Direct mail that’s 96% delivered within a 5-day window, 87% delivered within a 3-day window. Even better results for geo-targeted campaigns. Can you say the same about your direct mail program? If not, we should talk.

Via our copal processing and dropship logistics program, customers like you pay very low postage and get extremely reliable in-home delivery on their Letter Mail Postcards, Folded Self-Mailers and Enveloped Packages. Here  are some actual results (2016 rates) for both national and geo-targeted mailings:

National Mailing	Quantity	Dropship Qualification	Per Piece Postage	3 Day In-Home	5 Day In-Home
Enveloped Mail	332,807	96.2%	22.3 cents	90.2%	99.9%
Invitational Mail	100,034	97.9%	23.7 cents	86.4%	94.7%
Folded Self-Mailer	60,020	86.0%	24.6 cents	73.4%	85.3%
Geo-Targeted  Mailing
Midwest (Madison, WI)	33,519	99.0%	21.3 cents	99.5%	99.9%
West Coast (Ontario, CA)	23,608	99.0%	21.4 cents	99.1%	99.9%
East Coast (NYC Metro, NY)	20,052	99.0%	21.9 cents	99.2%	99.8%

 

If you’re not experiencing delivery and cost results like these, Print Strategy will be happy to help you achieve them.

 

WHY PRINT?
The Print Council published a marketing brochure demonstrating the power of print. Listed below are the
top print that can help you prosper.
1. Print is for Keeps- Electronic content comes and goes. Print is in it for the long run.
2. Print is Portable- Print can be carried and consumed anywhere, at any time.
3. Print Drives a Higher ROI- People gravitate towards print. The USPS found that 85% of mail is read or visually scanned by households.
4. Print is Beautiful- Graphic artists consider every printed piece a personal masterpiece.
5. Print Plays Well With Others- Media is best when print and marketing are combined.
6. Buyers Seek Print- Consumers seek print when they are ready to buy.
7. Print is Credible- Having words and images on paper you can hold provides reassurance.
8. Print Puts Them in Control- Print provides a positive flow of information between the marketer and the consumer.
9. Print is Personal- Variable data allows every piece of your print campaign to be personalized.
10. Print is Everywhere- Marketing could not exist without print.

PRINT IS GREEN
As more of us consider environmental responsibility and sustainable business practices important, it is
essential to understand that print is Earth friendly.
• People require forms of communication. All media, whether print or electronic, has an environmental footprint. Electronic waste accounts for 70% of the toxic waste found in landfills.
• Paper making does not contribute to deforestation- When paper mills are practicing sustainable forestry, trees are either replanted or harvested in a way that supports natural regeneration. The largest cause of deforestation is agriculture.
• Our forest land is growing. More than 2.5 billion trees are planted each year and we now have more acres of forest than in 1940.

Time once again to lighten things up a bit by providing you with some little-known, fun facts about the United States Postal Service® (USPS®).

Post Office Facts
• The shortest rural mail delivery route is Route 007 in Moody AL, where the carrier travels 2.1 miles each day and delivers to 286 boxes.
• The longest rural mail delivery route is Route 081 in Mangum OK, where the carrier travels 187.6 miles each day and delivers to 240 boxes.
• The most common city names are Franklin, with 31 locations, Clinton and Washington with 29 locations each, Arlington with 28 locations and Chester, Georgetown, Madison and Salem with 27 locations each.
• The longest Main Street in America is located in Island Park ID and is 33 miles long!
• The most unusual mail delivery method involves mule train delivery in Arizona. Each mule carries 130 pounds of mail, food, supplies and furniture down the 8-mile trail to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The mule train averages 4,000 pounds of materials each day.
• The Postal Service moves mail using planes, trains and automobiles – as well as trucks, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, float planes, hovercaft, mules, bicycles and feet.
Facts and Figures

Here are some fascinating USPS figures, on a per day basis:
• $222.2 million — average revenue received
• 523 million — average number of mail pieces processed and delivered
• 217.3 million — pieces of First Class Mail processed and delivered
• 267 million — pieces of Advertising Mail processed and delivered
• 22 million — average number of mailpieces processed each hour
• 363,300 — average number of mailpieces processed each minute
• $180 million — amount paid to postal employees in salaries and benefits
• 4 million — number of miles driven by letter carriers and truck drivers
• 7,559 — number of letter carriers who deliver mail entirely on foot
• 128,000 — number of address changes processed
• 2,554 — number of addresses added to the delivery network
• 0 — tax dollars received for operating the Postal Service
Mail to the Military
• The Military Postal Service Agency (MSPA) is the managing authority over Military Postal Service (MPS) operations.
• MPS customers receive virtually the same level of service as if they were at home in the United States. Differences are based on the country in which they are stationed and the type of military operation in which they are involved.
• Until 1980 each military service and government agency managed its own mail program. In 1980 the MPSA was formed, and the Department of Defense designated the Secretary of the Army as the single military mail manager.
• Created to link all the partners together with a common goal, the MPS provides postal services to military personnel around the world.
• In 2013, 8.6 million pounds of mail were delivered from the U.S. to military installations around the world.
• Military mail moves within the United States via the Postal Service transportation network to a major postal mail processing facilities.
• If the mail is First-Class™, Priority Mail® or Priority Mail Express, it will move from the major airport gateway in the U.S. to an overseas airport gateway on commercially U.S.-owned aircraft to overseas locations. From the overseas airport gateways, mail is then moved by various methods to the designated Post Offices for delivery to the individual.
• There are 215 land-based Post Offices and 160 on ships.
• There are nearly 1,000 delivery ZIP Codes for military mail around the world.
For more postal trivia, check out Postal Facts 2014.

Effective Date: January 5, 2013

United States Postal Service® (USPS®) implemented new regulations for folded self-mailers (FSM’s) and other unenveloped pieces. These new rules do not apply to cards, envelopes, booklet style letters or mail pieces designed to carry discs.

The Changes to Folded Self Mailer Dimensions and Folding:

• Length: A minimum of 5 inches and a maximum of 10 1/2 inches.
• Height: A minimum of 3 1/2 inches and a maximum of 6 inches.
• Thickness: A minimum of 0.007 inch; (0.009 inch if the height exceeds 4 1/4 inches or if the length exceeds 6 inches); the maximum thickness is 1/4 inch.
•  Maximum Weight: 3 ounces.
•  Rectangular, with four square corners and parallel opposite sides.
•  Within an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of 1.3 to 2.5, inclusive.
•  Maximum number of panels, bi-fold, tri-fold and oblongs: 12 for FSM’s constructed of non-newsprint paper
•  Exception: Quarter folded self-mailers made of a minimum of 100 lb book grade paper may have 4 panels and those made of 55 lb newsprint must have at least 8 panels and may contain up to 24 panels.
•  The final fold must be at the bottom for all designs except oblong style pieces. For oblong-style FSMs the final fold is on the leading edge. Tabs cannot be placed on the bottom open edge of an oblong-style FSM.

Sealing Method Changes:

Folded self-mailers must be sealed using tabs or glue. The size and number of tabs required is determined by the weight of the mail piece and optional design elements. Please see attached file for details on folding, tabbing positions, and paper weight.

• When using tabs on basic folded self-mailers the following applies:
• Mailing pieces Up to 1 oz require 2 tabs at 1″ diameter
• Mailing pieces Over 1 oz require 2 tabs at 1.5″ diameter.
• Some die-cutout mailing pieces require 2-3 tabs at 2” diameter.
• Tabs cannot be placed on the bottom open edge of an oblong-style FSM.

The size and quantity of tabs will be determined by the weight of the mailing piece as well as the paper stock used. Glue may be used as an alternate sealing method when applied according to the standards for Folded Self-Mailers (FSM).

Tabs may be made of paper, translucent paper, vinyl or plastic. Perforated tabs are now prohibitied. The minimum number of tabs required is 2 and the minimum size is 1” depending upon weight of the weight of the mail.

After January 5, 2013, folded self-mailers that do not meet these requirements will be assessed postage as follows:

•  First-Class and Standard Mail mailers will pay non-machinable prices.
•  Periodicals mailers will pay non-barcoded prices.

 

Print Strategy strongly encourages mailers to review these new regulations and start making plans for any necessary design changes to future mail pieces.

Further information

For more detailed information on these new rules, please contact Print Strategy or check the Folded Self-Mailer landing page on the RIBBS web site.

 

 

In June 2012 the United States Postal Service® (USPS®) applied to the Postal Regulatory commission (PRC) requesting approval for a “Holiday Mobile Shopping Promotion” (Mobile Shopping Promotion), scheduled for November 7, 2012 through November 21, 2012 (the promotion period). On Tuesday August 7, 2012, the PRC approved this promotion making it official!

The incentive is a two percent (2%) up-front discount on mail containing mobile (2-dimensional) barcodes. Additionally, mailers may qualify for an extra one percent (1%) rebate if a portion of the orders stemming from the promotional mail pieces are fulfilled using Priority Mail® between November 9, 2012 and December 31, 2012.

What is eligible?

The promotion will be available for mailings of Pre-sorted and automation First-Class Mail cards, letters and flats, and Standard Mail letters and flats that contain a mobile barcode on the outside of each piece or on the contents within each piece. When scanned, the mobile barcode must lead the recipient to a mobile optimized web site which allows them to purchase an advertised product (sale of services is not eligible)

The Rules

As with the current Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion, which is scheduled to conclude August 31, 2012, to be eligible for the 2% mobile barcode discount, customers must register on the USPS Business Customer Gateway at gateway.usps.com, and specify which permits and CRIDs will participate in the promotion. Mailers also need to identify a Mailing Payment Account to which the USPS may credit the one percent rebate – should they be eligible for that. Registration will open on September 15, 2012 and must be completed at least 2 hours prior to the first mailing date.

• Eligible mailings must be accompanied by electronic documentation (eDoc). Mailings that are prepared by an entity other than the mail owner must indicate the identity of the owner in the eDoc. The eDoc must also identify the mail owner and mail preparer in the “By/For” fields for all mailings, either by Customer Registration ID (CRID), Mailer ID (MID) or other account type that is assigned by USPS.
• Mailings of automation letters or flats must have Intelligent Mail® barcodes. Mailpieces with POSTNET™ barcodes will not be eligible for the price reduction.
• The promotion discount does not apply to single-piece First-Class Mail pieces – including residual single-piece First-Class Mail pieces on a postage statement for Presorted and automation mailings.
• Mailers must provide the USPS acceptance unit with an unaddressed sample of the mailpiece that contains a mobile barcode. Mailers must retain a sample of each mailpiece claiming a discount until January 15, 2013.
• Participants must agree to participate in a survey conducted during or after the promotional period.
• Commingled, co-mailed and combined mailings are allowed, but a separate postage statement is required for mailpieces with Mobile Barcodes.

The rebate

A new wrinkle in this promotion is the ability to obtain an additional postage rebate on top of the up-front discount. Mailers participating in the promotion may receive an additional one percent (1%) rebate on the pre-discount postage for their qualifying mailings, if they send a certain number of Priority Mail packages with a unique trackable barcode (Delivery Confirmation barcode or Intelligent Mail Package barcode) between November 9, 2012 and December 31, 2012 (the fulfillment period). In order to claim the rebate, mailers need to demonstrate that during the fulfillment period, the number of Priority Mail packages delivered to customers exceeded .05 percent of the total number of qualifying mailpieces sent during the promotion period.

Resources

Additional details may be found by accessing the USPS RIBBS web site dedicated to promotions and incentive programs.

Source: Multichannel Merchant

 
The Postal Regulatory Commission has approved the United States Postal Service’s request to offer a discount to merchants who use a QR code in their catalog mailings and other direct pieces this summer.
 
The USPS will offer the 2% discount to mailers in July and August, and merchants who want to qualify for the discount can register beginning May 1.
 
This is the second straight summer that the USPS will offer a discount for mailers who use a 2-D barcode within their mailings, though last year’s discount was 3%.
 
The USPS has stated that the 2011 promotion was successful in generating awareness of how mobile technology could be integrated with direct mail. Now the USPS wants to continue to create awareness of more innovative uses of mobile barcodes and encourage mailers to adopt “best practices” associated with those technologies, according to a posting on its website.
 
The “2012 Mobile Commerce and Personalization Promotion” is similar to the 2011 version in that they both focus on the integration of mobile technologies with direct mail as a means of reinforcing mail’s continuing relevance as a marketing channel.
 
But the 2012 promotion will specify that the barcode or similar technology must lead the recipient to either a webpage that allows the recipient to purchase a product or service on a mobile device or a personalized URL which leads to a web page that is unique to an individual recipient. Best practices such as directional copy and mobile optimization are also required.
 
Read more: http://multichannelmerchant.com/catalog/prc-usps-qr-code-0328tpp1/#ixzz1wwV5ZGHz