DIRECTING POSTAL MAIL FROM YOUR DESKTOP.

Managing a business in today's fast-paced economy can be overwhelming. Fortunately, technology continues to provide new ways to expedite your workload. For example, getting timely information out to customers, members, and potential clients in a quick, easy, and inexpensive manner is a dream--particularly of associations with small staffs--that can now be realized.

New efficiencies

The Web-based tools allow you to control your own direct mail campaigns from the convenience of your desktop. Perfect for small and large organizations as well as individuals, the services coordinate message creation, processing, and delivery in a way that can potentially outpace similar a la carte services that then must be coordinated with a method of delivery.

Automated coordination

Users can choose to send a direct mail letter (and in some cases postcards or booklets), uploading from their mailing database the names of the individuals to whom they wish to send content. The services then

* compile the information;

* route it to printing facilities located throughout the United States; and

* direct the printing of the letters and mailing labels, the insertion of the letters into envelopes, and the sealing and stamping of the materials.

The printing facilities then present letters to the postal service for one-to-two-day delivery. With at least one service, customers can also choose either first class or bulk delivery options.

Benefits

The online services streamline the entire direct mail process, while allowing users to maintain control. This makes, for example, a last-minute edit as easy as the click of your mouse--eliminating the expense of out-of-date preprinted documents produced in large quantities at an external facility. As soon as customers upload their content, the service begins printing it, which means accelerated delivery of the direct mail campaign.

Affiliations with list brokers give users the option to expand their marketing reach. For an additional charge, you can request address lists compatible with your demographic requirements.

Straightforward costs

While per unit costs vary, the price to process and mail a one-page letter printed in black and white typically ranges from 50 cents to 60 cents, including personalization. A one-page letter printed in color costs between 89 cents and $1.10 per unit to process, depending on the vendor. For an additional charge, some of the services offer preprinted inserts--routing them to the printing facility to be incorporated into the mass mailing.

Zairmail, Inc., Portland (www.zairmail.com); Launchpoint, San Jose, California (www.launchpoint.com); and DigitalWork (www.digitalwork.com/directmail/campaign), Chicago; are three of several companies that provide services to facilitate the convergence of the Internet and postal mail. The companies feature similar--although not identical--services and all provide an online training module to get users started.