Commercial Print & Mail Best Practices

With various options available to reach consumers, evaluating print and how you use print as a communication medium is important.  Print absolutely is a very viable and effective tool that can be tailored to the way your consumer wants to be communicated with while still meeting your business needs of receiving quick electronic payments.  It’s also versatile, secure, and cost-effective when set up and managed correctly.

• 23% of consumers prefer to receive communications via paper only
• 45% of consumers prefer to receive communications in both paper & electronic formats
• 96% of individuals open and read invoices & statements mailed to them
• 5 minutes on average is spent reviewing invoices & statements
• Printed statements stay in homes on average for 17 days

Effective Design 

The design of any communication is critical and will ultimately have the biggest impact on the consumer.  So, what is most effective in the delivery of your message and call to action?

• Be clear and concise.  Consumers look first for these 3 things:  Payment Due, Total Amount Due, and Summary of Charges.
• Consumers respond more to receiving paper invoices/statements with options to pay electronically or online.  Putting them in control.
• Consumers want to receive a message that is personalized to them.  Consider adding elements like QR codes or hyperlinks to allow for electronic payments.

Efficient Delivery

There are many ways and perhaps what may seem cheaper ways than the USPS to deliver communications to consumers.  It’s a fact the cost of postage continues to climb, but at $0.5150 (USPS mixed AADC rate) per piece for a hand-delivered item seems relatively economical for your return.   You also need to consider the effectiveness of your delivery.  Are you really saving money if your message is not being opened, received, and acted upon?  

Print and mail are very viable but we still want to be as smart and cost-efficient as we possibly can.  In order to maximize 1^st time attempted delivery, qualification of a pre-sort discount rate, and reduction of return mail make sure you are consulting with the Focus One team to ensure you are applying the best use of address hygiene services such as NCOA and Streetwise address correction services as well as post mailing Electronic Address Updates.

Incorporating all of these best practices into your overall communication strategy will ensure you continue to reach your consumers in a manner that will ultimately is the most convenient and comfortable for them while ensuring to drive revenues for you.

Linda Woodward

VP of Strategic Accounts

FocusOne, a division of Hatteras, Inc.