delivered within three to seven working days.
Personalized Mail
These are standard mails, and they are also called admail. The mails must not weigh more than three pounds, and they are mostly used for sending catalogues, manuals, listings, etc. This kind of mail is often employed by marketers, and the delivery is made within four to fifteen working days.
Neighbourhood Mail
Unlike the other types of mail, the neighbourhood mails need not be addressed, and it may be printed or non-printed (product samples). Neighbourhood mails are not addressed to any specific delivery address. Instead, they can be targeted to specific areas or postal codes, making them ideal for marketing purposes.
Also Read: Same Day Mail Delivery Service
Bulk Mail Discount Rates
The more postal mail sent out using Canada Post, the higher the bulk mailing discount you get. Canada Post uses a level-based discount system for their bulk mailing discounts where the rate of discount you get is divided into saving levels from 1 to 4. These saving levels can adapt to your business’s growth.
Furthermore, Canada Post adjusts this saving level quarterly based on how much money you spend over the past 12 months. This means that if you are new to a bulk mailing from Canada Post, then your level will be decided based on your shipping spend to date.
The first saving level comes in two tiers which are
- Level 1: Post Office
- Level 1: Online
Level 1 has a yearly spend of $0 to $2499, and while the post office version only gets a discount of 5%, the online counterpart gets a 9% discount. Furthermore, this discount varies based on what type of mail you use too, viz., Priority mail, Xpresspost, and Expedited Parcel.
Most businesses use priority shipping, and they get a discount of 13%, 18%, and 30% for saving levels 2,3, and 4, respectively. The shipping spend caps at $4999 for level 2, $7499 for level 3, and $7500+ for level 4.
Also Read: Who Does USPS Use In Canada?How to Send Bulk Mail?
Sending bulk mail is pretty simple and straightforward, so long as you have a good understanding of bulk mail or employ an advanced, automated direct mail solution like PostGrid. If you are looking for DIY tips for your bulk mailing, then the following points will come in handy for you.
- First, you need to draft an attractive mailer for your target audience with catchy one-liners and graphics. You must also include a compelling CTA in it.
- After the draft is prepared, you need to prepare a mailing list, but be careful to verify the addresses as deliverables using the Canada Post database and ensure you use SERP-certified addresses.
- Now you can proceed to search for a reliable bulk mail printer. You can even get quotes from multiple printers.
- You then need to ensure that you have complied with any legal requirements for bulk mailing, such as PIPEDA compliance.
- Now you can proceed to pay for the postage, which can then be mailed to its destinations.
The Easy Method
The best and the most convenient method to use bulk mailing, however, is to simply use an advanced, SERP-certified, fully automated direct mail solution like PostGrid. This way, all you have to do is use an advanced system to automate your direct mail efforts. Advanced systems like PostGrid can print and mail PIPEDA-compliant direct mails and verify your address database using the official address database of Canada Post. This means you can ensure the deliverability of your direct mail and optimize your campaigns to perfection.
Also Read: What Are Canada Post Delivery StandardsWrapping Up
Bulk mailing is an effective way for businesses to optimize their direct mail efforts. Businesses that send large quantity direct mails can optimize their Return on Investment (ROI) by reducing the cost per piece for mailing via bulk mail. However, to truly streamline your direct mail process and get the best result out of it, you need to automate it using an advanced tool like PostGrid.
With an advanced direct mail automation tool like PostGrid, you can verify addresses to SERP standards and ensure the deliverability of your mail. Moreover, PostGrid is a PIPEDA-compliant service provider meaning that you need not worry about anything once you employ such a system.
