This summer Prime Data’s designation as a Canada Post Expert Partner was renewed for the third straight year. We were pretty excited. But I don’t really expect you to be. If you are not in the direct mail business, it’s just another industry term that you don’t need to know.

But maybe it’s time you did know. Because being an Expert Partner means more to us than just slapping a logo on our website. And it means more to you, because it comes with real, tangible benefits for our clients. Remember, Postage is often 30-50% or more of the cost of doing direct mail so getting that part right is imperative.

So what exactly is an Expert Partner? And why does it matter if you’re working with one?

The Expert Partner program is fairly new. It started three years ago, and we were one of the first companies to join. Today there are still fewer than 50 mail service providers across the country that have been invited to the club. That’s less than 10% of our entire industry.

The Expert Partner designation is awarded each year to firms that show consistent performance in a number of areas and also participate in educational and professional development activities with Canada Post.

Canada Post Expert Partner designation means Prime Data clients benefit from:

• knowledge of all rates and special discounts that could save you money and time,
• faster, one-stop setup of mail accounts,
• a pool of resources including market studies and test cases in many industries, and
• experts who participate in ongoing Canada Post training, including monthly webinars and regular postal service updates.

As an example, each year we send two of our staff to the Expert Partner Conference to meet with Canada Post. This event gives us an insider’s view of the best practices within our industry. We exchange insights, learn about new programs, and discuss how future changes will affect our clients.

Expert Partners also have access to special discounts, providing better value and cost savings on direct mail campaigns.  We also understand, intimately, the oft confusing rules and regs associated with using direct mail.

Obviously, having a direct line to the folks at CPC is a huge benefit in itself. And having access to the CPC Help Desk and resources makes it easier to navigate the complicated rules around direct mail.

For similar reasons, we also actively participate in DMAC (Direct Marketing Association of Canada) and NAMMU (National Association of Major Mail Users).

This not only makes our jobs a lot easier, it ensures your campaigns run a lot smoother and your marketing dollar is stretched a lot further.