Mission First Marketing Policies & Guidelines

Welcome to the official policy and terms page for Mission First Marketing (MFM). The following guidelines ensure fairness, clarity, and transparency for all advertisers participating in our monthly direct mail campaigns

1. Category Exclusivity

Policy: Each business category (e.g., HVAC, Pest Control, Real Estate) is exclusive per issue. Only one advertiser per industry will appear per monthly mailer.

MFM reserves the right to assign final industry categorization. This ensures clarity, fairness, and consistency across all issues. If a business offers multiple services that span different categories (e.g., pool cleaning and landscaping), they will be assigned one primary category unless additional exclusivity is purchased.

To lock out additional categories, you may select an enhanced exclusivity package.

Reservation Guidelines:

  • Prepay Clients: Secure exclusivity only for the prepaid months.

  • Autopay Clients: Maintain rolling exclusivity until cancellation.

  • Month-to-Month Clients (No Autopay): No future-month exclusivity held beyond the paid issue.

Example: If you pay for August, September, and October on a 3-month prepay plan, your category will be protected from competitors only in those three issues.
Starting October 1st, we will begin accepting new inquiries for your category in the November issue unless you extend your contract by that date.

2. Booking & Production Deadlines

Policy:

  • Bookings for each issue close on the 1st of the month.

  • Final artwork is sent to production on the 3rd.

  • Mailers are delivered to homes by the 15th of each month.

If you fail to submit artwork by the 3rd, your ad will not run in the current issue. Refunds or credits are not guaranteed unless cancellation policy conditions are met.

Proofing Clause:

  • Clients will receive a design proof before printing.

  • If no approval or change request is received by the 3rd, the latest version on file will be printed.

Artwork Changes:

  • One artwork alteration per month is included in the price.

  • Additional changes beyond the first incur a $25 per alteration fee.

Example: If your ad is sent for review on August 1st, and no response is received by August 3rd, the current version will be printed. If you request a second change after already making one, a $25 fee will be billed.

3. Cancellation Policies

Autopay Subscriptions

  • Must be cancelled with 30 days' notice.

  • If cancelled after the 1st of the current month, one final issue will be billed and printed.

Example: If you cancel on July 10th, your final ad will appear in the August 15th issue.

Prepay Agreements

  • Cancellations require 30 days' notice.

  • Any issues already printed or within 30 days are charged at the full monthly rate.

  • Remaining unused balance is refunded.

Example: You prepaid for August–November and cancel on September 20th. You are billed full rate for August, September, and October. November is refunded.

Month-to-Month (No Autopay)

  • No future issues are held. Clients must pay again to reserve each new month.

4. Minimum Advertiser Guarantee

Policy: If MFM does not meet a minimum number of paid advertisers for a given month, we reserve the right to cancel that issue.

Refund Clause: All payments for that issue will be refunded in full. Clients will be notified no later than the 5th of the month if cancellation occurs.

Rationale: This protects MFM from running a mailer at financial loss and ensures ad effectiveness for participating clients.

5. Ad Content and Format Policy

Content Approval:

  • MFM reserves the right to reject ads with:

    • Misleading claims

    • Poor design quality

    • Unprofessional content

    • Non-compliant artwork (per USPS or layout requirements)

Design & Layout Rights:

  • MFM may modify submitted artwork to ensure proper sizing, spacing, and layout consistency.

Client Responsibility:

  • All text, pricing, URLs, and contact information are the responsibility of the client.

Example: If a client submits an ad with the wrong phone number and approves the proof, MFM is not liable for any resulting issues.

6. Artwork Ownership & Usage

Clients retain ownership of their submitted artwork.

  • MFM may retain copies for internal use or portfolio promotion unless otherwise requested.

7. Performance Disclaimer

While direct mail offers excellent visibility and engagement, MFM makes no guarantees regarding specific sales results, ROI, or lead volume from any issue.

Industry Benchmark:

  • Direct mail open rates average 90%, with 62% of recipients reporting purchase influence from print ads.

8. Privacy Policy

MFM only collects the minimal amount of data necessary to:

  • Respond to inquiries

  • Deliver visibility reports

  • Fulfill ad services

We do not sell or share user data with third parties. MFM complies with all platform privacy and tracking policies.

9. Dispute Resolution & Force Majeure

All disputes will be addressed professionally and fairly through direct communication.

  • In cases of production or delivery delays due to events beyond our control (e.g., natural disaster, USPS strike), MFM is not liable for missed deadlines but will provide alternative solutions when possible.