SMART BLAST

You’ve no doubt heard by now that a First-Class stamp is going up a penny to 42 cents, effective May 12.

Regardless of how temperamental or well armed any of us may be, it is highly recommended that instead of “taking out” the Postmaster in a dramatic firefight, we deal with these increases in a professional and thoughtful manner. Let’s be fair. The USPS does continue to improve its technologies, its customer service, and its utility. It may still be an enigma in some ways, but the professionalism of today’s post office is quite impressive and yes, we need the USPS to help us connect with our customers.

Now to the brass tacks on this increase. Hiding beneath that one-cent increase is a plethora of other changes in postal rates that affect our customers more directly. What we’re seeing so far in the discounted rates that most business mailers use lies in the range of a 1 to 5% increase.

For example, a mailer exclusively using the lowest saturation automated rates at the carrier route level will see a 1.5% jump, while a basic non-automated letter without an entry discount will go up nearly 5%. The Direct Marketing Association’s preliminary analysis shows an average increase of 2.9% across the board, which is equal to inflation in the past year. One item to note: prices for Express Mail and Priority Mail will not be announced until March.

Net, this is another price increase that, while marginal, will almost certainly affect each mailer’s plan this year. This is where some old-fashioned number crunching and pencil pushing – not to mention thinking outside the ole box – can lead the intelligent marketer to a slight tactical revision that may improve efficiency and mitigate this increase.

So put down the small arms, engage the brain and let’s work through this one together. Shall we?