Postage Minute

The latest postal rate hike doesn’t mean much to the average person, but for marketers it poses a substantial cost increase. Here are some tips for maximizing your postage budget.

Bulk Mail 101

"Bulk" and "presorted" are interchangeable terms for mail that receives a discount because you do some of the preparation work yourself. "Presorting" means grouping your mail by ZIP Code. You can do this yourself, or you can use a letter shop. You’ll need a mailing permit, and you’ll need to do a little research into what size, shape, and weight will work within your postal budget. Your creative team and your local post office can help you with this as well.

You can use precanceled stamps to give a more personal feel to your bulk letters. These are available for both first class and standard mail. For small, highly targeted mailings, you may even want to forgo the discount and use a regular first-class stamp.

Minimum quantities for bulk mail rates:

First-Class Mail - 500 pieces

Ideal for: adding a more personal feel to your mailing

First class mail has a maximum weight of 13 ounces. Rate categories include cards, letters, flats (nonletters), and parcels. Handwritten/typewritten material, personalized business correspondence, and sealed items must be mailed first-class.

Standard Mail - 200 pieces or 50 pounds

Ideal for: mailing on a limited budget

All Standard Mail rates are bulk rates. Rate categories are for letters and flats. There is no separate rate for cards. Standard Mail must weigh less than 1 pound.

Use Standard Mail to send:

• Printed matter, flyers, circulars, advertising
• Newsletters, bulletins, and catalogs
• Small parcels

Saving Money with Automation

"Automated" mail has been prepared to work on the Postal Service’s high-speed processing equipment. Automation rates are available for barcoded letters, cards, flats (nonletters), and parcels. A barcode alone does not qualify your mail for automation rates.

Your post office can provide additional information and can help you decide if automation is right for you. Your agency or lettershop can help you design a mailpiece that will qualify for automation rates.

Shape Up!

"Nonstandard" or unusually shaped items tend to jam postal machinery, so the postal service requires a surcharge on these items. Some shapes are not mailable at all, (i.e. a round postcard.)

• Square pieces don't fit well into mail processing equipment, so they can be quite expensive to mail.
• Oversized rates are determined by SIZE of the parcel, not weight. Whether your oversized mailing weighs 1 lb. or 50 lbs., you’ll pay the same rate.

Parcels

A parcel isn’t necessarily a package. If your mailpiece doesn’t meet the specs of a card, a letter, or a flat, then it’s a parcel. Parcels are considered "machinable" or "nonmachinable" depending on size and weight. Machinable parcels are cheaper to mail because they fit through the Postal Service’s sorting machines. Nonmachinable parcels get a surcharge, except with Priority Mail. It’s usually faster and cheaper to mail your nonmachinable parcel at Priority Mail rates.

Postcards

Postcards can save you money- just remember that First-Class postcards must be:

• Rectangular and at least 3 1/2 " x 5" x .007" thick
• No more than 4 1/4" x 6" x .016" thick

If your mailpiece does not meet these standards, you will be charged letter rate postage.  With Standard Mail you don't have to worry about your postcard being too big because you're paying letter rates anyway.  If your card is larger than 6 1/8" x 11 1/2" x 1/4" thick, you'll have to pay flat (nonletter) postage rates.

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Developing a Corporate Identity

A company needs success in order to build a good image, but a good image is also a prerequisite for success. Where do you start? Whether you’re looking to build a corporate identity, or revamp your existing one, here are some things to keep in mind throughout the process.

Because perception and brand are intangible, developing a corporate identity can be challenging. Your corporate identity is the visual component of your brand. It includes anything your customers identify with your business…your logo, collateral materials, advertising, website, even your business cards. A strong corporate identity promotes customer recognition and loyalty and conveys the values you want people to associate with your brand.

When is the right time to invest in a corporate identity makeover?

• Your company has evolved, and your existing materials no longer convey the right image
• You’re expanding into a new market or changing your business strategy
• Your old materials look dated

If your company has an established brand and position, it’s important to hold on to some elements with which your customers identify. Fonts can be updated, and colors and logos can be given a fresh look, but the key is to evolve your image, not remake it. Customers can be wary of dramatic change — they may perceive your identity overhaul as a change in management, or an unjustified excuse to increase price.

Logo Development - Assembling the Team

A corporate identity often starts with logo development, and is then rolled out into a "look and feel" that will touch all of the company’s materials. It is helpful to request that your creative agency put a team of two to three different designers on your project, to gain the benefit of multiple perspectives.

Your corporate identity is an investment in your company’s future, so make sure all of your company’s key players are involved. For optimum efficiency and a smoother decision process, any person who will have say in the final product should be included from the beginning of the development process.

Defining Key Characteristics

Sit down with your creative agency and review the characteristics your logo needs to convey.

• What are the unique benefits of your products or services?
• What is your position in your market?
• What is the current perception of your products and services?
• How would you like to add to or change this perception?

It’s worth doing some market research among your customers and target audience to determine customer perception. Focus groups and surveys can help tremendously in this area.

Selection

For a smoother, more efficient process, only those involved from the start should be part of the selection process. Initially, you’ll want to see at least six different logo designs. For objective viewing, have your creative agency make sure all selections are the same size, mounted in the same format. If the logo will be used in both color and black and white, make sure you see both versions.

A representative from your agency’s creative team and an account person should be present to walk you through each layout and explain the process. Once your team has viewed all selections, narrow your choices down to three. Discuss what you like and dislike about each logo. Color selection? Fonts? Look and feel? Try to get your team to decide on one logo direction. Your creative agency will take this feedback and fine-tune the logo to your specifications before developing additional corporate identity materials.