Direct Mailing Services

In the age of overflowing inboxes and constant digital notifications, direct mail might seem like a relic of the past. But direct mail marketing is alive and well, and can be a powerful tool for businesses.

Direct mail is any physical piece you send to a recipient through the mail. This can include letters, postcards, brochures, catalogues, and even packages. In the context of marketing, direct mail is used to promote products or services, generate leads and build brand awareness.

Commands started providing direct mailing services in 1992. Based in Glasgow, we have built an enviable reputation as one of Scotland’s leading independent direct mailing service providers. We use our size to our customers’ advantage, focusing on small to medium-sized mailings which larger providers would find difficult to manage.

Over the last 4 years, as people and businesses everywhere dealt with the challenges that COVID-19 created, direct mail has experienced record-high levels of interaction.  In January 2021, The DMA (Data & Marketing Association) also published its thoughts on adding  Direct Mail Marketing to the ecommerce marketing mix.  So now, more than ever, brands and organisations are using direct mail to strengthen the connection with their customers, staff and other stakeholders.

We understand that every mailing is important, no matter what the size, because it reflects your brand and represents how you communicate with your customers.  To help you get the most of your mailings, we constantly review postage costs and delivery performance to ensure that, together, we are delivering the most competitive solution

Commands work with Royal Mail and Down Stream Access (DSA) suppliers to achieve the most cost-effective method of posting for your mailing.

Our unrivalled expertise has helped our customers deliver exceptional results. From print to post, we are happy to manage the entire process. Our extended supplier network means we can always find competitive partners with just the right expertise, to deliver the highest quality direct mail pieces at the best prices and on time.

We are ISO 27001 certified, which means we adhere to strict data management policies ensuring your data and your customers’ data is secure throughout the mailing process.

Personalised Direct Mail

Commands offers personalisation solutions which makes the recipient feel more valued and means your mailing is more likely to be opened. According to the DMA (Data & Marketing Association) personalisation can increase the ROI of a mailing piece by 300% – 1000% and it is one of the reasons why direct mail has a 94% engagement rate.  A personalised code on the mailing can also allow you to track responses and leverage your integrated marketing campaign to the full.

Overprinting:  Our technology allows us to overprint letters, booklets, postcards, envelopes and promotional items to add a personalised code. This saves you the hassle of doing it yourself. You can send us your printed materials and we can personalise them in line.

Laser printing:  Commands can personalise and laser print your mailings onto A3, A4, A5 and A6, simplex and duplex and in colour with a printing capacity of up to 135 pages per minute.

Inkjet printing:  An economical approach to personalising postcards, questionnaires and pre-printed documents.

Thermal Ribbon printing:  We can add unique barcodes onto plastic membership cards and gym cards. Suitable for biodegradable plastics too. 

Enclosing

Envelopes

Commands can auto-enclose a wide range of envelope sizes, including non-standard sizes.

Some more complex mailings require manual insertion, gluing and other processes that cannot be automated. Commands offer a bespoke service for just these occasions. Our in-house mailing team has many year’s experience of hand enclosing direct mail campaigns. They work fast and accurately to deliver your mailing campaign on time, to budget and to the standards you expect.

Polywrapping

Polywrapping offers a fast, durable, low cost option for mailing catalogues, brochures, books or magazines. Commands offer environmentally friendly polywrap products including a starch-based wrap which is entirely compostable.

Polywrapping is also an efficient solution for protecting mailed items through the postal journey, ensuring your mailing arrives in perfect condition.  It’s a great solution for non-standard postal sizes too. And it’s lightweight. All of which contributes to keeping postage costs down.

We can personalise the carrier sheet or address label and enhance the brand-message by including printed packaging.

Postage

Mailmark
Using machine processing, in many cases we can get further discounts by accessing Royal Mail’s Mailmark service.

Advertising Mailing
An advertising mailing is likely to be able to qualify for an even greater level of postage discount. We would need to confirm with the Royal Mail by sending a sample of the mailing to them, but if you talk to us before you have designed your piece we can advise you on what you need to do to qualify.

Couriers
For larger items, it can be more cost-effective to send via courier than the higher cost of parcel post.

We can offer a fully tracked service via email and SMS – down to the exact delivery place in the drivers’ daily schedule and a one-hour delivery window with the option to allow the customer to change their delivery slot.