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Going Postal
July 20, 2007

In the grand scheme of things, the postal rate increases we have been discussing this week are nothing really new; marketers and mailers have been fending off increases in postal rates since…well, since the advent of direct mail marketing. As for so-called “shape-based pricing,” odd-shaped post cards and other “non-standard” mail pieces always cost a premium to mail. The only difference is that the USPS has become stricter about what is considered “non-standard.” A common complaint is that this will stifle creativity; professionals who make a living thinking “outside the box” now have to start thinking about the specific size and shape of that box. However, we think that marketers (and their designers) can be just as creative, if not more so, by devising solutions that achieve both objectives of saving on postage and producing an effective mailing.

Here are some steps you as marketers and mailers can take to stave off the effects of the recent postal rate increases:

• Finalize the physical dimensions of the printed piece as early in the process as possible and run these dimensions by your mail house.
• Likewise, be sure to talk to your mail house as early as possible in the development of a mailing to weigh the postal rate consequences of different design specs.
• Pay attention to paper weight and physical dimensions, with an eye on what the USPS considers “standard” and capable of being automated.
• Investigate co-mailing options with your mail house. That is, mailers who can group their mailings with those of others can save money on postage. This is the case not only with catalogs but direct mail, as well. This strategy isn’t appropriate for everyone, but for those for whom it is, the cost savings can be considerable.
• Now would be a good time to purge and clean your mailing list to de-dupe names and cut down on undeliverable pieces. A great deal of postage can be saved by mailing to a clean list.
• Reducing print mailings in favor of electronic alternatives—like direct e-mail—is also one fairly obvious way to reduce mailing costs.
• However, the multichannel aspect cuts two ways. Sure electronic alternatives are cheaper, but they can be less effective than print, for a variety of reasons. Reducing print is the more effective strategy than abandoning it entirely.

Posted by Richard Romano on July 20, 2007 | Comments (1)