Direct mail marketing offers many benefits for your small business, especially in growing awareness among your local community. It can build your brand presence, generate foot traffic, and even increase sales. But to get started, you’ll need a good direct mail service. The best direct mail services have quick turnaround times, design tools and templates, and affordable pricing. Below, we’ve rounded up the best ones for your small business.
- Vistaprint: Best direct mail design and editing tools
- PostcardMania: Best for cost-efficient cross-channel campaigns
- PsPrint: Best for wide range of direct mailer types
- Taradel: Best for personalized direct mail
- Overnight Prints: Fastest turnaround times
- PostGrid: Best automations and analytics
- Smartpress: Best for premium direct mail
- 48HourPrint: Best for fast and affordable EDDM services
Best Direct Mail Services at a Glance
Direct Mailing Service | Starting Cost to Print and Mail 500 Postcards* | Fastest Turnaround Time | EDDM Services | Online Design Tools |
---|---|---|---|---|
$49.99 | Three business days | ✕ | ✓ | |
$90 | Seven business days | ✓ | ✕ | |
$59.12 | One business day | ✓ | ✓ | |
$434 | Two business days | ✓ | ✓ | |
$70.55 | Next day | ✓ | ✓ | |
$400 | Two business days | ✕ | ✓ | |
$370.55 | Two business days | ✓ | ✕ | |
$105.61 | Four business days | ✓ | ✓ | |
*We compared 4”×6”, full-color, two-sided postcard pricing for printing and mailing. |
Keep reading for a deeper look into the best direct mail marketing services for small businesses, as well as their costs, features, and examples:
Vistaprint: Best Direct Mailer Design & Editing Tools
Vistaprint has long been one of the best-known all-around design and printing services, and it’s also our best direct mail marketing service overall, especially for good designs. It has everything you need from beginning to end, from hundreds of modern templates for postcards, brochures, and other printed marketing materials, a beginner-friendly design tool that even has a QR code generator, to printing and delivery services.
Overall, Vistaprint has the best template designs and tools out of other direct mail services, so if you don’t have a design for your mails yet, Vistaprint is the best all-in-one platform to design and print them on. And if you need extra help, Vistaprint also has in-house design services, or you can hire a graphic designer from 99designs, which is owned by Vistaprint.
Then, when you’re finished with your design, you can have them printed and delivered to your door, or, for postcards, Vistaprint can also deliver them to your mailing list.
Here are some of Vistaprint’s mail templates:
The main drawback with Vistaprint is that it only offers mailing services for postcards. So if your campaign involves brochures or booklets, you’ll need to mail them yourself. Also, they don’t offer EDDM services, which could help your brand presence. For an alternative that mails several mailer types and offers EDDM services, we recommend PsPrint.
However, no matter the size of your business, Vistaprint is still our best direct mailing service for postcard marketing campaigns, especially if you prioritize good design. It provides everything you need in one place, including mailing lists and design services, at an affordable price and with postage discounts. It’s also ideal for designing and printing other materials, such as brochures, catalogs, business cards, flyers, and branded promotional assets for your small business.
PostcardMania: Best for Cost-efficient Cross-channel Campaigns
PostcardMania offers some of the cheapest printing costs overall. But what makes it really stand out among other direct mailing marketing services is its campaigns that combine direct mail with digital ads on Google, social media, and even to people who visit your website or abandon their card in your Shopify store. This makes it a cost-efficient option for cross-channel campaigns and even for remarketing campaigns.
For example, you can match the IP address of anonymous visitors to your website and automatically send a follow-up mailer. Likewise, PostcardMania will automatically send postcards as part of your Shopify cart abandonment strategy or to people who interact with your digital ads online. Its Everywhere Small Business option also combines digital ads with your direct mails.
The process is also simple: choose a postcard template or upload your own design (or hire a PostcardMania designer), and the team will handle all the mailing for you.
Here are some of PostcardMania’s postcard templates:
Unfortunately, PostcardMania doesn’t have online design tools, so once you choose a design template, you can only customize it with your info—you can’t edit it any further, which can limit your branding. You can also avail of its in-house design services. Also, it’s not the fastest direct mailing company, so if you’re in a rush, Overnight Prints is the better option.
Still, PostcardMania is a solid choice if you want to integrate direct mail alongside digital marketing channels or simply order in bulk. It offers some of the lowest prices per piece in the industry, so it’s overall one of the best direct mail services for building your brand presence across multiple channels.
PsPrint: Best for Wide Range of Direct Mailer Types
PsPrint offers printing and mailing services for seven mailer types: postcards, brochures, greeting cards, invitations, booklets, catalogs, and newsletters—which are more than most other direct mailing services, making it a good option if your marketing plan includes several direct mail campaigns.
Vistaprint also offers regular printing services for dozens of other marketing products like newsletters, stickers, and magnets. It even has EDDM services that start below $100 and a design platform to build your own mail designs. Although it’s not as intuitive as Vistaprint’s, you can upload your own designs.
Check out these examples of PsPrint’s direct mailers and its design platform’s interface:
With PsPrint, you can choose between two and five production days for most products (except booklets, which can go up to 10); however, cost increases for shorter production times. Also, PsPrint will send you any leftover prints at no charge, as long as they all fit in one box.
However, one thing missing with Vistaprint is the ability to add a QR code to your printed materials. It also doesn’t offer extra marketing services like PostcardMania’s multichannel campaigns—it’s solely for printing and mailing your materials.
Still, for its variety and turnaround flexibility, PsPrint is one of the best direct mailing companies you can get. And with plenty of design templates to choose from, it can be well worth the investment if you have several direct mail campaigns planned for your business.
Taradel: Best for Personalized Direct Mail
Taradel’s standout feature is its personalized direct mail campaigns, which isn’t something most other direct mail companies offer. With Taradel, you can build or upload a consumer or business recipient mailing list, upload your postcard design (or get expert help), and launch personalized postcard campaigns easily. Once sent, you’ll also get key metrics, like phone calls, clicks, and other engagements.
Another noteworthy feature of Taradel is that you can run multichannel campaigns that integrate your direct mail with ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google, as well as entertainment platforms like Hulu and Spotify. It also has generally affordable standalone printing services. For example, pricing for 1,000 postcards will only run you $143.00. It also prints door hangers, business cards, flyers, magnets, and yard signs.
Taradel also has dozens of design templates across various industries, or you can hire a designer from Taradel’s team. Here are some of its postcard templates:
Taradel’s best features are its personalized direct mails and integrated campaigns, but it falls short in its mail variety, especially compared to PsPrint. For instance, you won’t be able to print booklets or brochures. Another drawback is that its templates and design tools are very simple. For more template variety and creativity, opt for Vistaprint instead.
However, Taradel’s benefits still outweigh its shortcomings, and its personalization feature makes it one of the best direct mailing services for small businesses. It also lets you mail to business addresses, making it a good option for B2B businesses. Pricing is affordable, and you’ll be able to track multiple campaigns and integrate different channels to present a strong brand image online and offline.
Overnight Prints: Fastest Turnaround for Direct Mails
Overnight Prints lives up to its name. If you need high-quality direct mail marketing materials created quickly, Overnight Prints can have them printed and delivered to your door the next day. It also offers dozens of printed marketing materials, from booklets and brochures to branded cookies, for a truly unique marketing campaign.
Overnight Prints also has templates and an easy-to-use design editor, but they’re nowhere near Vistaprint’s standards. However, it also has a QR code generator to connect your direct mail campaigns with digital landing pages, like your website or social media pages.
Here are some of Overnight Prints’ templates:
Overnight Prints’ direct mail marketing services are limited to postcards and oversized mailers, which are its biggest shortcomings. Plus, if you choose Overnight Prints for mailing, you’ll need to provide your own mailing list as it doesn’t sell any in-house.
However, for rush direct mail printing services, Overnight Prints offers the quickest turnaround times—its name is its guarantee. It also has a design platform and templates, so it’s a decent option for beginners. If speed is your number one priority for your direct mails, Overnight Prints is your best guarantee.
PostGrid: Best Direct Mail Analytics & Automations
If you want your direct mail services to have more analytics and automations, PostGrid is your best option. While it prints and sends your direct mail campaigns, it’s unique for having all these processes 100% automated. This can make it especially helpful for businesses running multiple direct mail campaigns with large mailing lists. You can even integrate your campaigns with your customer relationship management (CRM) tool of choice to help track your leads.
PostGrid also has an in-house editing platform and templates, all of which are modern and well-designed. However, the design tool doesn’t allow much customization beyond the basics, like replacing photos and text. Here are some of its templates:
While PostGrid gets points for its direct mail automations, its main drawback is that it only prints and ships postcards, letters, and checks. And while it has a design platform, there are very few templates to start with. This means you’ll likely need a separate design editor to craft your campaigns. Another disadvantage is that it only has two available plans: the Starter plan, which only allows up to 500 emails, and the custom Enterprise plan.
However, if improving the efficiency of your direct mail campaigns would considerably benefit your business, PostGrid could be an ideal choice. It automates the personalization, printing, and delivery of your mails for fast and accurate campaigns, and its tracking and analytics are unparalleled.
Smartpress: Best for Premium Direct Mail
If you want your direct mails to look and feel more premium than others, you can opt for Smartpress, which specializes in premium printing. With Smartpress, print quality is the name of the game. For example, for booklets, you can choose from seven different paper stocks and choose between black or full-color printing.
Aside from booklets, you can also print and mail postcards, newsletters, self-mailers, and letters with or without envelopes. For print-only services, you can also choose from dozens of other products, like brochures and business cards.
Here are some sample products made with Smartpress:
The downside is that Smartpress doesn’t have design templates or an in-house design platform, so you’ll need to create your design first before uploading it to the platform. Also, because its prints are premium, prices are higher than most other direct mail services.
Still, if you want premium printing quality for your direct mails, Smartpress can do the job. While it has a steeper price, you’ll get an above-standard product that will help you stand out in your recipients’ mailboxes. And for postcards, letters, self-mailers, and booklets, they can even do all the shipping for you.
48HourPrint: Best for Fast and Affordable EDDM Services
48HourPrint is an all-around printing service for various marketing materials, like stickers and signs, but it also offers direct mail services for postcards, brochures, and mailers at small business-friendly pricing. You can design online using its design platform (which also has a stock image search) or upload your own designs. Then, specify your size and coating preferences, and you can even have them sent out within one business day.
48HourPrint has a design tool, but it’s nowhere near as sophisticated or user-friendly as Vistaprint’s (think basic shapes and fonts). Its templates are also some of the most generic. However, we like that it also has affordable EDDM services (for instance, for less than $69, you can deliver 250 EDDM postcards), so it’s a good option for easy and affordable EDDM.
Here are some sample templates you’ll find on 48HourPrint:
Another drawback with 48HourPrint is its high minimum orders that start at 250 mailers, so it’s not the best direct mail service if you want to start small. Conversely, this also means you get more value out of your budget, as you’ll be able to deliver to more recipients.
In all, 48HourPrint’s pricing is comparable to Vistaprint and also offers EDDM, making it one of the best direct mailing services if you want to target every address in a city or zip code. You won’t find sophisticated templates or an intuitive design editor here, but if you can provide your own designs, it’s an affordable option for using EDDM to build your brand awareness in your community.
How We Evaluated the Best Direct Mailing Services
At the basic level, the best direct mail services should print and mail postcards, brochures, and other small business marketing materials on time. They should also be affordable, have good design and delivery options, and offer a good variety of products. Here are the criteria we used to determine the best direct mailing services for small businesses:
- Affordability
- Minimum order quantity
- Product offering
- Product quality
- Customization capabilities
- Printing and mailing services
- Ease of use
- Turnaround time
How to Choose the Best Direct Mail Services for Your Business
The first step in finding the best direct mail service for your business is assessing your needs. This is because each service is unique, and comparing them isn’t always apples-to-apples. For example, some offer one-day turnaround times but cost more than average, so they’re the best option if you value time over cost. Meanwhile, others have built-in design platforms if you don’t have your design yet.
This is why assessing your needs is crucial before choosing your service. Here are the biggest factors to consider when choosing the best service for your business:
- Cost: Does the provider meet my goals for the budget based on what I can spend and the return I will get on the investment?
- Delivery speed: How quickly can the provider get my direct mailer campaigns printed and sent?
- Audience: Does the provider offer EDDM services or the ability to buy a mailing list, or do I need to have a list ready to upload?
- Design: How easy are the platform’s editing tools, and are template designs available? If not, does it offer design services? What type of files do I need to upload my own designs?
- Reporting: How do I know how many pieces were delivered successfully? Does the provider offer any post-campaign analytics so I can calculate the return on my investment?
- Integrations: Do I need to coordinate direct mail campaigns with campaigns on other channels, like email, social media, digital advertising, ecommerce, and so on?
- Added value: Does the provider offer other printing or marketing services? Do I need an all-in-one solution or ways to automate future mailings?
Once you’ve answered these questions, review the providers to see which match your needs best. Doing this helps you choose a service that is not only reliable and effective, but will also prioritize your business’s specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes, the United States Postal Service (USPS) can deliver your direct mail campaigns the same way they deliver regular mails. Choose your mail format, input your mailing address, and then pay for your postage. The USPS also offers EDDM services, where you can send mails to every address in a specific city or zip code, and even target specific demographics, like recipients’ age range and household income and size.
You can do your direct mail by yourself using design tools, a printer, and a postal service. Design and print your mail, collect your mailing addresses, and then send your mail via your postal service. However, this can be very time- and labor-intensive, even if it is free. We recommend using one of the best direct mail services instead, which often have most or all of the services above on one platform at small business-friendly pricing.
You can use direct mail to market your small business, whether to grow brand awareness, encourage website or landing page traffic, generate leads and sales, or even build brand loyalty. Direct mail remains an effective way to communicate with captive audiences. However, it’s most effective when combined with other marketing strategies, like email, social media, and advertising.
Bottom Line
Direct mail is an easy, affordable, and effective way to advertise your business in your community. The best direct mailing services can help you get on the right track with efficient printing and delivery services. Some even have user-friendly design platforms and templates to get you started. From our research, the best service overall with all these and more is Vistaprint—it’s affordable, user-friendly, and has all the tools you need for your direct mail.