We all know the benefits of direct mail and we know the discount advantages or mailing in bulk. However, modern direct mail services like Postcard Commingling allows marketers to mail in smaller quantities (as few as 1 mail piece) to more targeted audiences without the crazy expenses.

This is possible because print and direct mail companies can combine multiple marketers’ low-quantity postcard mailings, to create enough mailers to qualify for bulk mail discounts. So rather than marketers having to pay for expensive single-piece postage, plus printing costs, marketers can print and mail 1, 12, 25, or 198 6x9 postcards for about $1 per postcard.

No Minimum Postcard Mailing

While in the past it was more economical to print and mail in large quantities—due to how printing equipment, press sheets, and the USPS works—this isn’t entirely true anymore. Advanced digital printing presses can now print short-run jobs (or low quantities) at an affordable price and there are special mailing services that allow you to mail with no minimums at no extra cost.

There are several direct mail services that offer these cost benefits which we will go into more detail below. However, they all take advantage of the same process known as Direct Mail Commingling.

How Does Commingling Work?

Imagine you’re online shopping and you pay for an item and the shipping costs. The next day you visit the same website and place another order. The next day comes, and you forgot you needed one more item, so you visit the online store and pay for the product and shipping again. If you were to order all three items the first time, you would have been able to combine shipping costs and save money.

Postcard Commingling works similarly. Think of it as splitting “shipping costs” with other companies.

Basically, say Beth from “Company A” has 8 people she wants to send her postcard to, Tom from “Company B” has 60 people he wants to reach, and Rick from “Company C” has curated the perfect targeted mailing list of 132 addresses.

Well, back in the day Beth and Tom’s best bet would have been to print small, less effective postcards and pay full single-piece postage. Rick’s best bet would have been to find 68 more addresses so he could meet the minimum postcard quantity to qualify for Standard Mail Postage discounts. This isn’t ideal.

Today, Beth, Tom, and Rick can all mail the exact number of postcards they need to meet their goals by printing and mailing their postcards using Postcard Commingling. All three marketers’ postcards will be printed and then combined for mailing to meet the Standard Mail Postage minimum and each of their postcards are delivered to their specific audience.

Why Do Marketers Use Postcard Commingling?

Marketers today know how important it is to reach smaller more targeted audiences. It allows them to narrow their scope and reach people who are most likely interested, it allows for easier A/B testing, it’s easier and cheaper to follow up, and so much more.

This is one of the main reasons why there was a time marketers favored digital marketing channels over direct mail. When it came to print, it was easier and cheaper for printers to print in bulk, and there was no way around the minimum bulk mail quantity.

Luckily, print and direct mail companies, now offer short-run printing and Postcard Commingling. Now marketers can take advantage of reaching a smaller and more targeted audience using the power of direct mail.

Marketers use Postcard Commingling because it allows them to take advantage of direct mail postcards without a minimum so they can:

• Save money on printing and mailing costs
• Track results
• Target geographic locations
• Target certain demographics
• Target based on interest and buying activity
• Avoid digital clutter
• Increase their ROI
• Generate a higher response rate
• Reach their audience the way they prefer
• And so much more

Are There Any Guidelines I need to Follow?

To take advantage of Postcard Commingling, there are a few guidelines that need to be followed. This is because, while your postcard design, message, and mailing list are all unique to your brand, your postcard will be combined with other companies' postcards when mailing them out. Which means they all need to be the same size, weight, and have the same mailing information and indicia placement to allow you to mail your postcards at no minimum.

Some guidelines and commonly asked questions include:

What size postcard is qualified for no minimum postcard mailing?

To qualify for no minimum postcard mailing or Postcard Commingling, your postcard size must be 6x9.

6x9 postcards are the most recommended postcard size for direct mail marketing because this size is affordable but also large enough to stand out.

What paper type qualifies for no minimum postcard marketing?

Because for Postcard Commingling, all companies postcards must be the same weight to take advantage of no minimums, the paper type that is selected is 14pt C2S gloss cover-weight paper.

This is the most used paper option for all postcard marketing campaigns because it is durable enough to withstand the mailing process and its thicker and heavier weight looks and feels professional and high-quality.

Is there really no postcard minimum or certain list size needed to qualify for Postcard Commingling?

There is no minimum quantity of postcards you must print or mail to qualify for Postcard Commingling. And your mailing list size can be as short or as long as you need it to be. You can send 1 postcard to 1 address or 100 postcards to 100 addresses, it’s up to you.

Where will the indicia and mailing information be placed?

As mentioned above, to qualify for no minimum postcard marketing, your postcard design does need to include a specific blank area for the mailing information and indicia to be placed. This area is a 4x2.25 area in the bottom right corner on the back of the postcard. This will be the area where you leave blank.

For help designing your Commingled Postcard you can take advantage of our Commingled Postcard design template, which can be used as a guide to help you with your postcard design.

What do Marketers Use it for?

Marketers use Commingled Postcard Mailing for many scenarios, including simple thank you notes to customers or promotional messages to residents who are interested in their brand.

Some direct mail services that take advantage of no minimum postcard marketing with Commingled Postcards include:

Small Targeted Mailing Lists – Whether you have a small mailing list already or want to create a targeted mailing list with only 25 people, it’s possible with Postcard Commingling. On our Commingled Postcard product page, all you have to do is select the number of postcards you want, and then choose to create a mailing list or upload your own mailing list.

Direct Mail CRM Integration – Direct mail CRM Integration refers to the automated direct mail solution where we create a connection to your CRM or marketing automation platform that allows you to send postcards with a click of a button to a contact. You can also set up triggers where a postcard is automatically sent to a contact based on actions, workflows, etc. We recommend using 6x9 postcards because if in one week you only send 5 postcards, we can commingle them to save you money.

Birthday Marketing – Birthday marketing works by sending birthday messages to your audience each month. It’s automated and all you have to do is select an area you’d like to reach, or we can integrate with your CRM platform and trigger postcards to send each month. Because the number of addresses you have will vary each month, the best way for us to help you save money is to commingle your birthday mailings.

Mailbox Retargeting – Mailbox Retargeting or Direct Mail Retargeting triggers postcards and emails to send to your anonymous website visitors. So, for example, if you have an online store, you could set up triggers so that if someone fills up their cart but then leaves your website, you could choose to send an automated email to them the next day and then a postcard the following week to intrigue them to come back to your site. We often use Comingled Postcards for this direct mail solution as it is the most economical.

Proximity Mailing – Businesses like lawn care companies, relators, car dealerships, and other companies that have visible products or services, benefit from Proximity Mailing. It works by targeting your customers’ neighbors. So, for example, if you install solar panels, you could send your customer’s 100 neighbors who live within a 5-mile radius of your customer, a postcard to generate more business in a particular area.

Take Advantage of Postcard Mailing with No Minimums

Now that you know it is possible to take advantage of direct mail without a minimum quantity, spend, or mail list size needed, you're ready to join the successful marketers who are taking advantage of Postcard Commingling.

Click below to get started and begin reaching only the people who matter most to your company.

If you have any questions, need design help, or assistance getting started, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email, live chat, or phone, at 800-707-9903.