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7Visions 763-425-4251
Working with the USPS
Businesses and organizations that use a direct mail campaign as
part of their sales and marketing strategy know well that a signif-
icant amount of money can be saved on postage by presenting
pre-processed mail. Discounts are available for mail:
• whose addresses have been standardized, compared to the
USPS list of deliverable residences and businesses, and checked
for move updates;
• that contains additional information about the owner of the
mail, the mailing agent, the class of mail and postage rate; and
• for mail pieces that are uniquely identified so they can be
tracked through the mail processing and delivery system.
In addition, the USPS is helping mailers with ongoing direct mail
marketing programs like Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) and
one-time promotions and postage discount incentives for inno-
vative uses of mail that enhance how consumers interact and
engage with mail.
Presenting pre-processed mail
The USPS oers tiered postage discounts, with the actual amount
of the discount dependent on how much pre-processing is done.
The highest discounts are available to mail that can immediately
enter the automated mail processing stream.
This level of pre-processing requires permission from the USPS to
mail at discounted rates; checking the quality and accuracy of the
addresses in the mail list; for folded mail pieces, axing one or
more wafer seals in the correct location; printing a machine-read-
able barcode on each mail piece; packaging the mail in trays, tubs,
sacks or pallets to which machine-readable labels with postal
routing is axed; and transporting the mail to a bulk mailing accep-
tance facility. To qualify for this level of discount, most businesses
pay an outside service—like Visions—to prepare the mail.
2014 postage rate increase
In late January 2014, the USPS increased postage rates for all
classes (first and standard) and types (letters, flats and cards) of
mail in all discount categories. Because of the complicated for-
mulas the USPS must use for a rate increase, the exact
percentage increase varies by discount category, class
and type of mail.
For budgeting purposes, we recommend you
increase your company’s postage expense alloca-
tion by 6%. This should provide a fairly accurate
approximation of postage costs for 2014 over 2013.
2014 USPS mail holidays
In 2014, the USPS will be closed to observe ten holidays:
January 1 New Year’s Day
January 20 Martin Luther King Day
February 17 President’s Day
May 26 Memorial Day
July 4 Independence Day
September 1 Labor Day
October 13 Columbus Day
November 11 Veteran’s Day
November 27 Thanksgiving Day
December 25 Christmas Day
Partner with the USPS and with us
Conducting a direct mail marketing campaign can be easy and
eective using a three-way partnership: you, us and the USPS. We
keep informed about the changes made by the USPS in the require-
ments to qualify for postage discounts and about incentives and
programs oered by the USPS. Call Stuart Weeldreyer at
763-496-2826 to review the opportunities that may apply to your
direct mail program.