Cutting Your Direct Mail Costs to the Bone

April 10, 2017 PMG News
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  Direct mail costs may seem daunting compared to online and email marketing program budgets. Yet direct mail continues to be much more effective at reaching and converting potential customers or donors. In 2015, the DMA Response Rate Report found that direct mail to a prospect list achieved a response rate of 1.0%, 10 times[...]

Welcome Aboard Polly!

March 30, 2017 PMG News
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For over 20 years Polly Papsadore has been in the direct marketing business and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome her to the PMG family as Director of Marketing and Business Development. Polly comes to us with great enthusiasm and extensive experience from many different positions and perspectives. She most recently worked at RobbinsKersten[...]

Your Direct Mail Checklist

March 27, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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  Whether you’re a seasoned direct mail professional or embarking on your very first campaign, working your way through a checklist can reduce the risk that you forget to do something important on a mailing.   From developing the most effective designs to leveraging postal logistics, this handy checklist includes 8 essential cost-saving tips and budget-breaking[...]

How to Save Money on Direct Mail Fundraising

March 10, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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  Direct mail plays a critical role in fundraising for many organizations, but decision-makers are not always knowledgeable about its intricacies. The process from conception to delivery is complicated, and without proper planning you can pay too much or miss crucial deadlines. Fortunately, by effectively utilizing production management and postal logistics strategies, you can save[...]

What is Production Management?

March 1, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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  In the direct mail world, effective production management can be defined as “managing all elements of a mailing from design through production and entry into the mail stream in order to meet quality and mail date objectives while minimizing costs.” Production management concerns itself with these questions: Has each piece been designed in a[...]

2016 A Great Year for PMG’s Community Outreach Program!

February 20, 2017 Blog, Caring Spirit
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2016 was exciting and successful for our Community Outreach Program! Throughout the year we had the honor of raising over $6,800 for a variety of charities, all while having a great time doing so. Some of our favorite events and activities from the past year, all which benefited our 2016 organizations, include: Hosting an ice cream[...]

Your Prepress Preflight Checklist

February 3, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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  One of the secrets of effective production management is to conduct a thorough prepress preflight review to ensure you catch problems while they are still inexpensive to fix.  You will never regret taking the time to check each of the following elements before sending final art to the printer: Fonts: Are all fonts available[...]

Choosing the Best Printer for Your Job

January 23, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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  When you’re planning a direct mail campaign, it is important to choose the right printer for the job. Print shops differ widely in their capabilities.  Some shops focus on small jobs and walk-in traffic; others have invested heavily in equipment that allows them to produce 600,000 personalized letters quickly and cost-effectively.  And while every[...]

Using Annual Planning to Reduce Direct Mail Costs

January 10, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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Most companies with significant direct mail campaigns work hard to minimize their direct mail costs.   Not surprisingly, there are a lot of different secrets to producing high-quality direct mail cost-effectively. One of the most effective ways to cut your direct mail production costs is to do your planning on an annual basis rather than bidding[...]

Cost-Effective Direct Mail Design

January 6, 2017 Blog, PMG News
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  The first step in improving the ROI of your mailings is to design a mail piece that can be inexpensively produced and mailed.  As you finalize the design, the most important elements to consider are size, shape and stock. To reduce your production costs as much as possible, avoid the following problems: Odd sizes[...]