Shared mail is advertising inserts, flyers, and postcards wrapped up together and delivered to the mailbox of everyone in a specific geographic area. Like Every Door Direct Mail, shared mail gets delivered to the door of everyone in a specified location. But it has a significant economic advantage of being bundled to share the cost of delivery and here’s what you need to know:
Unlike Every Door Direct Mail, these shared mail packages are bundled by an outside vendor before going to the USPS to be delivered to every home in a specified location. Read on to discover three top reasons to find a vendor who can print and bundle your grocery store, restaurant, retail, or consumer-facing advertising insert in close geographic proximity to your targeted zip code distribution area.
#1 Locally Sourced Shared Mail Printing is Cost Effective
As a national shared mail advertiser, you could print your advertising inserts near your corporate offices and ship it across the nation to your target area, but why would you want to? This adds to your transportation and shipping costs. Instead, contract with a vendor local to your geographic target to eliminate long-distance shipping so you can keep costs down.
As national brands increasingly target local consumer markets, this trend of local fulfillment has merit. Consider the Amazon model. This powerhouse e-commerce brand has 75 fulfillment centers across North America to help process orders closer to its customer base. The company now has a warehouse within 20 miles of half the U.S. population. National shared mail advertisers targeting New England can take a page from Amazon’s book, by printing and distributing grocery store and retail inserts locally in New England.
#2 It’s Faster to Print and Distribute Locally
Shared mail production schedules are fast-paced—and you don’t want to miss a distribution deadline because of transportation delays. This is especially true with holiday campaigns that are highly coveted—and extremely profitable. Instead, use a local printer to save time on shipping and get your collateral into the hands of consumers faster.
For example, if you are distributing grocery advertising inserts with shared mail in New Hampshire, you can save time (and cost) by using Upper Valley Press. Here, we can print, store, and insert as needed—and have the package verified quickly onsite by the USPS for local distribution across New Hampshire and Vermont.
#3 The Environment Will Thank You
A big part of sustainable business includes local sourcing. And marketers who source locally contribute to the economy of the towns and cities where they do business. But more importantly, local sourcing cuts down on emissions created by shipping materials in planes, trains, and trucks. This can help large national companies reduce their carbon footprint and position their brands as good corporate stewards concerned about the environment. It’s estimated that every piece of mail creates 50 grams of CO2 —which includes everything from creation to delivery. One way to reduce this is to adopt efficiencies in print and distribution. By choosing a vendor that will print, bundle, and distribute shared mail in your target area, your national brand can target consumers with less CO2 impact.
Use Upper Valley Press to Print and Distribute Shared Mail
National brands seeking to deliver shared mail in New Hampshire can streamline their efforts and reduce their costs with shared mail. At Upper Valley Press, Target Direct offers one turnkey price for design, printing, discounted postage, and delivery of shared mail. Whether you’re a New Hampshire company looking for local distribution or a national brand looking to distribute shared mail in New Hampshire — and surrounding New England — we can help you maximize your print and delivery budget.
Upper Valley Press prints a wide range of options including tabloids, inserts, wraps, detached address labels, circulars, and postcards. Contact us to learn more.