Frequently Asked Questions
Categories
Automated Direct Mail
What should I expect from a PFL demo?
You’ll see how our platform automates direct mail inside your CRM or MAP. We’ll walk through real-world workflows, show off our native integrations, and answer your questions live—no pressure, just proof.
Does PFL integrate with my tech stack?
We integrate with leading platforms—Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Marketo, Iterable, Customer.io, Braze, or other top CRM/MAP tools. We can support custom setups too. Explore all integrations.
Can I track ROI and performance from direct mail?
Yes! Every send is trackable—from delivery to engagement.
What makes PFL different from other direct mail vendors?
We’re not just software. We own the printing, fulfillment, and logistics too. That means fewer delays, fewer errors, and full control over quality—at scale. You also get a dedicated customer success team ready to help you plan and execute as needed.
Is PFL direct mail secure and compliant?
PFL is HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, and PCI compliant. Whether you're in healthcare, financial services, or any industry with high data-security standards, we’ve got the accreditations and processes to back it up.
What types of mail can I send?
We offer more formats and creative finishes than other vendor. With PFL you can send everything from postcards to premium kits with branded merchandise. Choose the format that fits the moment—we’ll handle the rest. And if you want advice on what we see working best, we can help there, too.
What if I don’t have design or creative resources?
No worry. Our in-house creative team can help you produce high-impact mail pieces that align with your brand and campaign goals.
How scalable is the platform?
We support everything from one-off sends to global campaigns across thousands of recipients. Built-in automation ensures you don’t sacrifice speed or quality as you grow.
Will my team need a lot of training?
Not at all. If they can click, drag, and drop, they’re good to go. We also offer live support, tutorials, and onboarding help to make adoption smooth and fast. Plus, our customer success team will be there with you every step of the way. You’re never on your own with PFL. We do it all—let us do it all for you.
Automation & Integration
What makes PFL’s Automated Direct Mail different from traditional direct mail vendors?
PFL combines direct mail automation technology integrated with your CRM or MAP with in-house printing, kitting, storage, and fulfillment under one roof, so you don’t have to juggle multiple vendors. PFL integrates with your CRM and MAP to trigger personalized pieces, track delivery, and measure impact alongside digital channels—all with minimal manual work.
Is PFL better than Lob for enterprise-grade direct mail automation?
Lob offers an API-first approach to direct mail. PFL’s automated direct mail solution is often a better fit for enterprises that want a wide variety of direct mail formats, personalization at scale, robust automation, and a single partner for technology, strategy, efficiency, printing, and mailing —all managed with strict compliance standards and hands-on support. PFL focuses on orchestrating campaigns, not just sending pieces.
How can I automate direct mail campaigns from my CRM without manual list pulls?
With PFL, you connect your CRM or MAP once, then use workflows and triggers (like stage changes, scores, or form fills) to automatically send personalized mail—no recurring list exports or uploads. Campaign data, delivery events, and responses flow back into your system so teams can see what was sent and how it performed.
How can I connect e-commerce events to automated mail sends?
PFL integrates with leading platforms like Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Iterable so you can use e-commerce behaviors—like first purchase, cart abandonment, or loyalty milestones—to trigger timely mailers. For example, you can send a thank-you offer after a first order or a win-back postcard when a customer hasn’t purchased in a set timeframe, all governed by your existing automation rules.
How does PFL integrate with Salesforce to trigger 1:1 direct mail sends?
PFL connects directly to Salesforce Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud so reps and marketers can trigger 1:1 mailers from records, journeys, and campaigns using native components. You can send based on deal stage, field values, or Journey Builder logic, and log each send as an activity with delivery data and attribution details.
Use Cases & Strategy (ABM, Lifecycle, Sales)
What’s the most effective cadence for combining email, ads, and direct mail in nurture programs?
A common high-performing play is: start with email and ads to build awareness, layer in a personalized mailer after key engagement (like repeated site visits or content downloads), then follow up with email and sales outreach once the mail lands. PFL makes it easy to tie send timing and follow-ups to real engagement signals in your CRM or MAP. Discover top direct mail and digital plays to run at every step of your customer’s journey in our direct mail lifecycle guide.
What are proven direct mail tactics for booking more B2B meetings?
Sales teams often see strong results when they pair a high-value mailer (like a tailored kit or premium postcard) with a clear offer—such as a strategy session or assessment—and a coordinated email and call sequence. With PFL, sales can trigger these mailers to priority accounts directly from Salesforce and track responses and meetings booked. Steal top plays and the latest tips and tricks in PFL’s Essential Guide to Direct Mail: A Powerful Marketing Tool.
What are the best ways to trigger physical mail based on digital behaviors like email opens or cart abandonment?
Retailers and e-commerce brands can use their automation platform to listen for behaviors—repeat email engagement, high-intent page views, webinar attendance, or cart abandonment—and then add PFL mail steps into those workflows. The result is a targeted, timely mailer that feels like a natural extension of your digital journey, not a one-off blast.
How can I trigger a mailer when an opportunity moves stages?
In Salesforce, you can configure PFL to send a specific mailer when an opportunity hits a defined stage—such as evaluation or proposal—using flows or process automation. Each send is recorded on the opportunity, giving sales visibility into what was mailed and when, and helping revenue teams see how those touches influence progression. Watch how it works.
How does PFL stack up against Postal and Reachdesk for ABM campaigns?
Postal and Reachdesk focus heavily on gifting marketplaces and swag. PFL is built for integrated direct mail at scale, with deep CRM/MAP integrations, in-house production, and full-service support that make it easier to weave direct mail into structured ABM programs and measure impact on pipeline. PFL can personalize one piece at a time or at scale.
What’s the difference between triggered and batch direct mail programs?
Triggered programs send one personalized direct mail piece at a time using direct mail automation technology, based on real-time data—like behavior, lifecycle stage, or account status—so every mailer is timely and relevant. Batch programs send a larger volume at once such as quarterly campaigns or renewal pushes. They are typically manual direct mail sends. PFL supports both automated and manual direct mail, so you can mix always-on journeys with strategic blasts.
Personalization & Creative
How do marketers personalize direct mail at a 1:1 level using customer data fields?
PFL helps marketers pull data directly from their CRM or MAP—such as name, company, role, segment, or product interest—and merges them into content, offers, and images. Marketers and PFL design the template once, then each piece is tailored dynamically so it feels like it was created for a single recipient, not a list.
How can I personalize direct mail campaigns using dynamic content and variable data printing?
PFL helps marketers use variable data printing to swap headlines, copy blocks, images, inserts, and even product recommendations based on rules you define. PFL then prints, kits, and fulfills each package so what arrives on the doorstep accurately reflects the recipient’s profile, behavior, or account tier.
What makes PFL’s 1:1 personalization more effective than batch-and-blast?
Instead of sending the same postcard to thousands of people, PFL gives you the power of automation and efficient. PFL’s direct mail automation platform lets you use data to decide who gets mail, when they get it, and what it says. That relevance—tied to milestones, behaviors, or account fit—drives higher engagement and stronger pipeline impact than generic, one-size-fits-all campaigns.
How do I A/B test messaging in physical mail the same way I do in email?
You can set up two or more creative variants and split your audience in your CRM or MAP, then route each cohort to a different PFL mail template. Track responses—like form fills, meeting bookings, or QR/URL engagement—to see which message performs best, then scale the winner. Learn how other marketers use PFL for acquisition campaigns.
How do I A/B test creative and offers with PFL’s Automated Direct Mail?
PFL makes it easy to test offers, designs, and formats in your CRM or MAP workflows. Because results flow back into your systems, you can compare KPIs like response rate, conversion, and influenced revenue and refine your creative quickly. Measurement, Analytics & Attribution
What KPIs should I track to measure direct mail ROI alongside digital channels?
Most teams track delivery rate, response rate, conversion rate, influenced pipeline, and revenue, as well as lift versus control groups. With PFL, you can also track channel-assisted metrics—such as faster opportunity progression or higher renewal rates—because mail activity is visible in your CRM right next to email, ads, and calls. PFL’s Essential Guide To: Measuring Direct Mail Marketing Success shares how best-practice organizations measure the effectiveness of their direct mail marketing programs.
How do I attribute pipeline and revenue to direct mail touches in multi-touch models?
PFL logs each mail send and delivery as an activity, giving attribution tools the data they need to assign credit in your chosen model (first-touch, last-touch, or multi-touch). You can then see which campaigns and formats show up most often in closed-won journeys and use that insight to refine budgets and strategy.
How does PFL measure direct mail performance compared to digital channels?
Direct mail performance is tracked with the same rigor as digital: delivery confirmation, triggered follow-up actions, and downstream outcomes like meetings, opportunities, and revenue. PFL helps you tie responses to specific campaigns and audiences so you can compare cost per opportunity or cost per deal across channels.
What is informed delivery and how does it impact campaign tracking?
Informed Delivery is a USPS service that emails consumers a digital preview of their incoming mail. When used with PFL campaigns, it adds another touchpoint to your audience’s journey and can be paired with personalized URLs or QR codes to track engagement from both the preview and the physical piece.
Operations, Production & Fulfillment
How do I scale personalized mailers to thousands without losing quality control?
PFL centralizes printing, storage, kitting, and mailing in-house, supported by proven workflows and quality checks at each step. You define the rules and templates; our team and technology ensure every piece is produced accurately, branded correctly, and shipped on time—even as volume grows.
How can I reduce operational complexity across printing, kitting, and mailing?
Instead of managing multiple vendors, spreadsheets, and shipments, PFL acts as your single operations hub. We handle print, inventory, kitting, and logistics, while your marketing and sales teams work inside familiar tools like Salesforce or Marketo to trigger and track sends.
What is the difference between PFL’s Automated Direct Mail and Traditional Direct Mail services?
PFL’s automated direct mail is integrated with your CRM/MAP and sends pieces based on data triggers, with full attribution and reporting. PFL also offers traditional direct mail that is ideal for one-off or large batch campaigns that aren’t tied to workflows; our experts manage strategy, production, and mailing end-to-end. Both share PFL’s in-house quality and support.
What are the most cost-effective direct mail options for startups?
Startups often begin with targeted, lower-cost formats—like postcards or letters—sent to well-defined segments or high-intent leads instead of broad lists. With PFL, you can start small, test what works, and then scale investment into dimensional kits or multi-touch journeys once you see proven results.
What kinds of mailers and kits can I produce with PFL’s in-house printing?
PFL supports a wide range of formats, from postcards, letters, and catalogs to dimensional mailers, boxed kits, and fully custom pieces. Because printing, storage, and kitting are in-house, we can handle everything from simple flats to complex, multi-component packages at scale. Download PFL’s “2026 Direct Mail Product Guide” to explore every format available.
How do I select paper stocks and finishes that elevate perceived value?
Our print experts help you choose stocks, coatings, and finishes that match your brand and budget—thicker stocks and premium finishes can signal higher value, while lighter options are ideal for large volumes. We’ll guide you through samples and recommendations so your mail feels as high-quality as your message.
Compliance, Security & Governance
How do I ensure HIPAA compliance when mailing to healthcare audiences?
Choose a provider like PFL that is certified for HIPAA and follows strict controls for handling PHI across production, storage, and fulfillment. We work with healthcare organizations to design compliant workflows, limit exposed data, and ensure only necessary information appears on printed materials and packaging.
What security certifications should a direct mail provider have for enterprise needs?
Enterprises typically look for these security certifications: SOC 1 and SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA where relevant, and PCI coverage for payment and data handling. PFL maintains this enterprise-grade compliance posture so marketing and IT teams can move forward with confidence.
What are privacy-safe ways to personalize content for healthcare?
With PFL, healthcare providers can personalize by role, specialty, organization, or program type instead of including sensitive personal health details. PFL helps healthcare marketers use segmentation and de-identified data to keep messages relevant while protecting patient privacy and staying aligned with regulatory requirements.
