Utilizing a mail reply card should be an important aspect of every business, especially when sending out mailing cards to increase your response rate and business return. A technique that has worked for other vendors well is to make sure that the mailing label is directly attached to the self-mailer reply portion. Then what you want to do is fold that self-mailer, and make sure that the label is showing through the cut hole on the panel that shows the address.

So what exactly is the benefit of getting a mail reply card label back? It’s mostly a marketing tactic because based on who replies to it, you can tell which list will generate the most response. Now, usually direct mail letters are sent out by most companies and if this is the case, you’ll want to follow a different set of instructions.

First, print the mail reply card on a bright colored paper. The reason for this is that it makes the card stand out from the letter.

You don’t want a cluttered design, so it should be clutter free and the design should be relatively simple as well. Now, in addition to that, you’ll be the one who has to pay the postage (it’s only a small fee anyways) because you will have a substantially low rate if you ask people who respond to pay the postage.

The benefits for consumer mail via mail reply cards far outweigh the cons and the potential setback of having mail returned to you, but that’s a risk you face in any business. Now, when it comes to business mailing lists, you aren’t particularly going to need to focus on the reply card so much because it’s not as critical as it is with consumers. Here’s a small list of things you should include on your reply cards (assuming they’re for consumers):

• First, you’ll want to include a headline that states the key proposition or sales offer.
• Now, if you would like to get the client’s opinion, then please include a box for them to do so. This is optional but engages consumer reviews which are a good thing.
• Also, in addition to an opinion box, a small survey might not be the worst idea either.

Now, on the very front of the card, you’ll notice that it’s addressed directly to you and should contain all of the business materials that you will need such as marks, bar codes and the reply permit number. If you don’t want to use a business reply mail method, then what you need to do is, put your return address and your company name on the center of the card in the front panel. Usually the stamp here is placed on the top right in these situations.