Stretch your budget for today's economy.

• Author: Turner, Jim
• Position: Direct Mail Essentials

Direct mail is a relatively expensive advertising medium, but it also is one of the most accountable. And, today's economy makes this an especially useful way to advertise.

But with postal rates rising again this year, advertisers will want to make every effort to trim costs and improve results. Whether your bank is local, regional or national, there are approaches you can take to ensure you get the best value for your money.

The Postal Service offers a myriad of rate, size and weight specifications for processing direct mail. Either familiarize yourself with the requirements or work with a lettershop that can help. At the earliest planning stage for your mailing, think through your objectives and try to take advantage of the options. For example, while the first-class mail base rate is computed for 1 ounce, standard--or third-class mail (at almost half the cost)--lets you mail 3.3 ounces at the base rate. So, standard class is particularly efficient for mailings over 1 ounce. Also, advertisers sometimes fail to take advantage of the "automated" processing discounts, or they design pieces that can't accommodate the discount, sometimes not leaving room for printing of the bar code. These errors can increase your postage cost by 10 percent or more.

The format you use also has a major influence on cost, and advertisers sometimes err in their printing specifications. For example, a self-mailer postcard exceeding 11 inches, even by one-quarter inch, could cause your postage cost to nearly double. And, paper stock that is under the 9 point thickness requirement will not be processed for a self-mailer.

Any steps your list provider or mailer can take to reduce the work of the Postal Service, such as de-duplication of names or presorting, will save you money.

Direct mail can be effective for many" products because it can be targeted so well. But, in times of tight budgets, it's wise to...