When you're looking to get more sales, build customer loyalty, or gain reviews, direct mail can help you achieve these goals. This is because, unlike emails or phone calls, direct mail is different. And due to its personability and uncommon use, direct mail also enables you to separate yourself from the competition.

Which, in turn, gets noticed far more than emails or phone calls leading to more sales, loyalty, and reviews. Just take a look at how you can utilize direct mail to increase customer retention, and how direct mail outperforms the alternative outreach methods.

When it comes to using direct mail, there are two different ways to handle postage: metered or stamped mail. Now you may be wondering, aren't these two types of mail the same thing?

And the answer is no; they're not the same thing. Metered mail and stamped mail are different because they each come with their own up and downsides. How is metered mail different from stamped mail?

Let's find out!

HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

Metered mail and stamped mail are different from each other in a multitude of ways because they each have different costs, convenience levels, and use cases. But first, before we dive deeper into how metered and stamped mail are different, let's define what they are.

METERED MAIL

Simply put, metered mail is prepaid mail that requires no postage stamps but is marked by an electronic machine that is set and controlled by the post office. This machine is usually a postage meter machine that’s leased from the post office or affiliate and it prints the postage directly on the mail pieces for you.

STAMPED MAIL

Stamped mail on the other hand is mail that’s marked with a paper postage stamp.  When you use paper stamps, the postage cost is already paid for through the stamps. No equipment is involved here.

DIFFERENCES

The main differences between these types of mail are their costs, levels of convenience, and use cases.

With metered mail, you may get discounts and more accurate pricing from the post office based on the weight and volume of mail. Also, metered mail may provide you with higher levels of convenience because it prints the postage on the mail for you, allowing you to save time from having to put the stamp on yourself. Lastly, its use case is going to be different because with metered mail it’s normally used for a high volume sender.

But with stamped mail, you won’t need to pay to lease metering equipment and you don’t have to add a new process to sending anything out.. For organizations that don’t send a lot of mail, this the way they usually go.

If you need another resource that’ll explain these differences further, look at this article by bizfulent that highlights the Differences Between Metered and Stamped Mail.

When it comes to comparing metered mail and stamped mail, you may be wondering if these mailing methods bring in different results with sales or marketing efforts. And the answer is, yes, they do bring different results for your business.

DOES METERED MAIL HAVE A DIFFERENT RESULT VS. STAMPED MAIL?

When comparing both metered and stamped mail they bring in different results due to the costs, levels of convenience, and use cases. Further, they’re also perceived differently by the recipient. Metered mail might save you time because you can print a label right on the mail piece. But with stamped mail, you may have higher levels of convenience because you won’t need to learn new equipment.

Depending on what you’re measuring overall, both of these types of mail will give you different results. But if you're deciding between going the metered or stamped mail route you’ll probably wonder which one is the best to use. At IgnitePost we (almost always) use stamped mail.

WHY STAMPED MAIL IS THE BEST OPTION TO USE

Stamped mail is the best option for you to use because you’ll experience higher levels of convenience by using the simplest type of postage, which is sticking a paper stamp on the piece of mail yourself. Unless you’re sending a lot of mail, the time involved will be less, or possibly similar, as with a postage meter. Not to mention you won’t need to troubleshoot the meter, add postage, or any of the other things we hear folks complain about.

Furthermore, stamped mail is the best option for you to use because the recipient will have a positive perception towards you and the stamped mail. Stamped mail typically warrants a positive perception from the recipient because a paper stamp gives the mail a more personal and human feeling. We all know what junk mail looks like, and quite often, it’s been through a postage meter. Because of this, stamped mail is far more likely to be seen, opened, and receive engagement.

Now that you understand why stamped mail is the best option to use, you’re probably wondering how can you send out stamped mail faster since it’s usually a manual process? Keep reading.  

HOW IGNITEPOST CAN HELP YOU SEND STAMPED MAIL

Now at IgnitePost we’re aware that you may object to going the stamped mail route because of the manual work that’s involved in this process. We also know that this process can suck up a lot of your time and resources. This is why IgnitePost exists!

We can help you send out stamped mail quicker and more efficiently because we handle this process for you. And when you use our solution you won’t need to learn or lease any new equipment.

IgnitePost allows you to have both convenience and time savings because all you have to do is type and upload your message on to our platform and click send. (Or, if you’re using a Zapier automation or our Shopify app, you don’t even have to do that!) The rest of the process afterward will be handled for you, such as putting the note together, putting the stamp on for you, and sending it out.

This takes out all the manual work on your end and allows you to send mail that’s highly personable because IgnitePost also handwrites these notes for you! That way you can use a medium that’s highly effective and efficient.

And looking at the cost, with our prepaid solutions you won’t have to worry about overpaying because we can fit within any budget. So when it comes to getting the best results for your business, make sure you use both stamped mail and IgnitePost to achieve the highest levels of cost-effectiveness, convenience, and results; no matter what the use case is for direct mail.

CONCLUSION

To summarize what we’ve covered here, we went through:

• What metered and stamped mail is
• How metered mail is different from stamped mail
• And the results from both metered and stamped mail and which one to use

Each mailing method can be used in various ways, but there's only one method you should be using and that is stamped mail. And when you use IgnitePost you’ll achieve the best results for your business when it comes to direct mail!

So, what type of mail do you plan on using?

If you’re interested in learning how you can use IgnitePost and stamped mail in other ways, take a look at how we can help you when it comes to increasing customer loyalty, sales, and reviews!

Contact us today to get started!

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