Forever Stamps get them if you can

As of January 22, 2012, the prices for most Postal Service mailing services will change. Mailing Services includes First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services. Learn more about the United States Postal Service price changes taking place in the new year. Here is a quick overview.

BACKGROUND:
Prices for most Postal Service mailing services will change on January 22, 2012. Mailing services includes First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services. Prices for shipping services will also change on January 22. We will provide customers the new shipping services prices later this fall. While actual percentage price increases for various products and services varies, the overall average price increase across all mailing services is capped by law at 2.1 percent, the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

FIRST-CLASS MAIL HIGHLIGHTS:

• Letters (1 oz.) – 1-cent increase to 45 cents. This is the first increase in the price of a First-Class Mail stamp since May 2009.
• Single-piece letters additional ounce rate – unchanged at 20 cents.
• Postcards – 3-cent increase to 32 cents
• Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) – 5-cent increase to 85 cents
• Letters to other international destinations – 7-cent increase to $1.05
• The second ounce will be free for First-Class Mail Presort pieces weighing between one and two ounces.

ADDITIONAL PRICE ADJUSTMENT HIGHLIGHTS:

• The price increase for Standard Mail Letters is slightly below the overall average at less than 1.9 percent
• A new 3-month pricing option will be available to rent PO Boxes for people on the move and others that need a PO Box for a shorter time period.
• Delivery Confirmation will be free for several parcel products as the Postal Service continues to make tracking an integral component of parcels mailed at commercial rates.

*With the exception of Delivery Confirmation and Confirm, most Extra Services prices increase at about 2.1 %. Adding Delivery Confirmation and Confirm services as included services for some parcels results in the overall price reduction for Extra Services.

QR codes are so flexible they can be put anywhere but just because one has the technology to do so, doesn’t mean that one should if it does not enhance the viewer’s interaction with your product.

QR codes on a printed piece allow you to jump from the printed piece, whether it’s a brochure or packaging, to video, audio, a relevant landing page or a website. I admit that I really appreciate QR codes that give me information NOW on a particular item or product so I’m not searching all over a website.

In the example below, Mr. Fellman offers the following as an example of a cross media campaign utilizing direct mail and a QR code that failed due to lack of planning in the design and little thought given to what the QR code was to accomplish.

“I have a piece of junk mail right here in front of me, and I’d like to tell you about it. It’s a postcard, finished size 8 1/2” x 5 1/2”, printed 4/4. The sender/marketer is a local real estate agent, and the headline reads “What are homes selling for in your area?” In addition to that headline, the front face of the postcard features the company’s logo, the agent’s photo and contact information, an image of a home in my neighborhood, 3 lines of variable text including my wife’s first name, and a rectangular white block which includes a QR Code and two more lines of text which read “Go to learnmorenow.com and enter code 3E942XXXXX” and “Or textMLS 3E942XXXXX to XXXXXX.” Finally, the front face also includes the image of a stake sign which says “just listed” and points in the direction of the house image.

I’m pretty sure that the desired result of this mailing is to stimulate listings. I think the agent wants us to call her and ask her to help us sell our house. But the postcard doesn’t say that …”

Mr. Fellman further noted that neither the postcard nor the web landing page had a Call to Action on it. And the three contact methods offered on the postcard only took the viewer to the same landing page but the webpage had not been optimized for mobile phones. How frustrating for the viewer using a mobile phone.

QR codes, like any other marketing tool, can be effectively used to reach your objective but your content/message has to be relevant to what the prospect needs.

Marketers get 3 percent off and more effective mail.
The Postal Service wants to show marketers how mobile barcodes can increase the value of mail, so it’s offering an upfront 3 percent discount this summer for integrating the technology into direct mail campaigns.

“Two-dimensional barcodes, which can be scanned or read by mobile smart phones, can increase response rates, improve campaign tracking and attract younger consumers,” said Tom Foti, manager, Marketing Mail. “They also demonstrate how integration of both offline and online marketing efforts blur the lines between the two channels.”
Customers who receive the special mailpieces can use mobile devices to scan the barcodes for more information about the product or service the mailing is promoting.

The Mobile Barcode Promotion runs July 1, 2011, through Aug. 31, 2011, and is applicable on Standard Mail and First-Class Mail letters and flats. “We recognize that the online world will continue to grow and thrive,” said Foti. “So we want to make customers aware that mail can be an integral part of that communication and that online campaigns that use direct mail are more effective.”

Click for more information  2011MobileBarcodePromotion