The Road To Marketing Relevance

New Move Update Standards for First-Class and Standard-Class Mail

Written by Marjorie Mumaw

The U.S. Postal Service is implementing new Move Update Standards, effective November 23, 2008, with new regulations concerning Standard Mail and presort-rate First-Class Mail. The goal of these new standards is to reduce the number of Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA) mail pieces, which may require forwarding or return service.

Why the updates and the new focus on Standard Mail now?

• According to the USPS, $1.8 billion was spent to handle the 9.8 billion pieces of UAA mail in 2004.
• UAA mail does not just affect the USPS. Direct mailers and their clients get lower marketing response rates, dissatisfied customers, and utilize resources that end up as waste.
• Standard Mail accounts for almost 63% of all Undeliverable as Addressed Mail.

How to stem the tide of UAA

Poor address quality often lurks as the culprit behind UAA. In order to improve address quality, a Move Update Option approved by the USPS is required for compliance with the new regulations.

• Under the current regulations, addresses for only First-Class mailings must be updated within 185 days before the mail date.
• The new regulations require updated addresses for both First-Class and Standard-Class mailings within 95 days before the mail date.

Example:
Old Regulations:
First-Class mailings on September 7 must have been updated no earlier than March 7 of the same year (185 days).

New Regulations:
First-Class and Standard-Class mailings on September 7 must have been updated no earlier than June 5 of the same year (95 days).

USPS Approved Move Update Options
There are five options available for compliance with the new Move Update standards.

• NCOALink Processing (Pre-mailing option)
• FASTforward for MLOR Processing (Post-print for letter mail only)
• ACS™ Service (Post-mailing option)
• OneCode ACS™ (Post-mailing option)
• Ancillary Service Endorsement (ASE) (Post-mailing option)

Protocol is ready for the upcoming change and committed to making this new Post Office requirement as seamless as possible. To meet the November effective date, we have become NCOALink approved.

NCOALink processing

• Creates a mathematical value unique to every name/address in the file
• Uses matching logic strictly controlled by USPS
• Expands our accessibility to the USPS national Change-of-Address database

This certification allows us to process data directly in-house, meeting all Post Office Move Update requirements. Protocol will also request, review, and maintain all needed NCOA documentation, as well as track all cycle times for mailing, ensuring Move Update compliance.

These new Move Update Standards will increase the quality of the mail stream by decreasing the amount of UAA mail. Increased quality and decreased cost will not only make life easier for the USPS, but will add to return on marketing investment and ensure resources are properly utilized for direct marketers and their clients.    

How to Avoid Large Postage Surcharges

Written by Cara Feldman

There are many postage “evils” in the direct mail world, I always advise clients to minimize the “evils” when designing a mailer.

In order to cut through the clutter in a prospects mailbox, marketers have to be innovative with their mail designs.  Unfortunately a lot of innovative designs are costly, not only from a print and production standpoint, but also from a postage perspective.  Great direct mail should be eye-catching and cost effective, so that ROI is maximized.

How to avoid large postal surcharges:

• Make sure your mail piece is within letter-sized postal specifications:  3.5” x 5” – 6.125” x 11.5”
• Run your name/address horizontally on the long side of the mail piece
• Do not design a square sized mailer
• Do not go over 1 ounce in weight for first-class mail, 3 ounces for standard class mail
• Make sure you have enough room around your delivery point bar code in your address block
• Use a font size of 8pt or larger for your address block
• When using a self-mailer, put the fold on the leading edge (the right side when you are looking at the address panel)
• Make sure you put enough tabs on your self-mailer (check with Protocol)
• Do not mail paper clips, pens or other sharp objects in envelopes
• Check bar code readability on pre-printed colors or colored paper before ordering print/stock
• Save the 3-D mailers for small audiences of high-donors
• Run all designs through before releasing to print

Ten Creative and Strategic Ideas to Help Your Direct Mail Efforts

Written by Russell Opper

Targeted mail lists— you must mail to the proper audience.

1. Effective and relevant offers— you want to make your recipient excited and ready to respond.
2. Eye-catching creative design— you are competing with many pieces of mail. You must stand out from the rest.
3. Understand your audience— Do not treat C-level executives in the same manner as you treat mid-level decision makers.
4. Keep your mail lists clean and up-to-date—You should often merge your lists and eliminate duplicates, pass your database through CASS (Coding Accuracy Support System) for address verification & run your database through NCOA (National Change of Address) in order to validate the recipient’s name and address.
5. Be careful of square or odd shaped sizes— though they may be innovative and different, they can be expensive to produce and also can incur postal surcharges.
6. Don’t panic because of rising postal rates— The United States Postal Service tends to raise rates only a penny or two per year. As compared to oil prices and the fact that letters can be delivered thousands of miles in only a couple days, postal rates are a true bargain.
7. Lifting response rates— response rates can be lifted by adding teaser copy (Personal and Confidential) to the outer envelope, stamping the envelope rather than using meter impression or permit imprint, personalizing the outer envelope rather than using a window, etc.
8. Post-it notes & stickers— this technology has improved drastically so that you can machine apply post-it notes and stickers to envelopes, self-mailers and even letters. For letters, you can even personalize post-it notes as you are personalizing the letters.
9. Time your campaign properly with planet codes— planet coding tracks your mailer throughout the postal process. This allows you to time e-mail blasts and follow-up phone calls accurately.

Please note that all of these ideas can be executed by a team of creative and strategic leaders.