With messages getting lost in overflowing email inboxes and endless social media feeds, direct mail companies are making a remarkable comeback.
Direct mail marketing stands out by landing directly in people’s hands and offers a tangible experience that digital marketing can’t match.
And when you work with a reputable direct mail company, you get access to essential services such as design, printing, mailing list management, and even automation, making the process seamless and accessible to all, regardless of experience level.
Here are seven companies to help you succeed in your next direct mail campaign. While some are geared towards small businesses, others focus on enterprise-level solutions.
7 Direct Mail Companies To Try
When choosing the best direct mail service for your business, determine the services you need and pick one that can meet your requirements. Consider pricing, turnaround time, marketing metrics, customer support, customization options, and reputation.
Note: Mailing services for custom printing and direct mail campaigns have lots of variables and are pretty personalized, so to get prices from these providers, just send a quote request.
1. PsPrint: Best Overall Direct Mail Company
PsPrint has been around since 1990 and merges traditional printing expertise with modern digital technology, making it a standout choice for direct mail services. Designed for small and medium-sized businesses aiming to blend direct mail with their digital outreach, PsPrint offers a practical path to enriched multi-channel marketing strategies.
The platform’s strengths include various direct mail types, from brochures to postcards, and the ability to customize marketing materials to fit your brand’s identity.
A few quick highlights:
- Precision color with daily-calibrated Komori, HP, and Heidelberg presses
- Recognized G7-qualified Master Printer for top-notch color and quality control
- Extensive product lineup, including customizable templates for over 100 types of printed products
- Cost-effective solutions with Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) for targeted outreach
- Targeted mailing lists and in-house design services for personalized campaigns
- Expedited service options for tight deadlines.
However, PsPrint is not without its drawbacks. The minimum order quantities for postcards might be prohibitive for smaller operations, and rush orders can come at a premium compared to competitors. The design platform, while functional, might feel limited to those seeking more intricate customization options.
Even with its imperfections, if you’re new to direct mail marketing, PsPrint provides a user-friendly platform with excellent customer support and a wide range of services to meet your needs.
Personalization Pays Off: Direct mail campaigns that include personalized elements, such as recipient names or tailored offers, tend to yield higher response rates.
2. PostAlytics: Wide Variety of Integration Options
Postalytics revolutionizes direct mail marketing by automating the creation, sending, and tracking of high-quality postcards and letters. This service is a game-changer for businesses looking to integrate direct mail with their digital marketing strategy efficiently.
With its user-friendly interface and robust integration options, including with platforms like HubSpot, Postalytics empowers you to launch targeted campaigns triggered by specific customer actions, streamlining your marketing efforts and enhancing engagement.
Key benefits:
- Automated direct mail campaigns with online creation and tracking
- High-quality prints with personalized URLs for tracking effectiveness
- Seamless integration with CRM tools for triggered mailings.
Ideal for small and medium businesses aiming for a multi-channel marketing strategy, Postalytics offers strategic expertise in combining direct mail personalization with digital marketing tools.
While some users desire more customization options, the overall ease of use, quality service, and the ability to track campaign effectiveness in real time make Postalytics a valuable tool for elevating marketing campaigns.
3. VistaPrint: Self-Service Option for Beginners
VistaPrint is perfect for beginners seeking hassle-free direct mail marketing. With an extensive range of templates and straightforward editing tools, you can easily create and customize professional direct mailers, from postcards with QR codes to personalized business mail.
Ideal for businesses of any size, VistaPrint supports small and extensive mailing list needs with at least 50 pieces.
- Vast template library and user-friendly design tools
- Free QR code generator and professional design services
- Options to purchase targeted mailing lists.
While it shines in providing an array of direct mail marketing materials and printing services, it’s worth noting that VistaPrint limits its direct mailing services to postcards and doesn’t offer EDDM services, requiring you to supply or buy a mailing list.
Nonetheless, its low minimum quantities, frequent promotions, and comprehensive design and print capabilities make it an attractive option for businesses looking to execute their marketing campaigns easily and efficiently.
Timing is Key: Strategically timing your direct mail campaigns to coincide with seasonal trends or special occasions can significantly enhance their effectiveness.
4. Every Door Direct Mail: USPS Service for Local Engagement
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) by USPS is a streamlined way to send marketing materials to every household within a chosen area without needing specific addresses. This service suits businesses that cover broad areas like neighborhoods or ZIP codes, making it ideal for local establishments looking to reach potential customers en masse.
Here are a few highlights of EDDM:
- No need for a purchased mailing list, targeting by geographic area
- Allows sending up to 5,000 pieces daily, with a maximum weight of 3.3 ounces
- Offers the option to mail oversized pieces at competitive rates.
However, it’s worth considering EDDM’s limitations: the lack of personalization means your mail is more general advertising than direct, targeted communication.
Additionally, the requirement for oversized mail can increase printing costs. Preparing and delivering your mail in specific bundles to the post office might also require extra effort, potentially offsetting the cost benefits. Still, EDDM provides a cost-effective entry point into direct mail marketing for businesses focused on wide-reaching exposure rather than targeted messaging.
5. Overnight Prints: Best for Quick Turnarounds
Overnight Prints excels in delivering your print needs with unprecedented speed. It’s tailored for those who value both quality and urgency, offering an array of products, from business cards to brochures, designed to leave a lasting impression. The unique Buy It Today, Get It Tomorrow (BITGIT) service ensures that if you place your order by 8:00 PM EST, it lands in your hands the next day.
A few standout features that make this one of the best direct mail companies:
- Wide variety of products, including Premium Business Cards, Postcards, and Brochures
- Environmentally friendly with a commitment to waterless printing and sustainable paper sources.
Despite its fast service and commitment to sustainability, Overnight Prints might come at a higher cost than alternatives like VistaPrint, especially for those seeking luxury or high-end print options. The service mainly caters to standard and jumbo postcards, limiting those seeking a broader direct mail service range.
Plus, the design platform may not cater to all business-specific needs. Yet, Overnight Prints is a reliable choice for quick turnarounds and a straightforward online ordering process.
Track and Analyze Results: Utilize tracking tools and analytics to measure the success of your direct mail efforts, allowing for informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
6. PostGrid: Great for Automation and Drip Campaigns
PostGrid shines for businesses seeking to blend the precision of direct mail with the efficiency of digital automation. It’s particularly adept at executing drip campaigns and transactional mailers, seamlessly integrating with CRMs for personalized outreach.
It functions as one of the best marketing report software companions to mail marketing materials. Further benefits include:
- Automated direct mailing with transactional elements (welcome letters, post-purchase thank-yous)
- Real-time tracking and advanced analytics for campaign optimization
- Robust API for seamless integration with existing business systems
- Integration with automated email software platforms and CRM platforms.
Despite its strong suits in automation and analytics, PostGrid’s template selection could feel limited for those searching for industry-specific designs. Additionally, it focuses mainly on letters, postcards, and checks, which might not cover all direct mailing needs.
Ideal for tech-savvy companies valuing detailed analytics and rapid deployment (with a 2-business-day SLA), PostGrid streamlines direct mail marketing, albeit with room for more design diversity.
7. Taradel: Ideal for Customization
Taradel specializes in custom direct mail solutions, making it a standout choice for those looking to add a personal touch to their marketing efforts. Whether you’re reaching out to consumer or business addresses, Taradel offers the flexibility to tailor your message, ensuring your campaign resonates with your audience.
This direct mail marketing company offers:
- Tailored mailers for both consumer and business lists, enhancing direct mail personalization
- Capability to integrate with digital advertising on platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, Hulu, and Spotify
- Offers custom design services for postcards.
Despite its strengths, Taradel has a few limitations, such as a lack of online design tools, restricted product size options, and a focus mainly on postcards. However, its ability to seamlessly blend direct mail campaigns with digital ads and provide EDDM services positions it uniquely for businesses aiming to craft a cohesive marketing narrative across multiple channels.
Ideal for those prioritizing customization and integrated marketing strategies, Taradel’s service is a powerful tool for boosting engagement and conversions.
Which of These Direct Mail Companies is the Best?
I’ve found that PsPrint is the best direct mail company overall. It gives you a user-friendly platform – that’s been refined over close to 3 decades – and gives you access to excellent customer support and a wide range of personalized services to meet your needs.
VistaPrint is also a good option that offers a starter-friendly plan for those just dipping their toes into direct mail marketing. It’s celebrated for its vast array of templates, intuitive design tools, and low minimum orders. It’s ideal for businesses experimenting with direct mail campaigns without a significant upfront investment.
And on the other end of the spectrum, PostGrid presents a full-suite premium option for direct mail marketing. Its automation, advanced analytics, and seamless CRM integration cater to businesses aiming for a sophisticated, data-driven approach to direct mail campaigns, ensuring each piece of mail is part of a strategic, highly targeted marketing effort.
Final Thoughts: Direct Mail Companies
In the evolving marketing landscape, direct mail services offer a tangible and personalized way to reach audiences, blending seamlessly with digital marketing strategies to create comprehensive campaigns.
Whether targeting small businesses or expansive consumer lists, the best direct mail companies provide strategic expertise, from Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) to targeted mailing lists and personalized direct mailers, ensuring your message lands with impact.
As you navigate the choices from starter-friendly options to full-suite premium services, the right direct mail partner can significantly amplify your marketing campaign’s reach, engagement, and conversion, bridging the gap between physical promotional materials and online marketing with precision and creativity.