How to Seed Your Mailing List and Marketing Campaign

In the world of mailing, first impressions are often the most impactful. When sending a letter online the expectation is that your recipient opens their mailbox, retrieves your letter, and takes in its contents. This moment is crucial and we recognize the significance in that. Hence why we’re huge advocates of customers seeding their mailing campaigns a practice that may seem a bit unconventional coming from a printing and mailing company.

What is Seed Mailing?

Seed mailing or a seed mailing list is a simple yet powerful strategy that allows you to monitor the performance of your mailing provider. Essentially, it involves adding your own address or the addresses of friends and colleagues to your USPS mailing list. By doing so, you receive a copy of the mail piece alongside your intended recipients. This simple yet effective strategy offers firsthand insight into how your mailings are handled and delivered.

Benefits of A Seed List

As we mentioned above, we champion for our customers to seed their list, for numerous reasons. Firstly, it provides a comprehensive understanding of your mailing provider’s performance. By witnessing the journey of your mail piece yourself, from creation to delivery, you can assess its quality and efficiency and if it actually makes it to you in general.

Secondly, seeding your mailing list isn’t just about monitoring—it’s also about gaining confidence when sending to your marketing mailing list through USPS First-Class Mail or when sending community announcements for Homeowner Association Mailings, important notices or legal notices sent via Certified Mail. Basically, seeding offers reassurance by confirming delivery. It’s a proactive step towards ensuring accuracy and reliability in your messaging.

Check-In on Speed and Efficiency

Now that we got through all of that, let’s talk about expediting your USPS mailing online using LetterStream. There are several strategies you can use to streamline the process. One approach is to include your own name and address in the CSV file or merged file used for your mailing. This ensures that you receive a copy of the mail piece alongside your recipients.

A second option would be to utilize a seamless solution we offer in our online platform. When you’re in your account you can simply click the “Add Additional Recipient” button and type in your information to include your address directly. It’s super easy to do, just look at the screenshot below.

Add New Address

Empowering Your Mailing Campaigns

Seeding your mail job isn’t just a precautionary measure for quality control—it’s an opportunity to gain invaluable insights into your communication strategy. By proactively monitoring and optimizing your mailings you can guarantee that each communication is able to leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re sending community updates, business announcements, or promotional materials to a mailing list for marketing, seeding empowers you to refine your approach and maximize your impact.

Seed Your Mail With LetterStream

Just remember in the world of communication that will live on, every detail matters. Seeding your mailing campaigns with LetterStream is about empowering your small business or company. By taking proactive steps when you mail letters, you can then take your communication strategy to new heights. So go ahead, embrace the power of seeding, and unlock the full potential of your mailing campaigns with LetterStream.

How to Proof Your Letters When Sending Mail Online

Here’s something fun for you to do on your next printing and mailing job, spend a few extra moments reviewing online proofs of your mail!

Ok, just kidding, that’s not actually the most fun thing at all. In fact, sometimes it’s downright painful for people, so much so that they just skip the process. But trust us it’s something you’ll want to start doing when you send mail online because your end product will then be sent out perfectly.

Take the time to review your letters

It’s really important to take the time to look over your proof before you zip through to checkout. In fact, it’s so important that just last year we spent some time making the link to view your proofs more prominent, in an effort to remind you to review the documents you uploaded before sending out your snail mail.

Right before you get to the checkout screen, on the right-hand side, there is a blue ‘View‘ button. This button appears next to each person you send mail to, allowing you to view each one.

Fun fact: behind-the-scenes we like to call it the Little Blue Button. We started calling it that one day when talking about improving our process for it and the name has stuck ever since.

Screenshots of the LetterStream online customer portal that showcases where the proof button is located.

Ok, back to it. Look, the truth is, we get it. When you’ve finished uploading your documents and are done with this portion of your work, getting the ‘Order Acceptance‘ email from LetterStream is exciting because you know your part of the process is over. It also means your mailing is moments away from cruising through LetterStream’s crazy, fast production facility. However, it’s important to note that just because you were quick to get that “order acceptance’ email, doesn’t mean you were quite ready to send it or that it was actually ready to go on your end.

Truth is, we need some help from you to make certain your job is fully ready to print and mail.

Oops, mistakes were made

As much as we like talking to and helping our customers, we also like to save them time. Here are some popular and frequent emails our Customer Support team takes after a job has been mailed that showcase why it’s a good idea to check your proofs:

“Argh! I forgot to add my return envelope, it is too late to add it in now?”

“Oops! I forgot to specify that I wanted my flier printed in color. What do I do now?”

“Yikes, I forgot to run the letter past the CFO and mailed out the wrong prices!”

As you know, we like to help our customers make the very best impression possible when using our online printing and mailing service, but we also like to go really, really fast, which everyone likes. If your mailing has mistakes in it, then that means we have to stop production on it and possibly even shred a job. In short, this just adds more time to the process.

Things to look out for when viewing your proofs

different samples of proofs of letters that are to be mailed and printed by LetterStream. First-class letters and #10 envelopes included.

In order to avoid having to use our Chatbot on our website (although it is a great tool to utlize that’s availabe 24/7) or contact customer service to make changes to a job, here are some things that you might want to check for before the final submission that will be helpful to both you, the customer, and us here at LetterStream.

Ask yourself:

is my return address correct?
are all pages and envelopes included?
did I include the correct mailing list of addresses?
am I using the most up-to-date information?
are all dates/phone numbers on my documents correct?
are the amounts in the document correct and properly formatted?
do my addresses all seem to be properly formatted?
Did I make sure to choose the correct type of mailing, like USPS First-Class Mail, USPS Certified Mail or Certified Mail with Electronic Return Receipt for USPS tracking?

Many other items need to be examined for a perfect mailing, but the questions above might be a good place to start. Then maybe you can create a list of ‘things to double check’ when it comes to mailing a letter.

After all, being a printing and mailing company, we like it as much as you do when your mail goes out fast and perfect! So, while the proofing task isn’t the most fun, it’s really is fun to know that you’ve just completed another perfect mailing online!

A Guide to 1099 Deadlines and How to Mail 1099s

As tax season approaches, businesses and freelancers are gearing up to fulfill their annual responsibility of issuing 1099 forms to recipients. Let’s explore the crucial deadlines for mailing out 1099s and we’ll provide some insights on the best practices for a smooth and timely distribution process.

Understanding 1099 Forms

Before delving into the deadlines, let’s briefly review what 1099 forms are. The 1099 series includes various forms that report income, other than wages, salaries, and tips. Businesses use different types of 1099s to report various types of income, such as interest, dividends, or nonemployee compensation.

Filing Deadlines to Send 1099

1. January 31: Deadline for Providing Recipients with 1099s

The clock starts ticking on January 1, and businesses have until January 31 to furnish 1099 forms to recipients. This deadline is non-negotiable and applies to all types of 1099s, including 1099-NEC for nonemployee compensation. Failure to meet this deadline or if a company fails to file it may result in penalties, so it’s crucial to ensure timely distribution.

2. February 28 (March 31 if filing electronically): IRS Filing Deadline

After providing recipients with their copies, businesses must submit the 1099 information to the IRS. The deadline for filing paper forms with the IRS is February 28, while electronic filers get an extended deadline until March 31. Keep in mind that this deadline is distinct from the recipient distribution deadline.

Mailing Out 1099s: Best Practices

If you’re wondering how to send a 1099 to someone, here it is. Let’s discuss the best practices for mailing out 1099 forms efficiently:

1. Gather Accurate Information

Before embarking on the mailing process of sending 1099 to contractor, ensure that you have accurate and up-to-date information for each recipient. This includes their legal name, address, and taxpayer identification number TIN. Mistakes in recipient information can lead to complications and delays.

2. Choose the Right Delivery Method

When it comes to mailing out 1099s, businesses have two primary options: traditional mail and electronic delivery. Traditional mail involves sending physical copies via postal services, while electronic delivery allows recipients to access their forms digitally. Carefully consider the preferences of your recipients and the security measures associated with each method.

3. Use Secure Mailing Practices

If opting for traditional mail, prioritize secure mailing practices. Use envelopes that conceal the contents and consider using Certified Mail or Registered Mail for added security. This ensures that the forms reach their destination safely and confidentially. you can load these into your LetterStream portal, which is a secure account, and then we handle the rest.

4. Communicate Clearly with Recipients

In addition to providing the required forms, consider including a cover letter or accompanying documentation that outlines the purpose of the 1099 and any additional information recipients may need. Clear communication helps recipients understand the importance of the document and how to use it when filing their taxes.

5. Stay Informed About Changes

Tax regulations can change, affecting the requirements for 1099 reporting. Stay informed about any updates or changes in tax laws to ensure compliance. This proactive approach helps businesses adapt their processes accordingly and avoid last-minute complications.

On a side note, some way wonder, “Do I send a 1099 to an LLC?” If it falls under partnership tax or single-member LLC then yes, you send the LLC a 1099 form.

Navigating the intricacies of tax season and meeting 1099 deadlines is essential. By understanding the key dates and implementing best practices for mailing out 1099s, businesses can streamline the process, mitigate risks, and contribute to a successful tax season for both themselves and their recipients. Remember, timely and accurate 1099 distribution is not only a legal obligation but also a demonstration of professionalism and reliability in the eyes of your clients and contractors.

The USPS postage rate increase just took place. Learn more about it here.

How to Send Mail on USPS Postal Holidays

Sending mail during the Christmas season can seem a bit hectic. Actually, let’s be honest, the month of December as a whole can be chaotic. Then trying to send out your holiday gifts and mail your Christmas cards and letters on top of it can also be a bit much. On top of that, there’s also the added stress of knowing when the postal holidays are, when the Post Office is closed and when deadlines are to get everything mailed on time for it to get to its destination before Christmas.

So much to think about.

U.S. Postal Holidays 2023 – Christmas and New Year’s Day

We’ll get right to the point on when the USPS is closed during this time of year. The 2023 postal holiday schedule is pretty simple. The Post Office is Closed on Christmas, December 25th and New Year’s Day, January 1st. Many wonder, “Is December 26 a postal holiday?” and it is not. USPS mail runs the day after Christmas each year…at least for now.

Others also wonder “Is Christmas Eve a postal holiday?” It is not, however, what you may not know is that some of the Post Offices do close early on Christmas Eve, December 24th. We recommend calling your local USPS Post Office to see what their hours are. Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Like the Post Office, we are closed on both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. However, we are open and mailing on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. We do have limited staff during this time of year and we too deal with USPS backups of mail but our team is working extra hard to always provide fast, perfect mail for our customers.

Our 2023 postal holiday calendar can be found here and the USPS postal holiday schedule 2023 can be found here.

mail truck for the usps postal service in a christmas tree for mailing on postal holidays

Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2023

The shipping deadlines for Christmas 2023 vary, but here are some general deadlines:

USPS:

USPS Ground Advantage — December 16
First-Class Mail (including greeting cards) — December 16
Priority Mail — December 18
Priority Mail Express — December 20

FedEx:

FedEx Home Delivery: 1-Day Shipping — December 22
2-Day Shipping — December 21
3-Day Shipping — December 20
4-Day Shipping — December 18
5-Day Shipping – December 15

The USPS gives a more in-depth overview of mailing deadlines, here.

Tips for Getting Mail Out Before the Delay

Christmas tree, Christmas mailbox with a mail truck in front of a merry christmas can

If you’re worried about getting your mail out on time before the Christmas rush, here are some quick tips to avoid any delays with your mail delivery service:

Get your mail out ASAP. Start early if you can
Use Priority or Express Mail services
Double-check addresses
Include return addresses in case there are any issues
Avoid peak shipping days
Send letters, cards and mail online through the LetterStream portal so you never have to set foot in the Post Office
Track your shipments and track your letters

You’re probably not going to be using Certified Mail to send your holiday mail, however, if you use it for other purposes or you just decide to, here is where you can track your USPS Certified Mail on our website.

LetterStream Is Open on Certain Postal Holidays

Ok, now let’s talk a little bit about LetterStream during other postal mail holidays. A fun fact about us is that there are a lot of holidays when the USPS is closed, however, we can still get your mail out for you!

You may be wondering how that is possible. If the Post Office is closed during postal holidays, then how is mail being delivered through LetterStream? Good question!

LetterStream is a printing and mailing company that works with the USPS. Just because the front counters are empty and the doors are closed to the public doesn’t mean that the back-office staff (those behind the scenes of the United States Postal Service aren’t still working hard). Because of that, we can have our dedicated team work on getting your mailings out the door and a driver to pick up the letters that need to be delivered.

Even though the mail may not be delivered on the actual holiday because USPS drivers are off, that doesn’t mean that we can’t get the internal process done beforehand. This allows us to be ahead of the curve for the next day’s mailing schedule. If mail goes out the door during a postal holiday then that means it is ready to be mailed the next day, whereas if we were closed we’d still have to do our internal part the next day. Basically, we’re one step ahead of the Post Office by being open on certain postal holidays.

The USPS accepts and processes our mail on President’s Day (Washington’s birthday), Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, MLK Day and Juneteenth.

Click here to view our Postal Holidays 2024 Schedule which gives you a complete overview of when the Post Office is closed, when LetterStream is closed and when we are open and mailing even if the Post Office isn’t open.

Happy Holidays and Happy Mailing!

Complaints of Missing Mail: Can you prove it mailed?

Where's my mail? — Hey! Where’s my mail?

We always hate to hear about letters not making it to their desired destination, after all, we are a communication company. And yes, we do get to blame some missing letters on the USPS, but sometimes the blame works its way back to us. And that’s fine, its a role that we play, but I’d like to share a response that we’ve been able to offer to our clients to help them out.

Before I jump right into the details, I think it important that you know that we have processed over 1 million mailing jobs for clients. And if each job had 1,000 recipients, then we’ve processed over 1 billion pieces of mail. I say this not to gloat, but to let you know that the information we provide is from the viewpoint of an expert of experts.

The question is often presented to us as; “My customer thinks we didn’t get the mailing out properly. Can you prove that it really went out?”

Here is the response we like to use.

So sorry to be the barer of bad news, but technically, no proof of mailing exists after-the-fact for First-Class Mail. We offer various forms of mailing proofs for purchase before a mailing is sent out. These include: certificate of mailing, certificate of bulk mailing, certified mail and affidavit of mailing. Since these items were not purchased in advance, there really is no “proof” that the mail happened.

However, we can offer an Affidavit of Prior Mailing, which is a legal document where we attest that we did everything correctly. Unfortunately the fees for this service are $50; mainly because we tear the building apart and attempt to recreate exactly what happened on the day in question. We really find out exactly what happened to every piece of mail.

All that said, I think you are really wanting to know if the mailing went out on time, to all the recipients listed in the address file. The easy answer to this is; certainly. We track every completed piece of mail with a high speed camera. The camera looks at the unique mail piece ID and compares it to the database of pieces that need to be mailed. If these items don’t match up exactly we jump in and find out what went wrong. Ultimately all jobs “reconcile”. Are we 100% positive that every single piece made it to the postal service? No, but we are 99.9999% positive that your mailing went out exactly as specified.

“But why are the board members saying the mailing didn’t go out?” We hear this concern fairly often, but each time we research it, we find that we’ve done everything correctly. And ultimately the board members all receive their mail. The concerns are often brought up by homeowners and often in response to an HOA Board member asking them as they communicate casually in the neighborhood.

There are a few things that can be done when board members express concern about missing mail. First, ask if they received their letter, and if not, ask if they would check their mail carefully. Second, ask the Board member who reported someone else’s lost mail to check back in with the homeowner and see if they received it.

A slightly different way to approach this topic is to review the use of the LetterStream tools that we make available to help mail get noticed. As I reviewed the outer envelope of the mailing in question, I noticed that you could have taken advantage of our free Endorsement printing. We allow our customers to put big bold text on the outer envelope to draw attention to the envelope. We offer this to prevent concerns exactly like this. By offering and encouraging the free use of an Endorsement, the amount of lost mail complaints has gone down. You can add things like “Important Neighborhood News” or “Urgent Community Meeting” or similar wording.

Another thing we encourage communities to do is make sure and use the community name in the return address area of the envelope. While community management companies would like to think that every homeowner knows who they are, this simply isn’t true. And if someone can’t identify the personal relevancy of a piece of mail to them, they generally cannot recall getting it. If you add the community name to the return address and add the endorsement printing I think you’ll find far fewer concerns about lost mail.

Hopefully this has provided a little extra insight into how people both mentally and physically process their mail. In addition, maybe its given you some tools to ponder the next time you create a mailing in order to achieve maximum impact.

For more information, you might want to review this help article.

How To Export Mailing Addresses Out Of Your Software

Export Addresses Thought Bubble

Getting an address list out of your software for the purpose of sending a mailing can be a confusing task at times, but we will attempt to decode things just a bit.

You have probably been entering your customer names and addresses into your accounting software or management software. You might even have names in a CRM (customer relationship management) package like Act! or an email program like Outlook. Wherever you enter names and addresses, there is generally a way to get them back out in order to send a mailing.

The process of getting your mailing list out of your software is called “exporting” or an “export“. If you know this simple term you can search the Internet or your software help files for more clues on the subject. Most software packages that allow you to enter names and addresses generally have an export function of some kind.

As it relates to software (not a website or web service), the process is usually as easy as clicking on the “File” menu on the upper left of the menu bar, then choosing “Export“. (The reason we excluded websites and web services is because the standard “File” menu doesn’t exist with websites, and most websites have their own unique way to export data.)

When exporting your data, there are sometimes a wide variety of file formats that you can save your file to. We recommend exporting your data to a .csv file, otherwise known as a “comma separated values” file. The nice thing about a csv file is that it can easily be opened by Excel or other spreadsheet programs, and it can be loaded into other applications as well.

But the best feature of the csv file format is that it can easily be loaded to the LetterStream website for creating a mailing.

The export process discussed here isn’t an exhaustive solution to all software packages and websites, but just know that the magic word is “export”.

If you’d like to share your specific method for getting address data out of your software, feel free to contact us and let us know. We will post it in the help pages of the LetterStream website.

Last Minute Christmas Postcards

LetterStream Christmas postcard

Running a little behind this Holiday? Aren’t we all. But here’s a way to get your Christmas greetings out the door quickly.

Granted, we are known for our industrial grade automated mailing solutions, but one of our products makes sending fun, full-color postcards a breeze.

All you need is a picture and the addresses of those you want to send the postcard to. Wow, this sure is going to be a short blog post.

It’s funny because you could probably create your Christmas postcards in less time than it took me to write this short little post.

***

Want more info? Our postcards are printed in full-color, full-bleed (printing all the way to the edge of the postcard/no white margins). The postcard is 5 1/2″ x 8 5/8″ printed on heavy card stock paper.

Nearly any size image will work as our cropping tool will help you fit the photo to our postcard. If the image is too small, we will give you a warning, but most pictures from today’s modern smartphones should work just fine.

There’s room for another image on the address side of the postcard as well, or you could leave a white space if you aren’t feeling creative or are pressed for time. On the other hand, you can type out some well wishes and save them as a .jpg file. You might even want to put a colorful, festive background behind your holiday greeting to add more color to your message.

I recommend making the address-side image roughly square as that is the area available to you. Again, our cropping tool will help you crop the image so that it fits the message area.

I guess I should talk briefly about addressing your postcards. You can enter the addresses one at a time into your private online address book (which will make sending next year’s greetings even faster), or you could upload a .csv file to get all your addresses loaded in a snap.

Once your job is complete, we take your postcards to the Post Office and mail them via USPS First-Class mail. There’s nothing else you need to do!

Ok, we’ve taken enough of your precious holiday time. Get started, find that great holiday photo and your mailing list, and get those postcards in the mail.

***For the month of December, all postcards created on our website before noon Arizona time (MST) will mail that same day.

What Is Needed To Send USPS Certified Mail Online?

Certified Mail Letters and Envelopes

Well, it’s pretty simple actually. You need an address and a document, oh, and a company that offers the ability to create certified mail on their website.

If you want to use LetterStream.com or our sister site OnlineCertifiedMail.com to send your certified letter, you simply need the address you want to send the letter to and your document saved as a PDF file. Yes, it seems like it should be more complicated than that, but most of our clients can create and send their Certified Mail in two minutes or less.

There’s nothing more you need to do. However, if you want to track your letter through the USPS process or retrieve the signature of the person who signed for your certified letter, the process is as simple as logging into the website and clicking on the mailing to see all the details.

Or, consider the alternative: You could write your letter, print it from your laser printer, hunt for an envelope, fold the document (maybe twice to get it to fit in the envelope), hand address the envelope, seal it, drive to the post office, wait in line, fill out the green card while waiting in line, try to figure out how the certified mail barcode wraps over the top of the envelope, pay for the piece, get a receipt with a 20-digit tracking number that you will need to enter any time you want to track the status of the piece, and get the green card back. Then, not knowing where you should keep the green card, you shove it in a desk drawer and ultimately lose it, and just when you want to find out what happened to the letter… the post office tells you they have removed the information from their online system and you’ll have to request that it be emailed to you.

Hmmm… I feel an AT&T commercial coming on. “It’s not complicated. Simple is better.“

Schedule Your Mailings And Enjoy The Holidays

I Love LetterStream!!!!

One of the many little-known features of the LetterStream website is the ability to schedule a mailing to go out on a specific date. It’s a handy feature to be familiar with when you have a mailing that needs to be sent on a date that coincides with a vacation you’re planning, or an upcoming holiday.

Imagine creating a mailing, scheduling it for a future date and taking off for vacation. While you are sitting on the beach one evening an email arrives from LetterStream letting you know that your mailing went out according to plan. Ah, now that’s what I call a vacation!

Scheduling is fairly simple; after your job is created, click the “Edit” button under the options column on the job listing page. Then choose the option called “Change Scheduled Date” and enter the date you want your mailing to be delivered to the Post Office. We’ll take care of it from there.

Keep in mind, the schedule tool is for delaying a mailing for a specific date. If you need your mailing to go out the door faster, choose the expedite or rush option for faster processing.

LetterStream Uses Same Help Page Software As Pandora

Our IT crew is always working on things to make creating and managing mailings as simple and as easy as possible. However, due to the complex nature of mailings, there’s occasionally the need for a little assistance.

If you ever find yourself in a position of needing some help, please don’t hesitate to contact us in whichever way you feel most comfortable. There’s nearly always someone around during business hours who can readily pick up the phone and give you some old-fashioned customer service, and sending us an email is never a bad option either.

Now you have yet another way to get assistance from us. We’ve packaged up the most common questions we get asked into a brand new help system.

Since one of our frequently asked questions is “What does FAQ stand for?”, we simply call our page… “Help“.

The link to the Help page appears in the lower right-hand corner of every page after you have logged in, and is always available in the footer of our website as well.

The new Help page is packed with handy tips and instructions (organized by category), and a powerful search tool is available to help steer you in the right direction. In addition, we’ve included some short, easy-to-follow instructional videos packed with how to’s and product overviews.

Our phone number and email are handy on the right side if you can’t find exactly what you need.

Bottom line is, we are here for you. Phone. Email. Videos. Help Page.