USPS Proposed 2020 Changes

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "USPS® Proposed 2020 Changes," serves as an update to postal rate increases and related changes the USPS® expects to have in place by January 26, 2020. These changes will come into effect upon approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). With businesses and agencies preparing 1Q and 2Q 2020 marketing and sales strategies, now may be a good time to review proposed pricing for the coming year.

The following is a summary of the 2020 proposed pricing.

Zip Zone Changes

Effective Date: October 1, 2019

Mandatory Implementation Date: November 1, 2019

From time to time, the USPS® will make changes to ZIP Codes and Zones. Zip Codes and Zones updated in October of this year with mandatory implementation taking place on November 1, 2019. If you haven't already done so, it is critical that you update your meter now to reflect the changes that have taken place.

The USPS® Zone Charts Matrix assists in applying the proper postage rates for any mail piece.
The calculated Postage Rates for zoned mail are based on:

•  (1) Mail piece weight and
•  (2) The distance the mail piece travels
  
  

The matrix determines the distance a mail piece travels based on the first three digits of:

• (1) the ZIP Code™ you are mailing from (origination) and
• (2) the ZIP Code you are mailing to (destination)

USPS Zone Charts  ZIP Code™ - The Basics

Direct Mail Valuation

Direct mail marketing is currently enjoying a resurgence and a level of stability not evidenced since the Great Recession of 2008.  It is easy to acknowledge that technological advancements have provided a digital surge from individuals to enterprise organizations.  And to that end, not only is the digital landscape maturing to new levels of engagement, but it is also ripe with unforeseen developments regarding security breaches, hacks, and the dissemination of misinformation campaigns. Moreover, trustworthiness is now front and center regarding all things digital.

The latest breach, according to recent news reports, has hit the voice assistant category. This follows a string of "what's hackable" in the digital world. Alexa, one of the leaders in voice assistant technology, is now on the hot seat for the ease by which a hacker can gain access to open doors, windows, garages, and so on.  In addition, Facebook recently announced that it would not oversee political ads for content accuracy, thereby allowing the political space on its site to potentially contain misinformation.  Conversely, Twitter has announced that it will ban political ads for the upcoming political season.

Here's What We Know From Big Data:

You may be aware that daily email publishing has reached 193 billion per day (global).  Email open rates are less than 1% on average.  There are over 3 million blog posts daily.  Video content has risen to the stratosphere! The total number of people who use YouTube – 1,300,000,000. Three hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute! Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day.

Therefore, while marketing strategies must include email marketing, blogging, social media, SEO, and video marketing, the ROI challenge for brands is the ability to cut through the clutter to reach targets.  Given digital's bloat, security, and trust factor; Direct mail marketing is now one of the most effective marketing tools, lauded for its ability to reach targets in an environment that is, for the most part, uncluttered and undoubtedly trustworthy.

The Net-Net

The question that any brand or marketer should be asking is, how can our marketing messages cut through the clutter?  It boils down to simple math.  The vast number of digital messages lies in the trillions.  The number of direct mail pieces a person or business receives most often does not exceed 20.  Would you rather stand out in a physical mailbox, using a postcard or mail piece that can direct targets to your online destination? Or, would you instead prefer to duke it out in the digital messaging landscape?

We suggest that savvy brands won't mind a dust-up, but only because they realize the benefits of both digital and direct mail marketing.  Direct mail marketing can be an early funnel opportunity, directing prospects and customers to your digital destination. Thanks for reading "USPS Proposed 2020 Changes."

Let's have a conversation about integrated business solutions and how they can help grow your business, change behavior, and improve the customer experience. Please join us at our next Open House. You can learn about our solutions, including direct mail strategies, printing, print software, transactional documents, variable digital printing, brand equity, and unified marketing collateral. We invite you to join us for an hour or two, November 21, from 10:30am to 3:30pm. You can also tour our 58k+ Sq. Ft. facility and experience our vast array of state-of-the-art print, mail, and sorting infrastructure.

Let us show you how to improve your document processes to optimize your workflow, reduce your costs, and maximize your organization's printing, letter shop, and mailing capabilities. Dove Direct does have an official USPS® certified bureau located within our offices that will save you time and money. And, if you bring us your files, we will create a demo file for you. For more information, call Carla Eubanks at 404-629-0122 or email Carla at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dove Direct, your Atlanta based print and mail solutions provider, offers organizations end-to-end data, printing, and mailing solutions: Data Management, Variable Digital Printing, LetterShop and Fulfillment, Fully Automated MLOCR Presort Bureau, Marketing and Production Management Support and Secure Data Life Cycle Management.


If you don't want to wait for the Open House, you can reach Dove Direct today by calling 404-629-0122 or use the Contact Form for Dove Direct.