UV Coating Systems are helping make direct mail production affordable again. Add UV Coating to new postal office rates, you can get back into the mailbox while everyone else has gone electronic. Small print shops can take advantage of a small UV Coating System like Tec Lighting’s XtraCoat system. It can also be used for business cards, inserts, brochures, as well.
How do you run direct mail today?
I don’t know about you, but my home mailbox is not as full anymore. All my bills are electronic. When I do get a marketing piece, it does stand out now as one of 5 pieces of mail. The really good ones are done on a uv coating system because they are nice cardboard with a shiny or matte gloss. If it had been delivered using email, it probably got trashed, spam filtered or undelivered. Why do I say this? Click through rates are relatively low today at 2%.
There are several changes happening that make direct mail more attractive.
1. Small UV Coating Systems
Tec Lighting has a small UV Coating machine that requires minimal ventilation like in the past. Now, don’t get me wrong. Today, the issue will be heat generated from the machine, so the room needs some ventilation. What is different is you don’t need to vent a room to ward off toxic fumes, as they were in the past. They are more economical today too with a small model running at $11,000.
At that amount, your break even is far shorter if you are maximizing its use. You can make your money back in months.
What does it do?
Basically, there is a gloss or matte coating you can use to finish a document. You can print your sheets, then feed them into the UV coating machine. The document is coated and processed through a heat lamp to dry. It is that simple.
The challenge is the UV Coating system needs to be cleaned after every use because the coating material can act as a glue on the parts. If they are not cleaned properly after use, you can find yourself spending a lot of money on spare parts.
2. Every Door Direct Mail from the USPS
The post office is making it easier for you to send direct mail. No longer do you need to go through a middle-man to reach consumers. You can request delivery of your direct mail piece by zip codes. So, if you are using a one-page card-stock, the mail just takes them around with him or her and delivers them on your behalf. Check out their USPS Every Door Direct page for details. Or, download their PDF on the Every Door Direct Mail program.
You can measure all these activities by directing your direct mail pieces to specific landing pages or phone numbers to know what your exact cost per engagement is. Most important, it is time to give direct mail another try.
