First Class Mail vs. Standard Class Mail

In general, bulk mailings will use the lower Standard Class postage rates.  In fact, the terms 'bulk mail' and 'standard class mail' are commonly used to mean the same thing.  But you also have the option to send your 'bulk' mailing out First Class using First Class Presort postage rates and there may be a good reason to do that.   Here is a summary of the differences and some things to consider when doing commercial mailing.

1. Price 

Standard class mail is pre-sorted as a requirement and rates will usually be significantly lower.  The rates for non-profit are reduced even further. 

2. Postcard Rate Option

Postcard rates are only available under the first class pricing matrix.  To qualify as a 'postcard' your mail piece must be 4.25 x 6 or less.*  It may be less expensive to mail at the postcard rate and benefit from the advantages of first class.

2. Speed of Delivery

First class delivers faster.  It is usually delivered within a week in the continental U.S. and is likely to deliver in 1-2 days locally. First class is given priority by postal workers.  Standard class mail will typically take 3-5 business days locally but could take weeks to deliver out of state.  

3. Returns and Forwarding

First class mail is returned to sender or forwarded with no additional charge. Standard class mail is not forwarded or returned unless requested by the use of ancilliary service endorsements where there is a fee for each undeliverable address.

4. Minimum Piece Requirements 

A standard class mailing has a 200 piece minimum.* A first class presort mailing has a 500 piece minimum.

5. Weight Requirements

First class can be used for postcards, letters, large envelopes (flats) and small packages up to 13 oz. Standard class can be used for letters, large envelopes (flats) and small packages up to 16 oz.  Standard class rates are the same for mail pieces up to 3.3 oz.

* These statements are intended as guidelines only. Other rules and requirements may apply. Please refer to the Domestic Mail Manual for a complete explanation of postal regulations.

Buying Graphic Art for Printing - fotolia.com Review

Whenever my customers need graphic elements for their printing projects, I usually point them to iStockphoto.com.  iStock is well known in the industry as a reliable source for images with fabulous quality and a huge selection.  So this week, while wandering around cyberspace from one inspirational website to another, I ran across a review of fotolia.com,  a similar website for stock images. After taking a closer look at fotolia and comparing the two sites, here are my impressions:

1. Pricing can be significantly lower when comparing similar images of similar size.  If you're like me and only need images on occasion, you'll be using their standard license pricing rather than a subscription. Both sites require you to buy credits to purchase and those credits expire in one year.

2. Quality is good but I have to say,  I'm still partial to iStockphoto.  It might just be that I'm biased, but there seems to be more to choose from with the quality that I've come to expect.  Fotolia does have a large collection to choose from and the images are not bad, it's just that iStock's are so good. 

3. Search results could be improved.  Depending on your search terms, you can get hundreds of non-relevant images returned.  As we all know, this can waste gobs of your time when searching for that perfect image.  

4.  More file formats to choose from. One big advantage of fotolia is that illustrations are all available as .jpg files that can be edited in Photoshop or any photo editing software. If you want to purchase an illustration on iStock, you must download a premium priced vector file.  Vector images can only be edited with vector editing software such as Illustrator.  

Available image sizes / resolution at fotolia.com:

5. Website not as appealing. As a person of a certain age, I have to question why websites continue to use hard-to-see, tiny fonts and icons in shades of gray on white.  How many baby boomers are out there squinting at their laptops?  While the website is easy to use and navigate, it is not easy to see... at least not for me.  

I'll still be pointing my customers to iStockphoto, but for lower prices, a great selection and more options for file formats, my advice would be to try fotolia first.

What is Saturation Mail?

It's localized.

If you own a local business or plan to expand your business to a new market - you may want to consider saturation mailing.  A saturation mailing list can target entire neighborhoods or localized areas by including selected postal carrier routes.  To generate a mailing list, a preliminary report is produced either by zip code or by a radius from a given point and a summary of each carrier route is listed. 

It costs less.

Saturation mail can save you 20-25% off the cost of standard (bulk) mail.  Because saturation mail makes it easy for the Post Office to process, they pass the savings on to you by discounting the postage. A standard letter can mail for as little as 14¢. Your savings can be maximized by having your mail drop shipped to the postal facility handling the delivery.  That savings, however, must be greater than the cost of the drop shipment to make it worthwhile. 

It meets postal requirements.

To qualify for saturation rates your mail must meet two requirements:

1. Your mailing list must follow the 90/75 rule. This means that you must mail to at least 90% of the residential addresses or at least 75% of the total number of business and residential addresses in a given carrier route.  

2. The mail must be in "walk sequence" order which is the actual sequence that the mail is delivered in by the postal carrier. 

A sorted and certified occupant mailing list can be purchased from a list provider. Pricing is per 1000 addresses and there is usually a minimum charge.  A purchased list is good for 90 days.  Your provider can guide you when  selecting from the summarized list of carrier routes. Your selection must meet the 90/75 rule and add up to the number of addresses you wish to mail to.

What types of businesses use saturation mail?

Businesses looking to establish their brand locally and gain name recognition can benefit.  Automobile dealers, restaurants, boutique owners, real estate professionals, doctor offices, pizza parlors, landscapers... these are all potential users of saturation mail. Announce a grand opening or a special event or send a printed coupon with your mailing.

How much can you save with saturation mail?

A 5000 piece, 8.5" x 5.5" postcard mailing at standard bulk mail rates will have an estimated postage cost of $1325 (26.5¢ per piece).  Using a saturation list and delivering the mail to the local SCF can reduce that cost to around $820 (price includes postage and SCF drop shipping), saving you around $500!   

What are the costs involved with Direct Mail?

If you've been thinking of doing a postcard mailing you might be wondering just what is involved, how much it will cost and what are my options. This series of articles on direct mail marketing is being written to help small business owners understand just what they are buying when they invest in a mail campaign. Here, in a nutshell, are the costs that are involved with most direct mail campaigns:

• obtain a mailing list (you may have a list already)
• graphic design (of course you can do it yourself)
• printing
• mailing house services (sorting, ink-jetting, use of indicia, postal verification)
• SCF drop shipping (for saturation mailing or postal discounts on larger mailings)
• postage (your biggest expense)
• list clean-up/address verification to meet postal requirements

You may have your own database of customers you’d like to target or you may need to purchase a mailing list. Lists are priced per thousand addresses. The content of your list is an important factor in determinging how expensive your mail campaign will be as well as how successful. Mail campaigns start with the decision of who your target recipient will be.

Targeting the right customers can be a challenge. You can choose a list that targets a specific area and qualifies for reduced (bulk mail) postage rates depending on the ‘density’ of the list or alternatively, you can choose a list that targets specific demographic criteria within a broader area. For example, you might target households within a specific income range or people who buy green products.

The cost of postage is usually your greatest expense. Your mailing may qualify for lower postage rates based on the number of addresses within a 5-digit zip code area or within a 3-digit zip code area. This is referred to as the 'density' of your addresses.  Your mailing list is evaluated and postage is calculated when the list is sorted prior to address ink-jetting. Residential Saturation Mail is the least costly postage rate offered by the US post office. To qualify for saturation postage rates you must mail to the majority of the addresses within a postal carrier route. There are multiple postal carrier routes within a zip code.