Zairmail Inc., an online mailing company, yesterday debuted Zairmail Express Direct, a service that allows direct marketers to create direct mail programs from their desktop for delivery in one to two business days.
Express Direct is built on Zairmail's proprietary service, which debuted earlier this year and targets consumers sending personal letters. The service lets users create and send mail on their desktops to anywhere in the United States through a distributed network of regional printing and mailing facilities.
Zairmail, Portland, OR, said industry studies show that the average direct mail program takes more than three weeks to launch. Zairmail's service averages one to two days.
“Every business needs to communicate with its customers quickly and cost-effectively,” said Wilson Zehr, CEO of Zairmail. “Zairmail Express Direct streamlines the entire direct mail process by allowing users to develop and send direct mail from their desktop in minutes, not weeks.”
Business users can register for Zairmail Express Direct at www.zairmail.com.
Users first specify the format and options for the direct mail piece. The most popular formats and options are supported, including black-and-white, highlight color or full four-color printing; 8 1/2-inch-by-11-inch or 8 1/2-by-14 paper; Standard Mail or First-Class postage; closed-face or windowed envelopes; business reply envelopes; business reply cards; and inserts.
Users then upload their message and select a previously loaded mailing list or upload a new one. For businesses without mailing lists, Zairmail can provide highly targeted lists directly or through partners. The online mailer pays for the message, either with a credit card or a pre-approved purchase order, and directs Zairmail to begin the campaign.
The Zairmail system examines the job, locates production facilities based on factors such as the equipment required, queue sizes, mail cut-off times and geographic proximity, then routes the campaign for production. For national campaigns, parts of the job can go to multiple facilities to expedite production and delivery further.
At local production facilities, mail pieces are produced on high-speed printing and inserting equipment, then presented to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery.
