The key to reducing your undeliverable mail is following sound strategies consistently. Here are some experts’ best practices:

• Create and enforce good standards for collecting data. Watch out for common errors that seem to sneak by all of us, such as missing apartment/suite numbers and incomplete Zip codes.

• Ask your mailhouse to keep your list current by updating the data with NCOA prior to each mailing.

• Collect all returned mail and dedicate someone to check, clean and update all addresses.

• Continuously monitor and improve your entire mailing process.

• Ask mailing experts for advice.

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While your message, offer, packaging and design are all vital to the success of your direct mail campaign, how your mailpieces are managed before being dropped at the post office is critical to your ROI.

Work with a mail service provider who can help you figure out how to make your program work cost-effectively and efficiently. Here are some things to consider and questions to ask when looking for a mailhouse.

• Look for an established company with a solid reputation for reliability.

• Do they have a knowledgeable staff?

• How easy is it to communicate with the staff?

• How long have they been in the industry?

• How familiar are they with USPS regulations?

• Can they look at your mailing in its early design stage and tell you if it you need to change it so it will meet postal regulations?

• Can they figure out the best postage rate without sacrificing timeliness?

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1) Don’t be pushy. Offer information and show consumers your company is their ally and here to help them choose what’s right for them.

2) Keep it simple. Don’t overwhelm your audience with too much information. Bullet your product’s benefits and your offer, and don’t forget to provide contact information in a prominent place.

3) Play to current industry challenges. Don’t shy away from identifying problems. Design offers and incentives that speak to current conditions.

4) Encourage a timely response. Create a time-sensitive discount or special offer that makes it worth your readers’ while to respond promptly.

5) Reconnect with out-of-touch clients by capitalizing on your shared history.

6) Every contact should put you closer to your recipient, intensify their loyalty and make them interested in hearing from you again. 

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The recession is taking a heavy toll on B-to-B marketers, who are finding it harder to break through and get their messages noticed. Here is how some are dealing with the issue:

• “We’re looking at the recession through the lens of opportunity to communicate more closely with our stakeholders, customers and investors. I think companies that stay close to their customers and continue to find ways to add value will be the winners.” – Carl Anderson, CEO Doremus

• “Because there’s so much noise in the marketplace, the need to be relevant is even more important.” –Chris Kelly, Managing Director, G2 direct & Digital

• “Companies must focus on ROI and be flexible and quick to reallocate efforts so they can be at the right place at the right time in the right way.” – Dasher Lowe, SVP, Group Management, Director, Draftfcb 

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