Postal Changes Are Coming – What's In It For You?
By Joy Gendusa, Founder & CEO, PostcardMania

The United States Postal Service® – can't live with them, can't live without them! They are the biggest monopoly out there and for a long time – actually until recently – they behaved just that way! Use us or nobody, so we don't care... something like that. At least that's how I perceived them. But recently there has been a lot of good news coming out of the USPS®, and I wanted to make sure you're up to date.

No 2010 Postage Rate Hikes.
First of all, you can prepare your 2010 direct-mail budgets with confidence. The USPS recently stated that they will not increase postage rates in 2010 for First-Class Mail^®, Standard Mail^®, and Periodicals. That should mean no surprise rate hikes for your postcard mailings!

Postmaster General John E. Potter says, "We want mailers to continue to invest in mail to grow their business, communicate with valued customers, and maintain a strong presence in the marketplace."

I whole-heartedly agree. This is a change in viewpoint for them and is good news that creates a very positive impact for getting good return on your direct mail investment going forward. For the first time that I am aware of, the USPS is putting attention on us – small business – as important customers. You may want to create a Google alert for USPS to stay abreast of all the programs they are rolling out.

So what is the USPS doing to try to handle the budgetary issues that they have been experiencing?

USPS switches to a Monday - Friday schedule.
You've heard the rumors, now it's all but official. Kiplingers.com reports that "Congress will grudgingly go along [with ending Saturday mail delivery], though not till after the 2010 elections." This change should take effect sometime in 2011, and "save [the USPS] an estimated $3 billion a year."

Why direct mail is better than ever!
So why, even with one less day of mail delivery, is direct mail a better-than-ever choice for your marketing dollars? With no rate increase this upcoming year, and the US Postal Service® getting more customer-oriented in their thought process — coming up with more creative fixes instead of simply raising rates — means that the biggest supplier in your direct mail chain is concerned, more than ever, with your return on investment.

In addition, mail volume overall is down, which means less competition for your promotions in your prospects' mailboxes. In order to take full advantage of the situation, you need to make sure that your postcards are designed with a clear, concise, and attention-grabbing headline. Make sure you don't let the opportunity slip by.