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Why Automating Birthday Cards is Good for Business

Any business owner knows that their customer base is their lifeline to continued growth. You most likely have various touch points throughout a calendar year to keep you at the forefront of their mind. Sending them automated birthday cards to a customer is one of the best and easiest ways to make a lasting impression.

The difficult part, taking time out to write your cards by hand, remembering when to send them, and sending them on time. The best part about automation is that all you have to do is set it and let it run all year without having to worry about it. Now, it does require a little bit of prep work, but there are several ways in which your business can benefit from automating your birthday cards.

Here’s 5 ways automated cards are good for your business.

Build better relationships

You’ve established the relationship, they are your customer. Sending them a personalized handwritten card is something that will help build that personal relationship and establish a deeper connection. When you’re able to send a small personalized message, this will show that you’ve taken the time and care to address them on a different level than they are used to.

Retaining customers

You’re going to make them feel special. A personalized birthday card will keep them in the loop that you’re thinking of them and care to put time and effort into sending them this card.

Unique positioning for you

Automating your birthday cards puts you in a unique position. What you’ve created and sent will make a lasting and longer impression for you. Not many will take the time to send personalized birthday cards, which is going to set you apart from the competition. These handwritten cards won’t be overlooked in the mail.

Referrals, Referrals, Referrals

You’ve set yourself up for success by creating a conversation piece for your customer. They may receive hundreds of emails a day, but the handwritten card you send them is going to make you stand out and your customer is most likely to share the fact that you’ve sent them a personalized handwritten card.

Bridging the gap between digital and traditional

Your customer will receive hundreds of emails a day. On their birthday, they’ll be sent reminders from people they never speak to and it will fade into the distance without a second thought. Now, at the end of the day, sifting through mail, receiving a handwritten birthday card is going to make a precedent and memorable experience.

Things to remember when automating:

• Be personable
  There are several ways to be personable and automate your cards. Even if it’s something simple as addressing them by their first name, will make a difference.
• Leverage data
  You have a lot of data to work with and merge into your cards. Think creatively on how you can use fields to merge and make your mail a little more personable.
• Streamline your process
  Build out your template so that it reduces time that you’re having to spend setting up your campaign and leverage your data to customize your mailer.

Mailer Format Requirements:

There’s a standardized method in which your mail must be addressed. For your mail to even be considered there must be postage, an address, and return address on the letter.

Where to get Postage?

Depending on the size of your letter or even package (but that’s a different topic all on its own), your direct mail will need postage. Postage can be bought just about anywhere – online, grocery store and even at your local USPS store.

How much postage?

If you’re sending simple pieces of mail by yourself, then there are a couple of basic options to purchase postage. If your mailer is a postcard, you can save about $0.18 and use first-class postcard stamps for their standard size of postcards. If you’re sending regular letters, it’s going to cost around $0.58 per letter to have it mailed as long as it meets their standard sizes.

What’s the correct address format for mail?

For all of your outgoing mail it will need a destination address and a return address clearly labeled on the mailer. The format is simple for both of these addresses. You will need a name, street address, city, state and zip code in the format below:

Frank Warner
123 Main Street
Suite #3000
Dallas, Tx 75202

Here’s a breakdown of each line of information:

In Summation:

The USPS sorts your mail by following the standards it has set in order to efficiently process large volumes of mail. To have your mail delivered, you will need to ensure that you have the correct postage and correct format for your mailer to be delivered.

Your mailing list is the core of your business

Do you know where your data is coming from for your next mail campaign? Consider your sources. If you’re looking for lead generation and you buy a list, it may not be of quality. In a Deloitte report about user’s data, “more than two-thirds of survey respondents stated that the third-party data about them was only 0 to 50 percent correct as a whole.” That’s incredible. Purchasing data has its risks, but other sources of data can come from registered entities, like a government agency. Some data sources do purchase registrant information for businesses, but there’s a possibility that the registered location may not be the main billing address of the person you’re trying to contact.

How to validate your mailing addresses:

Methods to Validate your information via the USPS

The USPS has a tool that allows you to look up and verify a zip code to make sure your information is accurate. Additionally, they have other products here that are a little more technical.

Google Maps
This is a longer and rougher method, but you can use Google Maps to authenticate your data to make sure that there is a physical location for your mailer. It’s not a method to say that Frank works at 123 Main St., but that there is a 123 Main St.

Big Mail Address Verification
The Big Mail Project offers address verification to ensure that there is a physical address at the location of your mailer’s destination. It’s a simple method of uploading your addresses via CSV or XLS in the UI and letting it run. There is a small fee per address, but it could help you save, if you’re looking to automate and/or send recurring mailers. If you believe you have a good list of addresses, then there may not be a need to verify your addresses.

Why you want to add mail to your marketing

We’ve reached a tipping point in marketing. Email, still a powerful tool, has consumed our inboxes. Then analytics and paid advertising took the forefront of marketing, now it’s texting.

We’re to the point where flip phones are making a comeback due to their in-connectivity.

This push into digital has left a wide open gap in an old-school method of marketing. Mail. Technology has improved and made it easier than ever for you to personalize mail and get it to them faster than ever.

Here are the top 3 reasons you’ll want to leverage mail in your marketing campaigns:

1. Direct mail is tangible. Your customers/prospects are going to be able to physically touch your brand and make a connection at a tangible level.
2. Mail is personable. Mail has the same features that email does. You’re able to leverage the sender information and make a deeper impact on your customer base.
3. Mail is cost-effective. Pricing and processes have decreased the costs of sending mail. Most of the time, the most expensive portion of mail is the postage, but everything else about sending mail has come down dramatically.

An alternative

There are several methods to send your holiday cards with greetings and warm messages to your family or clients. But, there is an alternative way to get the biggest bang for your buck without losing time and make a lasting impact.