At Influence Direct we recognize that our customers like to be “in the know” when they connect with their prospects and customers. We know the direct mail materials they like and the marketing channel they need. We know our clients choose us because of our cost-effective printing practices that we pass directly to our clients and our expertise in mailing which potentially influences the response rate!
We want to be known as the most cost-effective and knowledgeable direct mail company in the country!
That’s why we say it’s easy to be direct with Influence Direct.
ULTRA FAST TURNAROUND - Your campaign out the door in 48 hours or less
RELIABLE DELIVERY - Tracking reports provided daily
Once materials are approved, users of Influence Direct’s marketing portal can go from logging in the website to checking out their job for printing and delivery in 9 simple steps:
- Step One: Simply log in to our Web2Print site.
- Step Two: Browse to the product you wish to purchase
- Step Three: Select any attributes for the product
- Step Four: Upload a list (for products that require a mailing list)
- Step Five: Verify that all fields are correct
- Step Six: Click “PDF Preview” to generate a PDF live proof
- Step Seven: Insert any special instructions, fill out our approval form, and add the job to your cart
- Step Eight: Give your job a name
- Step Nine: Check out the job
Influence Direct puts into action 40 years of combined direct marketing experience to provide our clients with a remarkably strong return on investment. Our direct mail background spans major industries such as mortgage, banking, insurance, investments, automotive, retail, and business to business just to name a few. We have at our disposal every tool needed to create any type of direct mail program imaginable. You name it, we can do it!
Who We Are
We are the premier source for direct mail printing and mailing services. We help organizations with the acquisition, development, and retention of a profitable client base. Influence Direct understands the need to reach your target market at just the right time. We direct your efforts to increase and maintain market share profitability.
What We Do
We print and mail a variety of mail piece types for dozens of unique industries. Our client base utilizes the most effective mail pieces with turn-key fulfillment, tracking and reporting. With the assistance of our direct mail printing and mailing services, Influence Direct clients enjoy increased direct marketing ROI.
What We Believe
We call ourselves Influence Direct for one reason. In marketing, the partner you choose has a direct influence on the results you get. We let our clients know that we want them to be direct with us so that we can influence their customers in a cost-effective and timely way. With our no-nonsense pricing approach, each client can maximize their budget, stay on time and deliver results.
We believe in industry-specific direct mail We offer industry-specific, proven direct mail campaigns that work We believe that direct mail influences consumers We believe that direct mail works And we have a body of work that speaks for itself.
How We Do Its
Influence Direct has a combined 40 years of successful direct mail experience that allows us to provide this unique value to our clients. By utilizing state of the art digital print equipment, Influence Direct can create print and mail a variety of mail pieces. Our real-time order, fulfillment, and tracking networks deliver the highest level of sophisticated direct mail services available at the click of a button, whenever our customers need it.
We provide our clients with
- Daily Tracking Reports
- Variety of Mail Piece Types
- Custom Variable Image and Data Printing
- Quick Turn Around Time
- Every Client Gets The “A” Team
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. When will USPS be closed in 2018?
- 2018 USPS Mail Holidays
- Monday, January 1st – New Year’s Day
- Monday, January 15th – Martin Luther King Jr. birthday
- Monday, February 19th – Washington’s Birthday (observed)
- Monday, May 28th – Memorial Day
- Wednesday, July 4th – Independence Day
- Monday, September 3rd – Labor Day
- Monday, October 8th – Columbus Day
- Monday, November 12th – Veterans Day (observed)
- Thursday, November 22nd – Thanksgiving Day
- Tuesday, December 25th – Christmas Day
Q. What is the minimum quantity for bulk mail?
- To qualify for certain postage discounts, you must mail a minimum number of pieces
- First-Class Mail
- Minimum Weight: none
- Maximum Weight: 3.5 ounces
- Minimum Quantity: 500 pieces
- USPS Marketing Mail
- Minimum Weight: none
- Maximum Weight: less than 16 ounces.
- Minimum Quantity: 200 pieces or 50 pounds of mail.
- Click here for more information on bulk mail.
Q. What is CASS certifying and presorting?
Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS) allows the USPS to validate & update addresses before a job is printed & mailed. CASS Certification software must be renewed annually with the USPS.
CASS certifying a mailing list will correct and standardize the addresses. When possible, it will also add missing address information such as ZIP codes, cities, and states to ensure the address is complete. By correcting an address, it saves the Postal Service money and time. This can reduce the mail that’s non-deliverable.
Here is what we do to your mail file so that we can try to ensure the highest deliverability rate:
- ADDRESS STANDARDIZATION
- This will format the address to meet USPS standards. This fixes spelling errors and corrects abbreviations.
- DEDUPLICATION
- This will remove duplicate records based on the address (or address and name).
- ADDRESS CORRECTION
- This will attempt to correct any misspellings and apply missing information like a ZIP+4.
- ADDRESS UPDATING
- If a street name has changed, we will update that for you.
- DVP (DELIVERY POINT VALIDATION)
- This provides the highest level of address accuracy and checks the deliverability of a physical mailing address.
- NOTE: CASS processing does not validate the person or business that is at the address, but it does validate whether mail can be delivered to an address.
- PAVE (PRESORT ACCURACY, VALIDATION, AND EVALUATION)
- This will allow us to sort your mail by zip code, bundle it and place it in trays before we take your job to the post office. By doing this, it saves USPS time and allows us to get the discounts so that we can get you the lowest possible postage rate.
Below is an example of what CASS software will do to correct an address.
- Before
- 412 Golden Bear CourtSuite B
- Murfreesboro, TN 37128
- After
- 412 Golden Bear Ct Ste B
- Murfreesboro, TN 37128-5515
Q. What is an IMB? (Intelligent Mail Barcode)
The Intelligent Mail barcode, formerly referred to as the 4-State Customer barcode, is a new Postal Service barcode used to sort and track letters and flats. The Postal Service is promoting the use of the Intelligent Mail barcode because it expands the ability to track individual mailpieces and provides customers with greater visibility into the mailstream.
Benefits include:
- Using the IMBarcode gives you the lowest postal rates
- Improved deliverability of your mail
- An easier way to process returned mail
- Ability to track mail from drop off to delivery
- And much more
Q. What is mail tracking?
We use AccuTrace Intelligent Mail Barcode Tracking for all of our mail tracking reports. Every job that we mail has AccuTrace coded into the IMBarcode so that we can pull reports. Anytime a mailpiece is scanned by USPS, the information is reported back to AccuTrace. This data is updated every hour, so reports can be run at various times each day.
We are able to offer various reports based on the scans. Below are a few:
- Out for Delivery (Today)
- Out for Delivery (By Date)
- Out for Delivery (All)
- Results by State
- Results by NDC
- Results by SCF
- Results by 3-Digit ZIP Code
- Results by 5-Digit ZIP Code
- And more
Q. What is an indicia?
An indicia is an imprinted designation on mail that denotes postage payment (e.g., permit imprint). Your permit imprint may be four or five lines long. There are some required elements of a permit imprint indicia. This is the way we currently print them:
- Line 1: Class Marking
- Line 2: The words “U.S. Postage”
- Line 2: The word “PAID”
- Line 3: The word “Permit” and your permit number
- Line 4: City and state where a permit is held
Q. What is a precancelled stamp?
You have the option to use a precancelled stamp instead of an indicia that is printed on your direct mail. This can make your mail look like it was mailed with a normal first class stamp without paying the full stamp price.
Precanceled stamps are available for the following classes of mail:
- Presorted First-Class Mail only
- Presorted First-Class Postcards only
- Regular USPS Marketing Mail only
- Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail only
Q. What is a postage statement?
A postage statement is a special form produced by the United States Postal Service that shows the quantity mailed and the total charge for postage. It also includes other info such as total pieces, total weight, date mailed and much more.
- PS Form 3600-FCM PDF Postage Statement – First-Class Mail (1/2017)
- PS Form 3602-R PDF Postage Statement – USPS Marketing Mail (1/2017)
Q. What is the largest postcard I can mail?
Below are the minimum and maximum sizes of postcards that you can mail.
| Dimension | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 3-1/2 inches | 6-1/8 inches |
| Length | 5 inches | 11-1/2 inches |
| Thickness | 0.007 inch | 1/4 inch |
To qualify for mailing at the First-Class Mail postcard price, your postcard must be meet the “Standard Postcard” dimensions below:
Standard Postcard Specifications
| Dimension | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5 inches | 6 inches |
| Length | 3-1/2 inches | 4-1/4 inches |
| Thickness | 0.007 inch | 1/4 inch |
If it’s larger than that but no larger than 6-1/8" x 11-1/2", you will have to pay letter rate postage. Even though it’s still a postcard, it will not qualify for the First-Class card rate postage. Those are what we consider to be “Jumbo Postcards” and must be meet the “Jumbo Postcard” dimensions below:
Jumbo Postcard Specifications
| Dimension | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 5 inches | 11-1/2 inches |
| Length | 3-1/2 inches | 6-1/8 inches |
| Thickness | 0.007 inch | 1/4 inch |
If your postcard exceeds any of the above dimensions, you will have to pay flats (large envelope) postage prices.
Q. Do you have templates that I can use for design?
Absolutely! We have made the process simple for you. Click here for templates for several of the most common size jobs. When sending artwork, please do the following:
- 1/8” bleeds on each side (example: an art file for a 4?x6? postcard would be submitted as 4.25?x6.25?)
- 300 dpi resolution, in CMYK color
- Send a copy in Adobe (PDF) file format. We also accept Pageflex, Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign files. For other file types, give us a call to discuss.
- If you are using Adobe InDesign, please package the file and send us the zip file with all fonts, links, etc.
Q. What is your proof and approval process?
Here is what a typical job would look like from start to finish:
- STEP 1: First we will consult with the client to see exactly what they are offering and then get with our proofing team. Once we receive the art, we will start the proofing process.
- STEP 2: Send a mockup to the client. If there are any changes to be made, we will start working on those to get the proof sent back to the client.
- STEP 3: Merge data and generate a live PDF proof of at least 10 records and get final approval from the client. We will also send an invoice, payment form and approval form. After the job is approved and paid for, we will start data processing. Here we will do mail file prep such as postal sort, merge/purge, dupe elimination, and CASS certify the file. We will get the file ready for production.
- STEP 4: Now the final merged print file is ready to be dropped to press. We will run a few samples and have our QC person check the piece line by line. If we see any errors, we will let you know and they will be corrected. If none, the job will start printing. Depending on the type of job, there could be multiple stages in this process.
- STEP 5: Finally the job is loaded on the truck and delivered to the Bulk Mail Entry Unit (BMEU) where it is processed and shipped out. Depending on the class of mail, clients could see calls from their campaign in as little as 3 days.
Q. How long does it take for my mail to be delivered?
We cannot guarantee delivery time frames of the USPS, however, you can use these as a tool. All of our mail is mailed from the BMEU in San Diego, CA and Dallas, TX. The below maps reflect service standard changes that are effective April 1, 2017.
Reviews
Randy L.
You have the best business practices I have ever seen. Every request is responded to with 100% accuracy and extremely quick. Working with your company gives us a piece of mind that we don’t get anywhere else.
David A.
I have worked with Jeremy and Andy for over 7 years now. I couldn't ask for a more tentative or professional team to work with. My experiences over the past years have definitely been a tool that has led to the success of our company.
Joe M.
Working with Jeremy at Influence Direct Inc. over the past few years has been great. As a small company that acts mainly as a data provider, they have allowed us to help our customers with quite a bit of direct mailing. This process has been seamless and quite simple to achieve. I have enjoyed the relationship and would recommend them to anyone seeking the need for direct mail services.
Chrissy O.
It has been great working with Scott & Jeremy at Influence Direct. The quality of work is great and their attention to detail is amazing. Working for an ad agency, our clients need their direct mail out the door ASAP and Influence Direct makes it happen, never misses a drop date and one of the fastest printers we work with. Scott & Jeremy are a pleasure to work with and have great customer service!
Mo H.
As we’ve expanded our business needs, the Influence Direct team has always accommodated and helped our weekly mailings go smoothly with 100% accuracy. Last minute and custom requests are always turned around quickly as well. Jeremy is friendly, easy to work with, and great to have as a business partner.
Google, Facebook & Instagram Display / Retarget Program
Influence Connect includes four features in one package. Old-school direct mail only operates on one. Influence Connect is a seamlessly integrated system that maximizes your marketing impact. Instead of just sending out a direct mailing, Influence Connect consists of direct mail, mail tracking, online follow-up ads, and call tracking.
We are also retargeting on the most visited website in the world — Facebook! Did you know that Facebook now has over 1.74 billion active users per month? The average user spends over 50 minutes per day browsing their Facebook feed. It also accounts for almost 20% of ALL mobile digital advertising!
Imagine your clients seeing their message and ad in their mailbox followed by seeing it online and now seeing it again as they spend hours browsing their Facebook and Instagram feed!
How it Works
Influence Connect operates on the 4-step process, where regular direct mail only operates on one. It is not a suite of services, but a seamlessly integrated system that maximizes your marketing impact. Instead of just sending out postcards, Influence Connect consists of Direct Mail, Mail Tracking, Online Follow Up Ads, and Call Tracking.
- Step 1: Your Mail Pieces Are Sent
Direct mail pieces are mailed to your target market. This tried and true marketing medium produces results by delivering your artfully designed and clearly written marketing message right to your prospect’s mailbox.
- Step 2: Mail Pieces Are Tracked
Using a cutting-edge barcode technology system we designed ourselves, we track the mailing process of your order. You can log in anytime to know exactly when your cards are due to arrive, so you can plan for the influx of new customers.
- Step 3: Automatic Online Follow-up through Google
Every prospect who visits your website following your direct mail campaign is funneled into an automatic follow-up system. Through our partnership with Google, text and image ads matching your direct mail piece follow your website visitors around the internet after they leave your site. So if prospects don’t take the desired action (fill out a form, buy, etc.) on your website the first time, you stay in front of them until they do. No leads left behind.
- Step 4: Phone Call Tracking
We use a unique phone number to track the number of calls your mailing generates. You can use this data to gauge the effectiveness of different strategies and marketing messages. It also records calls so you can check for quality in your lead reception and sales processes.
Jeremy Crosslin
Direct: (615) 896-4179
Email: jcrosslin@influencedirect.com
412 Golden Bear Court, Suite B
Murfreesboro, TN 37128
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