Marketers know direct mail is a powerful channel to reach their customers and prospects. The DMA reports that direct mail response rates outperform all digital channels and continue to climb year over year. In their latest Response Rate Report, the DMA found the direct mail response rate was 4.9% for prospect lists and 9% for house lists in 2018. This is significantly higher than the previous year and the highest since the report started in 2003.

The USPS has approved six mailing promotions for 2019. You may remember that USPS did not have any promotions in 2018. This year they are bringing back five promotions from previous years and have added one new Informed Delivery promotion. The promotions for First Class Mail are Earned Value, Personalize and Preprinted Color Transpromo. The Emerging & Technology and the Informed Delivery promotions can use either First Class Mail or Marketing Mail, while the Tactile, Sensory & Interactive Engagement and Mobile Shopping promos are only for Marketing Mail.

The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) has approved the United States Postal Service (USPS) rate case. On January 27^th 2019, postage rates will increase an average of 2.479% for Marketing/Presort Standard Mail. 

It's scary to think that Halloween is already over and retailers are preparing for the busy holiday shopping season. Shoppers will soon be frantically looking for the perfect items to send out to family and friends.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has developed a new program called Academic Outreach. The purpose is to engage future marketers and showcase the power of direct mail. The USPS has recruited the nationwide network of Postal Customer Councils (PCCs) to assist with rolling out the program. The program was introduced in May at the National Postal Forum, but was brought to the forefront during the National PCC week in September. Madison Postmaster Paul Nistler and I presented the program to the Greater Madison Area Postal Customer Council on September 27^th.

A previous article discussed USPS Move Update standards and the ways to meet those requirements. I will be discussing Green and Secure Address Change Service (ACS) in this follow up blog. 

Businesses typically know what their existing customers “look like." By taking these demographics of their existing customer, which may include age, gender, children in the home with ages and/or gender, home value, income, length of residency or other data points, we can acquire a consumer mailing list with matching attributes.

Nearly 40 million people change their address every year, which means your mailing list can get inaccurate fast.

Marketing today is all about personalization. Immense amounts of data is collected every day about people and their lifestyles, habits and purchases. You can use this data to market to an individual so specifically it may be downright creepy.

As the United States Postal Service (USPS) continues to raise the price of postage, many marketers are looking for ways to save on their postage costs. Here are 4 ways you can cut the cost of your direct mail campaigns: