Direct mail is still a viable marketing strategy. It’s easy to lose sight of this when you’re putting more emphasis on online advertisements, email, and other digital marketing tactics.
But direct mail is an effective and affordable way to drive brand awareness, generate leads, and engage with new customers. It’s an excellent opportunity for both new and established businesses to reach consumers who may not see their digital presence.
In order to have success in this space, you need to find a reliable direct mail service. Direct mail services help you deliver promotional content to consumer and business mailboxes.
A basic direct mail company will print, stamp, and deliver your flyers, postcards, or brochures. Some services take that one step further by providing you with design templates and helping you create a list of viable address.
Use this guide to find the best direct mailing company for your business.
The 8 Best Direct Mail Services of 2020
Even though so many people believe that direct mail is dead, there are still countless direct mail services on the market today. The high number of companies in this space proves that the industry is still alive and thriving.
After extensive research, I’ve narrowed down the best direct mail companies to eight options:
- PrintingForLess.com — Best direct mail service for EDDM (every door direct mail).
- PsPrint — Most options for mailable products.
- Vistaprint — Best for all printing and promotional needs in addition to direct mail.
- NextDayFlyers — Best direct mail service with next business day printing.
- Gunderson Direct — Best full-service direct mail marketing agency.
- PostcardMania — Best for high-volume postcard campaigns.
- Cactus Mailing — Best direct mail service for brochures.
- SaasMQL — Best direct mail service for SaaS demand generation.
I’ll give you an in-depth review of the features, benefits, and use cases of each one below.
Best Direct Mail Services Reviews
PrintingForLess (Best for EDDM)
• Full-service mailing house
• Custom free printing samples
• Free templates & resources
• Used by brands like Zappos
• Get Started Now
PrintingForLess.com is a well-known and reliable direct mail service. It’s a one-stop-shop for both printing and mailing needs for businesses.
As a full-service mailing house, PFL has mailing lists and every door direct mail services.
It also offers a wide range of tools like free templates and direct mail tips.
Before you start producing and mailing at scale, PFL will give you custom free printing samples. You can choose from different paper types, weights, coatings, binding options, effects, and other products to see which one is the best for your business.
To request a sample, simply fill out a form online, email PFL, or call their customer support team.
Some standouts of the features, sizes, and options available for direct mail via PFL include:
- Standard mailing
- EDDM
- Variable data imprints
- Custom size and shape mail
- Custom window sizes and placement
- Custom envelop flap sizes and shapes
- Tabbing and inserting
- Custom ink, coating, and finishes
- Standard, premium, and specialty paper
More than 200,000 businesses trust PFL for their needs. The service has been used by popular brands like Zappos, 99designs, Constant Contact, British Airways, and more.
PsPrint (Most options for mailable products)
• Wide range of products
• Quick turnaround
• Create a mailing list
• Manage everything online
• Get Started Now
PsPrint offers a wide range of products available for direct mail. Unlike other services that just offer postcards or flyers, PsPrint will create and mail:
- Postcards
- Brochures
- Greeting cards
- Invitations
- Booklets
- Catalogs
- Newsletters
Their services include mailing list processing, CASS certification, inkjet addressing, and postal resorting.
PsPrint offers a quick turnaround as well. Your order can be mailed out in two to five days after the printing job has been completed.
The entire process can be managed online. Just select your product, upload your artwork, and attach your mailing list. PsPrint will even send you an extra prints that weren’t mailed. The “overs” are free if they fit into one box.
For those of you who don’t have a mailing list, PsPrint will help you create one in less than 15 minutes. Just answer some questions related to your target market based on age, income, zip code, and other details.
Vistaprint (Best for all printing and promotional needs)
• Postcard mailing service
• Buy targeted mailing lists
• Promotional products
• Wide range of services
• Get Started Now
Vistaprint is arguably the most recognizable name in the world of business printing. This online service offers everything and anything you can imagine for every business type.
Some popular categories include:
- Promotional products
- Labels and stickers
- Bags and Clothing
- Signage
- Trade shows
- Marketing materials
- Business cards
This platform also offers a postcard mailing service. That means Vistaprint will create and mail these postcards for you. Simply design your card, send them your list of addresses, and Vistaprint will handle the rest. Vistaprint has both standard and oversized postcards.
Don’t have a mailing list? No problem. You can buy a targeted list directly through this platform as well.
I like using Vistaprint because they have so many other products and services. So if you want to get your mailing service from the same provider as your other promotional products and printing needs, you can get it all in one place.
NextDayFlyers (Best for next business day printing)
• Wide range of products
• Rent mailing lists
• Affordable rates
• Fast delivery times
• Get Started Now
NextDayFlyers is one of the most popular direct mail services on the market today. They offer a wide range of products at an affordable rate with fast delivery times.
With NextDayFlyers, your company can send:
- Postcards
- Brochures
- Mail rack cards
- Custom products
NextDayFlyers will store your inventory, verify addresses, presort your products, and send your mail. You can also rent mailing lists for campaigns as well.
Use NextDayFlyers for EDDM (every door direct mail) postcards.
Navigating through this platform is easy. Simply choose the size of your flyer, customize the cardstock, add a gloss or matte coating, and select your quantity. You can create artwork directly on their website or upload your own file.
You’ll see the cost for your direct mail campaign in real-time as you continue to make changes.
As the name implies, NextDayFlyers does offer next business day printing turnaround. Although you will pay a higher price for this premium service. But it’s a great option for time-sensitive offers and campaigns.
Gunderson Direct (Best full-service direct mail marketing agency)
• Full-service marketing agency
• Free consultations
• Fully managed campaigns
• Customized services
• Get Started Now
Gunderson Direct is a full-service direct marketing agency.
For 16+ years, this organization has been driving leads for big brands like PayPal, ZipRecruiter, Postmates, AAA, Adobe, Wells Fargo, and Dish Network. They even work with some of the best business loan companies like Lending Club.
The experts at Gunderson Direct have everything you need to know to get the most out of your direct mail campaigns.
Here’s how the process works.
You’ll start with a consultation with the Gunderson Direct team. Based on your needs, they’ll help you create a mailing list using their own database as well as external resources.
Gunderson Direct will manage your entire direct mail campaign from start to finish. They take a creative approach to direct mail and provide detailed reports and analytics for each campaign. These reports will show KPIs, benchmarks, and detail new opportunities for improving performance and ROI.
All of Gunderson Direct’s services are customized. So you’ll have to contact their team to request a quote and get more information about your direct mailing needs.
PostcardMania (Best for high-volume postcard campaigns)
• Direct, EDDM, & bulk mailing
• Postcard printing & design
• 80+ different industries served
• Trusted by 90,000+ businesses
• Get Started Now
More than 90,000 businesses trust PostcardMania for printing and mailing. It’s a top option for high-volume postcard direct mail because of its low prices and bulk discounts.
PostcardMania offers the following services:
- Postcard printing
- Postcard design
- Direct mailing
- Bulk mailing
- Mailing lists
- Every door direct mail (EDDM)
I like PostcardMania because the platform has an extensive resource of designs for businesses in nearly every category. Here’s a sample of the roughly 80 different industries served by PostcardMania:
- Attorneys
- Car dealerships
- Dry cleaning
- Landscaping
- Massage therapy
- Optometry
- Roofing
- Restaurants
- Retail
- Jewelry
- Interior design
- Furniture
The list goes on and on.
PostcardMania has a unique service called Everywhere Small Business. As the name implies, this is a multi-channel marketing effort that includes direct mail. In addition to mail, you’ll also benefit from mail tracking, targeted Facebook follow-up advertisements, Instagram ads, Google follow-ups, and call tracking.
PostcardMania targets the same people who are receiving your promotions in the mail across digital advertising channels. It brings multiple campaigns together for lead generation and brand awareness.
Pricing for high-volume standard-sized postcards starts at just $0.05 per piece. You likely won’t find a better bulk rate in the industry.
Cactus Mailing (Best for brochures)
• Direct mail and call tracking
• Simple and straightforward
• Targeted mailing lists
• Trusted by over 17,000 businesses
• Get Started Now
Cactus Mailing is a simple and straightforward direct mail service that’s ideal for small businesses. Some of their top success stories include a 700% return on investment for one business and $150,000+ in new revenue for another.
Overall, Cactus Mailing has helped more than 17,000 businesses increase sales, promote brand awareness, and acquire new customers through direct mail.
Top services include:
- Direct mail postcards
- Direct mail brochures
- Targeted mailing lists
- Mail piece design
- Call tracking
Similar to some of the other services on our list, Cactus Mailing also offers “Smart Marketing.” This program includes Google display ads and landing pages in addition to direct mail postcards.
Cactus Mailing has a helpful ROI calculator tool and an extensive design gallery.
Some of the top industries using Cactus Mailing include dentists, restaurants, salons, spas, churches, real estate, retail, fitness, and more.
Another reason to consider Cactus Mailing is because they are always running great specials if you combine more than one service. Contact them today for a quote on your direct mailing needs.
SaasMQL (Best for SaaS demand generation)
• Focused on SaaS businesses
• Send packages to your prospects
• Create leads & opportunities
• Stand out against the competition
• Get Started Now
SaasMQL is extremely unique compared to the other direct mail services on our list. I’ll start off right away by saying this company is not for everyone. SaasMQL offers account-based demand generation for SaaS businesses.
If your organization falls into this category, SaasMQL will be a top choice to consider.
In most cases, direct mail isn’t associated with SaaS. But SaasMQL has revolutionized the way that you approach your lead generation strategy. They use direct mail to create leads and opportunities with mid-market and enterprise-level prospects.
Using a direct mail campaign, one of their clients generated more than 50 qualified meetings in less than two months. This generated over $2 million.
How do they do it?
Instead of just sending a flyer or a postcard, SaasMQL sends packages to businesses. This stands out compared to the hundreds of emails, calls, and junk mail these people get on a daily basis. Nobody is going to take a package and just throw it in the garbage.
In addition to direct mail, SaasMQL will help you with other account-based marketing campaigns and analytics. They have everything you need for SaaS demand generation across multiple channels.
How to Choose the Best Direct Mail Service For Your Business
As you can see from this list, each direct mail service is unique. Finding the best one for your business can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for.
This is our methodology for narrowing your choices down. I’ll explain each factor in greater detail below.
Design Options
First impressions are crucial for direct mail campaigns. It’s important that your final product looks sharp and professional when it’s delivered to a mailbox.
Find a direct mail service that helps you create a high-quality design. Some services offer industry-specific templates. Other companies let you choose the quality, size, and finish of your products. Designs should be eye-catching and informative as well.
Mailer Types
Certain direct mail services are limited in what they’ll print and mail for you. Just because a company offers a product for custom printing, it doesn’t mean that it’s available for direct mail.
Common mailer types include:
- Postcards
- Flyers
- Invitations
- Greeting cards
- Brochures
- Newsletters
- Catalogs
- Booklets
- Custom products
For some of you, a postcard will be sufficient. But if you’re looking to send more detailed information about your organization, you might want to consider a brochure or catalog.
Although uncommon, companies like SaasMQL even send packages via direct mail for certain business types.
Mailing Lists
Who are you sending your direct mail campaigns to?
Not every business has a mailing list on hand. For those of you who don’t, you’ll want to find a direct mail service that will help you generate a targeted list. Sometimes this is free and part of the service. Other times you’ll need to pay extra to buy or rent a list.
Turnaround Time
Some direct mail campaigns are more time-sensitive than others.
If customers and prospects are receiving a mailer after a promotion has expired or come to an end, it’s a huge waste of money. Once printing is complete, mailing turnaround time ranges anywhere from next business day to ten business days.
You can usually pay extra to get your mailers out faster. But it’s better to find a direct mail service that works quickly at no additional cost.
Price and Volume
In most cases, price and volume go hand-in-hand for direct mail campaigns. The more you order, the less you pay per piece.
Make sure you use a direct mailing service that offers transparent pricing. Sometimes companies will draw you in with a low per piece cost, but don’t include the costs for print and postage until the end.
Sometimes you can get see the prices online. But lots of direct mail companies offer custom quotes based on your needs.
Additional Services
It’s rare to see a company that only offers direct mail. Lots of the options on our list include additional services for other marketing campaigns and common business needs.
For some of you, it could be more cost-effective to bundle these offerings with one company. Even if you don’t need them today, it’s something to consider for your future plans.
Conclusion
With so many direct mailing services on the market today, these are the top eight that I’d recommend:
- PrintingForLess.com — Best direct mail service for EDDM (every door direct mail).
- PsPrint — Most options for mailable products.
- Vistaprint — Best for all printing and promotional needs in addition to direct mail.
- NextDayFlyers — Best direct mail service with next business day printing.
- Gunderson Direct — Best full-service direct mail marketing agency.
- PostcardMania — Best for high-volume postcard campaigns.
- Cactus Mailing — Best direct mail service for brochures.
- SaasMQL — Best direct mail service for SaaS demand generation.
There’s a service provider on here for every business across all industries. From startups to B2B organizations selling software, direct mail is for everyone.
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