I have been staring at my keyboard trying to come up with a clever way to impart this information in an exciting and eye-opening way. Spoiler Alert! I failed… In any case, we hope that you stick with this piece because the information presented here can be critical to increasing your campaign’s effectiveness.
Let us start by stating that no one can accurately predict the delivery of Marketing Mail. Even the prediction of First-Class mail delivery has become a challenge in recent years. What we are presenting is information about Marketing Mail delivery that you might not know that can help you to make the best decisions possible and create a more accurate timeline for your mailing.
- There is no published timeframe for Marketing Mail delivery: If you press a postal employee, they will probably tell you to plan for two weeks. However, there are several variables that affect the delivery of Marketing mail, making two weeks not really an accurate answer.
- Marketing Mail can be delayed at any point along USPS distribution route for any length of time: What this means is that if a post office or distribution center along the way is busy, they can put your Marketing mail aside and process it when it is more convenient for them.
- Delivery of Marketing Mail can be affected at different times of the year: With the closing of USPS distribution centers, the postal service is very lean and it is hard for them to react to a significant increase in volume. The slowest delivery time of the year is traditionally from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
- Size does matter: Flat-size pieces will take a lot longer to be delivered than letter-size pieces. Flat-size pieces are more difficult to handle, and the postal system has just begun installing the proper automation systems that letter-size pieces have had for years. We would suggest adding at least 4 extra days to the timeline for flat-size piece delivery and that might not even be enough.
- Different parts of the country take longer for delivery than other parts: We once experienced a letter-size piece be delivered via Marketing mail in two days to California from New Jersey; and we have experienced a letter-size piece take eight days to be delivered to Florida. Here in the northeast, delivery in general has proven to be reliable when tested.
When developing your timelines, your mailing professional should be able to talk through any delivery concerns and be a terrific resource for you. At Cox Printers, we enjoy and encourage that type of interaction with our clients because we know this could be the difference in you having a successful mail campaign.