Direct mail assembly is an excellent advertising and marketing tool, allowing your company's logo and information to reach thousands of households with each mailing.

In addition, direct mail can include mail inserts inserted into other publications, letters in envelopes or postcards.

Direct mail assembly companies provide a variety of services to businesses. Some of these services include:

1. Using social and economic demographic information to create a database of the best audience for your marketing materials
2. Preparing the mailings, doing all the assembly and inserting with the appropriate addresses
3. Taking the mail to a bulk mail facility, typically the U.S. Postal Service, for processing and delivery

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find mail inserting services

Mail inserting services do all of the mail assembly and inserting of your direct mail project.

I recommend: Accommodata offers a variety of services, such as helping you determine your best customers, providing up-to-date databases of addresses, and utilizing mining techniques to weed out duplicate addresses, to save you money. ImpressionsDirect specializes in bulk mail services including mailing fulfillment, inserting, data processing, laser imaging and more. Adams Addressing Associates offers poly-bagging, perforating, sealing and other services to help with the mailings of a unique nature.

Buy mailing fulfillment inserting equipment

One alternative to hiring a full service mail inserting company is to purchase your own equipment to assemble bulk mailings.

I recommend: MailQuick offers a wide variety of inserting equipment, from small desktop models to huge machines capable of handling 4,300 inserts per hour that are anywhere from 1 to 50 pages in length. Advanced Systems can custom build mail inserting equipment to meet the needs of your business.

Purchase used mail inserting service equipment

To save money, look into purchasing previously owned equipment for your bulk mailing needs.

I recommend: MailMarketplace.com offers a variety of used mailing equipment, including machines for inserting mail. Setcom Mailing Systems offers used and refurbished equipment, as well as replacement parts for mailing fulfillment inserting equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  The post office estimates that mail addressed incorrectly totals as much as 30% of all the mail. Do your homework to ensure that the mailing fulfillment company you choose has the most accurate and up-to-the-minute address data possible.
• •  Many third party fulfillment mailing centers offer not only business to consumer mailings, but also mail programs that are business-to-business.