Postal optimization: A growing business imperative (BtoB: The Magazine for Marketing Strategists, 4/28/2008) —

Postal rates keep rising -- another 4% increase next month -- and postage plus logistics already account for as much as 65% of direct mail budgets.

So what can marketers do? Two things, says Pat O'Brien, SVP, of sales and marketing at Direct Group, in an April 2008 article in BtoB: The Magazine for Marketing Strategists:

• Aggressively integrate postal optimization and logistics strategies
• Apply new campaign optimization techniques.

O'Brien says there's a double benefit: you'll curb postal costs but also to improve address accuracy and enhance response rates, all of which contribute significantly to the ultimate success of a campaign.

Despite the tools and technology available, O'Brien says many marketers have yet to fully integrate a comprehensive postal optimization plan. He says marketers need to ask themselves: “Is my service provider truly moving my mail as effectively and cost-efficiently as possible, given the realities of the economy today?”
 

Full article: http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/FREE/311149636