Here is an update to an earlier post regarding USPS marketing mail (catalog) postage rates for 2020. The following postage rate pdf has more detail regarding new 2020 rates increases. Direct mail postage rates will increase on 1/26/20.
Effective January 26th, 2020, the USPS rates for Marketing Mail will increase by an average of 1.89%. If you mail catalogs, postcards, and other direct mail at the letter rate, the increase will be around 1.96%. But if your catalogs are a larger format and qualify as a flat, then the increase will be even higher – about 3.9%. For… read more →
You don’t want to foot the bill for an unnecessary cost, so you put off your direct mail strategic audit again and again. This could be the wrong choice, however, as a direct mail marketing audit can, in fact, save you money and prevent you from getting stung by a very expensive set of disasters. Look out for these key… read more →
For a long time, companies were dumping huge chunks of their marketing budgets into Facebook and targeted ads. This was a tempting strategy; companies had found great footing on Facebook with groups and pages, getting lots of organic views that were translating into high sales. But Facebook has rapidly changed the playing field, using new algorithms to force companies into… read more →
If you’re planning to use social media or e-commerce to sell your products and services then what you’re selling is just the tip of the iceberg. What you’re actually day-trading on is attention — namely, your consumer’s attention. And it’s more than just mere novelty that captures your customers’ attention. As we’ll see, it takes a unique blend of creativity, personalization and quality — features that… read more →
Direct mail marketing can be incredibly effective for B2B campaigns, but it’s also tricky to get right. B2B brands typically have much lower response rates than consumer brands, but average order tends to be much higher. In order to create effective campaigns and enjoy the benefits of acquiring new customers and increasing sales, it’s important to understand your audience. From… read more →
The 12th Annual National Catalog Forum takes place next month (April 8 – 10) in Washington DC. The event is run by the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA) and will host key executives from the ACMA, USPS, the Postal Regulatory Commission, and other government officials to inform members on critical issues such as postage increases, tariffs, remote sales tax legislation,… read more →
Many marketers these days make the unfortunate mistake of thinking that direct mail is dead. In actuality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In the digital age, consumers’ email inboxes are inundated with ads and special offers each and every day. If this is your sole marketing outlet, you could be missing out on a huge chunk of the… read more →
As more and more of our lives shift into the digital realm, it can be easy to overlook the importance of direct mail marketing. However, this is a mistake that could wind up hurting your business. As customer inboxes become cluttered with deals, offers and spam, it can be difficult to rise above all that noise. And relying on email… read more →
In catalog marketing strategy and campaigns, planning for profitability is built right in. It’s simple: we let the data drive our decisions and then we use the data to decide. The nature of data is such that, over time, it strengthens and firms up our assumptions even more — or immediately debunks them. Whether you’re planning a catalog mailing campaign, evaluating the… read more →