To the Mailbox
“We're mailing to a list or running a sampling program.” Print, assemble, address and induct into the USPS from our own dock, with the samples packed in the same building.
Detail B of the cutaway drawing of the MGA plant: the dock and the exit to the mailbox. Each zone it shows links to its page.
- USPS status
- Premier USPS Customer
- Mail entry
- Approved for Optional Procedure
- Postage
- Approved for commingling; presort in house
- Plant
- 200,000 sq ft, Gurnee, Illinois
Direct mail
Reach new audiences. Earn more results.
Engaging the audiences on your mailing lists starts with access to a full suite of mailing services. MGA Innovation provides full-service mailing for targeted direct mail, including affixed items, kits and custom programs, along with the resources to manage shipment information. Our team can also reduce the cost and time spent in processing, so your products and pieces reach their destinations faster.
Is direct mail advertising still worth it? Can a piece of mail really be an effective promotional tool for your brand? Even in the digital age, direct mail advertising remains strong. With competition always fierce, and consumers deciding in the wink of an eye whether your message connects, direct mail is the right asset to boost your marketing strategy.
Discover what we have to offer, and improve your mail campaigns with help from the mail team at MGA.
Why mail
Why invest in a mail campaign?
Targeted
Direct mail is targeted marketing: you pinpoint the right customers at the right time.
Room for creativity
It gives you the opportunity to show the creativity of your business, with unique graphic design, printing, slogans and more.
Connected to digital
Use it to connect with your digital marketing and funnel an audience to your website or social media presence.
Physical
Direct mail advertising stays physical: it puts something memorable in your customer’s hands.
The process
What direct mail advertising means for your business
The simple explanation of direct mail marketing is the promotional literature and incentives you send to prospects. The reality is much more than that, especially with a professional direct mail partner.
Step 1: Start with the basics
We provide commercial-grade addressing and postage at a value, thanks to our Premier USPS Customer status. You can target specific audiences in areas of interest with our help and the USPS Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®) tool. Our direct mail specialists coordinate large- and small-volume campaigns on your budget and timeline.
Step 2: Make the pieces your own
MGA has complete lettershop capabilities. Imagery, fonts, scannable coupon codes, hashtags, contact information and much more can be designed and printed. Send product sampling custom mailers, or advertise your brand on postcards, flyers, catalogs, letters, die-cut mailers, gift card mailers and solo mailers.
Step 3: Let us put our expertise to work
MGA runs door direct mail production from start to finish. With efficient facilities, skilled technicians and attentive customer service, we meet your needs, so you can put a promotional piece in consumers’ hands that shows company pride and raises brand recognition.
Sampling
Put the product in their hands before the shelf does.
Providing samples to consumers or businesses has proven to be a highly effective way to familiarize them with your products, which naturally can lead to increased sales and brand loyalty.
Sample packs, custom mailers, die-cut and gift card mailers, coupon codes and educational inserts: packed and mailed from one plant, against one inventory record of the samples.
Sampling programs here have run from a single metro drop to a three-year cross-border program. The constraint is usually the in-home window, and the cost is usually postage, so we design the pack around the rate before we print it.
- Product sampling programs: aligning the product to the audience, sizing the inventory, choosing the pack and meeting USPS standards.
- Product sampling custom mailers: the box, carton or wrap, the assembly and kitting, and the mail.
- Affixing: cards, samples and promotional items attached to the mailer.
- Microsite hosting: the request page that feeds the mail file.
Proof
Three sampling programs, run end to end
A whole metro area mailed ahead of a retail launch, a three-year cross-border program, and a carton engineered around the postage rate.
Sampling a whole metro area ahead of a retail launch
Energy bag samples and educational material, mailed across the entire Atlanta, Georgia area to support a retail launch — inside the requested window.
- Client
- Reynolds
- Exit
- To the Mailbox
- Market
- Atlanta, Georgia metro
- Processes
- Mailer development, co-packing, targeting, distribution
Taking a diaper brand to number one on shelf in Canada
One of the best known diaper brands was not number one on shelf in Canada. Three program variations over three years later, it is.
- Client
- A leading diaper brand
- Exit
- To the Mailbox
- Market
- Canada, fulfilled from Gurnee
- Duration
- Three variations over three years
- Processes
- Printed cartons, kitting, fulfillment, cross-border distribution
An OTC sample program engineered around the postage rate
A carton designed for the best available USPS rate, mailed weekly to hold a two-week in-home window — then an order-capture page that ended duplicate requests.
- Client
- Sanofi
- Exit
- To the Mailbox
- Category
- OTC allergy
- Mail cadence
- Weekly
- In-home window
- Two weeks
Lettershop
Seven operations, one building.
Seven lettershop operations under one roof, run by machine or by hand. What a lettershop is, and each operation in full.
Data processing
Your list processed for insight, for the most affordable postal pricing, and for the fields that personalize each piece.
Personalization
Variable copy, personalized graphics and whatever else catches your customer’s attention.
Folding
Custom folds and formats, not only flat envelopes.
Assembly
Every package complete, and securely sealed for its journey.
Inserting
Reply cards and samples matched by machine to the envelope, the mailer and the personalized insert.
Packaging
What the machines can’t handle, our team assembles by hand.
Mailing
Mailed right out of our facility, through our relationship with the USPS.
Our mailing services suite
MGA provides what you need to present your mail pieces professionally and cut turnaround times, so you can reach audiences across the United States.
Lettershop
Complete direct mail lettershop capabilities: data processing, personalization, folding, assembly, inserting, packaging and mailing.
Product sampling programs
Sample boxes and cartons sent to targeted consumers, with MGA handling both the fulfillment and the direct mailing.
Product sampling custom mailers
Samples packed in a box, carton or shrink wrap and combined with other marketing materials to reach new customers.
Solo mailers
One brand, one offer, a targeted list.
Affixing
Small items such as magnets, cards and coins attached to die-cut mailers, gift card mailers and other pieces.
Personalization
Variable copy, personalized graphics, names and scannable coupon codes, printed in line.
Database management and processing
Mailing lists organized and sorted by geographic, demographic and customer-interest data, with postal verification.
Microsite hosting
Order-capture pages that collect sample requests and feed the mail file.
Bespoke packaging
Product presentation that goes beyond a simple brown box with bubble wrap. With custom creative designs, you start promoting your business the moment your merchandise is delivered.
Fulfillment
Assembly, inserting, packaging and the rest, done by machine or by hand in the same building that holds the inventory.
And more
Talk with us about your specific requirements and we will help you choose from the suite.
Print and mail services for every business
The best targeted direct mail is aligned to the customer and formatted to move quickly through the processes the Postal Service sets. MGA has print and mail services for both needs.
Professional printed items, like business cards
Imagery and important information on a presentation template that showcases a business or individual. We take care of every label and shipment identifier, so you can focus on other areas of your business.
Custom designs? No problem
We print and produce high-quality items to your exact specifications, including single- or double-sided printing, various finishes and more.
Mail class processes in place
We send direct mail in the classification you choose, including First-Class.
Targeting specific audiences
Connect your direct marketing lists with us and we will help find the best ways to sort, determine postage, find commingling opportunities and meet any specific USPS requirements.
The MGA difference
Sixty years in the industry have taught us one lesson: you have to be the best at what you do to raise the bar. Helping you succeed is our difference. Every client gets design expertise, strategic guidance, modern equipment, the capacity to take on programs of any size, postage and shipping incentives, and safe, secure information management.
Technical machinery and expertise
Unique finishing equipment that creates dynamic results, and gluing-manufacturing lines with mobile units, customized by our engineers.
Premier USPS Customer recognition
Approved for commingling and Optional Procedure, with mail tracking available. Our standing with the Postal Service makes the mailing process easier on your operations and your budget.
Advanced capabilities
Presort mail and list analysis experience, and database management services.
Your list is consumer data. It is handled like it.
Complete data protection
We are trusted with information management. Our Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Application Programming Interface (API) capabilities let you connect with our plant in real time, with the security and protection of your data at the forefront.
Information is monitored 24/7/365 and safeguarded by a strong, tested network infrastructure.
On the line
The processes behind a mail program
| Zone | Process | Equipment | Food-grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production area | Inserting and lettershopData processing, personalization, folding, assembly, inserting, packaging and mailing. Hand assembly for what the machines cannot run. | Automatic insertion machines | No |
| Production area | Inkjet printing and addressingVariable-data addressing, personalization and coupon codes printed in line. | Inkjet printing · Address systems | No |
| Production area | Affixing and gluingCards, samples and promotional items attached to mailers and inserts; tipping and gluing lines. | Hot-melt glue systems · Gluing lines with mobile units | No |
| Production area | KittingSeparate items combined into one unit under one SKU: subscription boxes, promotional kits, sample packs. | Portable custom-built assembly lines |
We have worked with MGA for over 3 years and they have offered incredible service from the outset. The team at MGA are so incredibly helpful and have been excellent partners.
Product sampling
Mail questions, answered
General notes
How much does it cost to send out mailers?
We answer that by first identifying what you need, then developing a plan that pinpoints savings. Keeping expenses as low as possible is as much a goal for us as it is for you. Send the list size, the format and the in-home date and we will price the postage both ways: solo or commingled.
What if our plans change at short notice?
With 60 years of industry experience, we know customer demands often require quick transitions. With a wide selection of mailing services and the flexibility to use them, MGA has the resources and capacity to meet your needs. You can create and complete direct mail orders on any business day.
Which mail classes do you send?
Direct mail goes in the classification you choose, including First-Class. We coordinate the commingling of specialized items, Standard and First-Class mailings.
Do you handle the samples as well as the mail?
Yes. Samples are received, held and packed in the same building the mail leaves from, against one inventory record. See product sampling programs and the plant.
Related
Go further
- USPS mail operations
Optional Procedure, commingling and presort: how the postage comes down.
- Mail formats
Solo or shared, presorted or commingled: the decision table.
- Lettershop services
The seven operations, in full.
- Mailing list and database management
Lists sorted by geography, demographics and customer interests.
- Systems
EDI, real-time inventory and the client portal.
- Certifications and approvals
Our SQF and USPS credentials, ready for your supplier screen.
Full-service mailing, at your fingertips
Talk with us about your specific requirements and we will help you choose from our suite of services. Send the list size, the format and the in-home date to get started.