From Code to Campaigns: How Wilson Zehr Revived Direct Mail with Speedy Automation
- Gabriel Flores
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
What do you get when you mix an engineer, a marketer, and a startup veteran?
Meet Wilson Zehr, founder of SendX, the tech company behind Zairmail—a platform that has revived direct mail with speedy automation.
With a background in finance and computer science, Wilson started his career as a software engineer before transitioning into product marketing.
Over time, he realized he wanted more control over business outcomes and leaned into entrepreneurship, launching and leading multiple startups, including a successful voice-over-IP venture called eFusion.
Now, his focus is on helping companies rediscover the power of mail—yes, good old-fashioned, physical letters—transformed with modern software.
Zairmail: Revived Direct Mail with Speedy Automation
Zairmail (like “airmail” with a Z) is a hybrid mail platform designed to make sending physical letters as easy as sending an email. Originally created to bridge the internet with postal systems, Zairmail has grown into a robust service that automates bulk mailings for large organizations and simplifies letter-sending for small businesses.
The company has weathered major storms: the dot-com bust, 9/11, and even the anthrax scare that shook public trust in the mail system. Through it all, Wilson and his team kept innovating.
“We’ve always been pretty conservative with our spend,” he says. “That’s how we were able to ride through the downturns.”
Zairmail acquired major competitors like Eletter and evolved from a postal tech pioneer into a full-fledged direct mail automation platform used by businesses nationwide.
Introducing Speedy: One-Click Letters, Zero Hassle
While Zairmail handles mass mailings for clients like hospitals, insurance agents, and call centers, Wilson saw an opportunity to help businesses send individual letters—without stamps, printers, or envelopes.
That’s where Speedy comes in.
Speedy is a lightweight desktop tool that lets you drag-and-drop a document, type in an address, and send it as a printed letter—automatically. No trips to the post office. No inserting paper.
It’s especially ideal for personal touches like:
Thank-you letters to clients
Legal or healthcare correspondence
One-off reminders and follow-ups
“Speedy turns your desktop into a mailroom,” Wilson explains. “It handles formatting, printing, postage, delivery—and even tracks the letter until it arrives.”
The Secret Sauce of Effective Mail: Segmentation + Timing
One of the biggest lessons Wilson has learned? The success of a mail campaign depends less on flashy design—and more on your audience and your offer.
“It’s 70% the list, 20% the offer, and only 10% the creative,” he says.
He puts this strategy to work in campaigns like a school bond measure in La Grande, Oregon. By segmenting voters into homeowners, renters, parents, and non-parents, his team tailored messages that resonated deeply. The result? A previously failed bond measure passed with overwhelming support.
Whether it’s politics, pest control, or real estate, Wilson says the principles remain the same:
Define the audience
Build a journey
Use mail to move people through awareness, evaluation, and action
Direct Mail vs. Speedy: One-to-Many vs. One-to-One
Zairmail handles campaigns with 50,000–100,000 pieces. Think: postcards for realtors, notices for mortgage brokers, or reminders for healthcare networks.
Speedy is for personalized communication: individual letters, thank-yous, or follow-ups that still need to feel professional—but without the overhead of a mailing operation.
Both tools support:
USPS address validation
ZIP+4 barcode automation
Delivery tracking
API integration with CRMs or call centers
And both are designed to maximize speed and minimize manual work.
First-Class vs. Standard A: Why It Matters
Many businesses default to the cheapest option when mailing—but Wilson urges people to look deeper.
First-Class Mail: ✅ 2–3 day delivery ✅ Return-to-sender if undeliverable (great for cleaning CRM data) ✅ Perceived as “important” by the recipient
Standard A (Marketing Mail): 💲 Cheaper (can save up to 20 cents per piece) ⏱️ 7–10 day delivery ❌ No returns or delivery guarantees
“You only get one chance to grab their attention,” Wilson says. “If it looks like junk, it gets trashed. If it looks like a real letter, it gets opened.”
Who Uses Zairmail? From Call Centers to Community Campaigns
Zairmail serves a wide variety of industries:
Realtors: Just listed/just sold cards
Mortgage Brokers: Cash-out refi campaigns
Tax Services: Lien outreach
Call Centers: Triggered mailings to warm up leads
Healthcare: Regulatory notices and patient engagement
The common thread? Businesses that need cost-effective, trackable outreach—especially when digital ads and cold calls fall flat.
Mail offers: 📬 Guaranteed delivery 🔍 Hyper-targeted demographics 🧠 Brand memorability 🚀 Immediate response triggers (QR codes, phone numbers, etc.)
Why Mail Still Matters in a Digital World
In an era dominated by online ads and AI-generated messages, direct mail stands out. It's tangible, personal, and unavoidable.
“You’re not competing in a noisy feed,” Wilson says. “You’re showing up in someone’s hands.”
And with tools like Speedy and Zairmail, small businesses can now do what only enterprise brands used to: scale professional mail campaigns without sacrificing personalization or budget.
Get Started with Zairmail & Speedy
Whether you’re sending one letter or 100,000, Zairmail makes it fast, easy, and affordable.
💻 Visit: www.zairmail.com
🧭 Try Speedy: www.zairmail.com/speedy
📞 Call: 888-898-0066
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode
Wilson shares more insights on:
Startups, acquisitions, and surviving the dot-com crash
Teaching entrepreneurship at the university level
Segmenting audiences like a pro
Making old-school tools work in the digital age
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