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Registration
Online
Design
Follow-up
Reports
Lists
Mailing
and Shipping
Online
Ordering
Other
Payment
Printing
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Registration
Do I have to register?
Not to look through the site or place an order,
but in order to check out you will be required to
register. There are some substantial benefits of
registration.
Why should I register with
The Personal Marketing Company?
Registered users enjoy many benefits.
Registered users can:
- Save photos and lists under the My Account
section of the site.
- Save un-purchased and unfinished orders to
their accounts.
- Set up an online address book to be used for
their mailings.
- Receive special promotions (the user always
has the option to opt out of such email
correspondence).
- View order history for faster reordering.
Registration is quick and
easy! Simply click on Sign
Up.
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How do I keep track of my
orders, lists, images, etc?
When you create an account with The Personal
Marketing Company your user profile is stored in
the My Account section of the site. All orders,
lists and images are available to view or edit
under My Account.
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What do I do if I forget my
password?
Simply go to My Account and click on Password
help under My Account, type in your user
login-name, then click on Continue. Your password
for that login-name will be e-mailed to the
address entered during the account creation
process. The Personal Marketing Company will
e-mail your password to you and you'll quickly be
on your way to ordering again.
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Online Design
Can I include my company’s
logo as part of my custom marketing piece?
During the ordering process, you will have the
opportunity to upload your company logo for use in
creating your custom piece. The logo is then saved
to your account if you are a registered user with
The Personal Marketing Company. As a registered
user you will also have company specific logos
available to you during the order process.
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Can I include my personal
signature as a part of my custom marketing
piece?
Yes. You can upload your signature as a logo or
image and place it on your marketing piece.
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Can I upload my own
postcard?
Can I upload my own postcard? Yes! If you have
created your postcard offline, you can upload it
as your own design. Select the "Upload Your Own
Design Category" in the lower portion of the
Category selection page. Please be sure to follow
the Design Specs provided to keep the mailing
panel clear.
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Can I use images and design
photos I find online?
Most of the images you find online are
low-quality (low-resolution) images. Although
these images look fine when viewed on a monitor,
they are not suitable for print. Images submitted
for print should have a resolution of at least 300
dpi. For an optimal finished product, images
should be created and uploaded at 600 dpi. You can
not use copyrighted photos or text without
permission from the owners of the photos or
text.
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What is a bleed?
Bleed is the term for printing that goes right
to the edge of the paper. To create a bleed, make
your document one-eighth of an inch too large in
all four directions. For example, the layout
dimensions for a 4 x 6 inch postcard would be 4.25
x 6.25 inches. Then, when the design is
created, images are stretched all the way to the
edge. After printing, the additional .125 inch on
each side is trimmed off. This gives the
appearance that the image "runs" right off the
edge.
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What type of file formats do
you accept?
For images:
Images should be at least 300 dpi for the
minimum resolution, but 600 dpi is recommended for
optimal print quality.
For uploaded lists:
- Comma-delimited (CSV)
- Excel (xls)
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Follow-Up Reports
What is a follow-up
report?
A follow-up report provides you with the names
and addresses of the persons you have chosen to
mail to. The report will be e-mailed to you at the
completion of your order in Excel format.
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Lists
Can The Personal Marketing
Company provide a mailing list for me?
Yes, The Personal Marketing Company offers
lists from our nationwide consumer database. The
database consists of more than 110,000,000
households nationwide. When placing a print order,
you can select names for free. Our list is
compiled by one of the nation's premier data
providers. You can select your mailing audience by
ZIP code, specific streets within a ZIP code or
proximity to a specific location. In addition to
those search options, you can select a list based
on homeownership, occupant status, occupant
income, home value and more. To access these
demographics, click on Advanced Search Options
when searching for your list.
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Can I purchase a consumer
list without placing an order?
Yes, you may order a list from The Personal
Marketing Company without ordering a mailing
piece. You must register in order to purchase a
list without placing a mail piece order. The list
will be sent to you via e-mail. If you select a
mailing list for use with a The Personal Marketing
Company order, the list is free!
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How do I update a list that
I previously uploaded?
As a registered user of The Personal Marketing
Company, you can access your uploaded lists by
clicking on My Account. Select the list you would
like to edit and click the Edit button. You can
select the record you wish to edit and make your
changes.
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Why can't I see names for
the list that I selected?
If you request a follow-up report when
completing your order, we will e-mail you an Excel
file listing the names and addresses of each of
the records in your mailing lists. Names are not
available until purchased.
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Why aren't there more homes
listed in my search result?
The Personal Marketing Company wants to offer
you as many records as we can. We want to make
sure, however, that the records you receive are as
deliverable as possible. Therefore, records
that are coded with poor deliverability are
automatically excluded from your list
results.
In addition, persons who have
registered with the Direct Marketing Association
and requested not to receive mail solicitations
have also been removed from your list
results.
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How do you handle my
prospect list updates?
With newsletters, you provide changes and
updates and we can import them into your database.
Contact your Personal Marketing Representative for
specific newsletter cutoff schedules.
For the RapidCard program, we provide
geographically coded lists for the area
surrounding a property you identify as just listed
or just sold. We obtain these "geo-coded" lists
from a national list service. Monthly updates come
from a variety of sources including the Yellow
Pages, driver's license bureaus, magazine
subscriptions and Change of Address service from
the U.S. Post Office.
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Are the geocoded lists 100%
accurate?
As with all list acquisitions, this is simply
impossible due to new development and regional
changes. Our list information is updated
continuously and we work very hard to ensure the
most deliverable property addresses are used. You
can target around a property as well as target
selected streets. It's the best information
available anywhere, but it is not perfect. You
will still find a small percentage of returns on
your first-class mail.
In order to learn specifics about your list
request, please call Customer Support at (800)
458-8245.
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Mailing and Shipping
How long will it take for my
postcards to be delivered?
If you select First Class, your postcards will
typically be delivered in three to five business
days. If you select Standard Rate, your postcards
will typically be delivered in seven to 10
business days.
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How quickly can I receive
my...
Newsletters-
Each of the newsletters we produce is shipped
according to a master schedule on the same day
each month. Personalization and customer address
information procedures are built into the monthly
schedule. We will ship your newsletters in bulk
directly to you, or provide us with your prospect
list and we'll mail them on your behalf.
Magazines-
Client follow-up publications, such as Today's
Living, are published twice each year, according
to a production schedule similar to that used for
our newsletters.
Business Cards-
Your business cards ship within 5 working
days.
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Do you use labels to address
the postcards?
No, we print the addresses on the postcards as
we believe it results in a more professional mail
piece.
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How do I include myself in
the mailing?
At the order summary page, you will have the
opportunity to check the box for the option of “I
would like to include myself in this mailing”. By
checking the box, you will automatically be
included and a mail piece will be addressed to the
address you provided in your account registration
or you may chose to enter a different address at
this time.
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Can The Personal Marketing
Company provide a mailing list for me?
Yes, The Personal Marketing Company offers
lists from our nationwide consumer database. The
database consists of more than 110,000,000
households nationwide. When placing a print order,
you can select names for free. Our list is
compiled by one of the nation's premier data
providers. You can select your mailing audience by
ZIP code, specific streets within a ZIP code or
proximity to a specific location. In addition to
those search options, you can select a list based
on homeownership, occupant status, occupant
income, home value and more. To access these
demographics, click on Advanced Search Options
when searching for your list.
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Online Ordering
What is the minimum order
quantity?
The minimum order quantity for business cards
is 500. The minimum order for postcards is
50.
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Can I order more than one
marketing piece at a time or do I have to check
out after customizing each piece?
The Personal Marketing Company site was created
using the shopping cart method of ordering. Once
your custom piece has been finalized, it will be
placed in your shopping cart. You can then place
another order if you wish or you can check
out.
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Can I access my order if I
created it earlier?
If you are a registered user with The Personal
Marketing Company, all of your previous orders are
saved in your account. To find those orders,
simply click on My Account and go to Order
History. From this section, you can complete or
purchase a previous order. You also have the
ability to reorder a previously printed
order.
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How do I cancel an order in
progress?
Because we want to get your marketing piece in
the mail in a timely manner, your order goes into
our production process immediately after you
approve payment. For that reason, an order cannot
be cancelled once you complete the check out
process.
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Other
Can I get a sample of your
products?
To request product samples, please e-mail info@personalmarketingco.com
or contact
Customer Service at (800) 458-8245.
If requesting by e-mail, please specify the product formats
that most interest you.
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How do I learn about new
tools offered through The Personal Marketing
Company?
Registered users have the opportunity to
receive e-mails from The Personal Marketing
Company notifying them of special offers, new
products and more. You also have the option to
stop receiving e-mails at any time.
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How can I ensure maximum
response for my money?
There are a number of factors that can
influence the level of your success, from moving
patterns in a specific neighborhood and economic
conditions of your community to the time of year,
holidays and even the weather.
A survey by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
REALTORS® shows that it takes 8-12
contacts a year before your direct mail program
begins to show stability and generate awareness.
It's important not only to have consistent
mailings with valuable information, but also a
personalized, consistent look. That way,
homeowners will realize that these mailers are
coming from you.
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How often does newsletter
content change?
While many of our newsletters have standard
features in every issue, such as a recipe, our
staff of researchers and writers develops fresh
articles for each issue. We strive to provide
valuable information on a variety of topics.
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Why not a "do-it-yourself"
direct mail program?
As a real estate professional, you understand
the value of your time. Your most important
activity is meeting with your customers.
Successful direct mail programs take time to
develop, manage, evaluate and improve. We dedicate
100 percent of our time to delivering consistent,
valuable information to your customers on your
behalf month-after-month. We help you to develop
and maintain long-term personal relationships with
your clients and prospects through automatic
mailings of newsletters and postcards each month,
so you can focus on face-to-face meetings.
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Can I write my own
articles?
Two of our newsletters, Money Talk and
Living Well, offer not only the
personalization option, but also the back cover
for your own customized article or coupon. You can
offer specific insights into your own market to
increase the value of this publication to your
prospects and clients.
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Payment
When will my credit card be
charged?
Your credit card will be charged at the time
your order is submitted.
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How will the charge be
listed on my credit card statement?
Charges for your orders will be listed on your
credit card statement as from The Personal
Marketing Company.
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What are my options if I
don't want to use my credit card to pay
online?
The Personal Marketing Company also accepts
payment by debit card. Information will be
collected at the time of order.
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Printing
Who prints the postcards,
you or me?
The Personal Marketing Company is a full
service solution for your direct marketing needs!
Once you submit your order, we will print your
custom marketing piece using a high-quality (600
dpi resolution), high-speed color laser printer.
We'll ship your pieces to you, mail them for you –
or both – you choose!
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What kind of paper do you
use?
Your custom marketing piece is printed on
high-quality cover weight white stock. Due to the
increasing damage done to mail pieces when
traveling through USPS automated processing
equipment, we help protect your mail piece by
applying a thin layer of UV coating to the piece.
The coating also increases the visual appeal of
your message by giving it a high-gloss
finish.
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Will my marketing piece
print in color or black and white?
Your custom order will be printed using a
high-quality, high-speed color laser printer
allowing you to use as much color as you'd
like.You certainly have the ability, however, to
design your marketing piece to print black and
white for visual impact.
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Do you supply a color proof
before the job goes to press?
A color proof is not a part of our normal
production process. An online proof is available
for all orders. If you require a physical proof,
however, prior to The Personal Marketing
Company printing your order; please contact
Customer Service at (800) 458-8245 prior to
finalizing your order. A proof can be provided at
an additional charge and will delay delivery of
your order.
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Will the print match what I
see on my screen?
The Personal Marketing Company provides you
with an online proof of the custom marketing piece
that you create. Depending on the resolution and
settings of your monitor, the colors on your
printed piece may vary from your screen view to
print. If we note any extreme discrepancies, we
will contact you by phone prior to printing your
order.
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