Quicker in-home for time sensitive political mail
The Strategy Group is a direct mail political consultant specializing in Democratic candidates at all political levels. They have helped position the Democratic ticket in some of the toughest battleground states. They rely heavily on direct mail because they feel it allows them to communicate with a very narrowly defined target. The on-time delivery of their direct mail campaigns can be the difference between winning and losing a tight race.
Client Challenge
The Strategy Group was experiencing slower-than-expected delivery times on their direct mail campaigns. The mailings were being entered into the mail stream on time, but the processing times through the USPS were longer than anticipated. This caused some of the pieces to miss their strategically planned in-home target dates and caused the overlapping of pieces. Due to the nature and time sensitivity of political mail, arriving after the election would have a seriously negative impact on the campaign.
Solution
Diamond Communication Solution started with an evaluation of their mail files. We identified opportunities for drop-shipping at select destinations. Drop-shipping directly into a Bulk Mail Center (BMC) or Sectional Center Facility (SCF) would allow us to maintain control of the mail until the pieces reached the target delivery area. This prevents the pieces from being delayed at upstream postal facilities and during postal processing prior to that point. We also implemented the use of USPS Mail Alerts. The Mail Alert gives advance notification that the pieces are coming to the postal facilities that will ultimately be delivering them inhome. This advance notice makes the mail pieces more visible within the mail stream. It then allows the facilities to prepare to receive and disburse the mail in a timely manner.
Results
Since the implementation of drop-shipments and Mail Alerts, the client has experienced better delivery times, making delayed and overlapping pieces a rarity. In addition to solving the delivery issues, we were able to save money for our client with postage savings from the drop-shipping. The client has been very pleased with their improved delivery time and improved ROI. In turn, they have been able to increase their direct mail volume.
