How to Use C/O in Mailing Address
What if we said you could send direct mail to someone without knowing their home address? It sounds like a sweet deal, right? Well, that’s what C/O in mailing addresses lets you do.
However, that doesn’t mean that C/O in mailing addresses is some magic trick that lets you reach out to anyone anywhere. The effectiveness of C/O in mailing addresses depends on how well you can execute it and the specific situations in which you use it. Hence, it is best to learn how C/O in mailing addresses work.
The details below will help you understand C/O better and streamline your business communications. Not only will we explain how to use C/O in mailing addresses, but we will also discuss the various instances where you can use them.
What is C/O in Mailing Address?
The C/O or “℅” you see in the mailing address is the abbreviated form for “care of.” It means that postal mail with a ℅ line is for sending mail to someone who is not the legal occupant of the address.
Hence, using C/O in the mailing address lets the recipient know it is not for them.
The recipient of a C/O letter is entrusted with the mailpiece, assuming they give it to the addressee. You can use C/O in an address in different contexts or situations. For example, you can use C/O to send an official letter to an employee or the company’s CEO.
The postal delivery person can then drop off the mailer at the company’s front office. Using C/O is common in business communication, especially when someone’s address is unknown. It is an effective way to ensure that your mailer reaches the recipient instead of getting returned.
Similarly, you can use the C/O in the mailing address to send a letter or package to children. Here, the C/O or “in care of” would be addressed to the parent.
How to Use C/O In Mailing Address Efficiently and Accurately
The best way to understand how a CO mailing address looks is to look at an example, which is why we have provided one for you below.
Jane Smith
c/o Blueberry Inc.
619 Albert St.
Sydney NSW 2055
The example above should give a broad idea of how a C/O address should look. However, the proper use of CO in the address does not confine to how or what you write on the envelope. You can take a few steps to ensure the deliverability of your mailers with a CO mailing address, including the following.
Step 1: Ensure You Have the Right Information
Speaking of business correspondence, we often use the CO mailing address when the recipient’s primary address is unavailable. Hence, you must ensure the secondary address is accurate unless you want Australia Post to return your mail.
Everything from the business’s name to its postcode must be accurate to deliver your mail without delays. To make it easier, you can use an address verification tool like PostGrid to verify the address.
Step 2: Ensure You Are Using the Correct Format
After you get the address for the mailer, you need to ensure that it is in the standardised Australia Post-prescribed format. You must write C/O or “care of” before the name of whoever is responsible for delivering the mail to the addressee.
For example, you want to ship direct mail to someone at their workplace using a CO mailing address. Here, the company is responsible for delivering the mailer to its recipient. Therefore, you should follow the C/O with the company’s name.
Similarly, when sending the mailer to a home address, the C/O should follow the resident’s name. The person that receives your mailer with the C/O address can then pass it on to the actual recipient of the mail.
Step 3: Ensure You Provide The Return Address
The chance of your mail getting returned is relatively low when using a CO mailing address. However, you still need to provide a return address on the envelope. Use the left-hand corner of the envelope to write your return address.
Australia Post will return your mailer if they cannot deliver to the address you provide. You can use the return mail to identify postal addresses you can’t mail to and avoid unnecessary expenses.
Step 4: Attach the Necessary Postage
Everyone knows you must attach the necessary postage to send any postal mail. However, most people have no idea what postage they need to stick to their mailpiece. Australia Post will return the mail if the postage is not enough, and if it is more, you will waste money.
It is hard to keep track of your postage attachments, especially regarding business communication. However, you can save yourself the trouble by employing a direct mail automation tool like PostGrid. Advanced tools like PostGrid automate your entire direct mail management process, including postage.
We combine geocoding, bulk validation, and international address verification to let you access updated databases at your fingertips.
Step 5: Review and Send Your Mail
The final step in the proper use of CO in the address is taking one last look at the mailer. Review all the information on the mail envelope and ensure everything is in order. Check if you have the right name for the recipient and their address.
In addition to this, you should also check the return address you have provided on the mailer. Once you ensure everything is alright, you can send the mailer. However, an easier way to send the mailer is to use an automated direct mail system like PostGrid.
When to Use C/O in Your Postal Mail?
Generally, C/O or “care of” is used in postal mail when the sender does not know the recipient’s primary address. It also means you can use such mail for addresses that don’t usually receive correspondence.
In other words, you can use C/O to send postal mail to someone’s business address if you don’t know their home address. Also, using C/O in a mailing address often grabs the recipient’s attention.
There are certain instances or situations where using C/O in the mailing address is ideal, including the following.
Send Mailer to Workplace
As mentioned, C/O is ideal for sending mail to business addresses. If you don’t know someone’s personal or home address, this strategy can come in handy for you. However, you need to know where the recipient works to send the mailer using a C/O address.
Send Mailer to The Hotel
Suppose you know your intended recipient stays at a specific hotel in town but don’t know their room number. In that case, you can use C/O before the hotel’s name when addressing your mail. The hotel will receive your letter or package on behalf of the recipient and pass it on to them in good time. However, this strategy has a lot of variables. For example, the recipient may extend or cut short their stay in the hotel.
Send Mailer to A Friend
You can send a mailer to someone even if you don’t know their home or business address. However, you would need to know the address of someone they are friends with or even an acquaintance. Such mailers are better suited for personal communication, especially to invite someone to an event. However, using the same strategy for business communication is not entirely out of scope.
Send Mailer to Areas With Security Risks
Postal mail can be subject to unwanted eyes or attention. It is not rare to hear about cases where people did not receive crucial letters and packages. The risk of someone stealing your mailer in some neighbourhoods may be higher than in others.
In that case, you can use “care of” in your direct mail to send it to another person. It enables you to ensure that no one steals or destroys the letter or package you send. However, you would first need to get the alternate address from the recipient before sending the mailer using C/O.
Send Crucial Documents
Sending crucial documents, especially time-sensitive ones using postal mail is often considered risky. There are chances that postal delivery can get delayed unless you use Australia Post’s services like Priority Mail.
Also, the mailer could get lost if you don’t have the correct address or use the wrong postcode. C/O is the best way to avoid such mistakes and ensure the postal mail reaches the addressee on time. It is unlikely to get a business address wrong, as you can easily verify it online.
Conclusion
Using C/O in mailing addresses is not complicated as long as you know the basics. The tricky part of implementing the proper use of CO is that you need to ensure its deliverability. If you don’t have the correct address, adding C/O in your mail is useless.
In addition to this, it can become confusing to manage your direct mail process manually. There are a lot of variables in direct mail you need to consider, such as the fluctuating postage charges. Effectively managing your postal direct mail process, including the proper use of CO in address, requires a tool like PostGrid.
PostGrid lets you personalise your mail through direct mail API and print CO mailing addresses according to Australia Post’s standards with advanced automation abilities. It even offers an address verification API that enables you to verify addresses and ensure their deliverability. Sign up now!
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The post How To Use C/O In Mailing Address appeared first on PostGrid.
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