FIRST CLASS (RATE) TO DESTRUCTION.
FYI: the USPS needs your help. Here’s the nightmare: You won Prom Queen/King this year and do every year, but you’re still bullied by every teacher/parent and are on the brink of expulsion. SOML (Story of My Life), except for the United States Postal Service (not me).
 
Despite their 91% approval rating in 20201, the USPS has battled financial demise for 14 years (they have not recorded a profit since 2006)2 AND, if that weren’t bad enough, this year alone they have had to contend with a global Pandemic and a President that is out to get them. It may not come as a surprise to you, unless you live under a rock, that people have been sending and receiving less mail for years. Add in Covid, and it went from less mail to practically NO MAIL for months. Then what?
 
The election started creeping up and President Trump turned up the heat. Not only has he repeatedly claimed that voting by mail is a sure-fire way to have your vote tampered with (which by the way is entirely untrue), but he also managed to appoint a huge Trump donor, General Louis DeJoy as Postmaster. YIKES!! With the help of President Trump, DeJoy started messing with our constitutional right to vote (and, arguably, our constitutional right to a USPS) by slowing down the mail, taking away the little blue boxes on our corners that we know and love, and dismantling mail sorting machines. Now that’s some politically motivated crap. Don’t believe me? Check the news.
 
The point of all of this: the USPS is in dire straits and you should know about it because it’s going to affect you (and already is) and because we want the USPS to stick around. Beyond being able to send out all of that Direct Mail that you’re planning, many, many people rely on the USPS for their livelihoods. Want to do something to help? Send mail. Get mail. Buy cute stamps—lots of them. And read this blog! Knowledge is power. Let’s learn a little bit about the Postal Service as it pertains to you, both as a resident of the U.S., but also as a business. Onwards!
WANTED BY USPS: BUSINESSES TO SEND MARKETING MAIL.

If the last blog on the effectiveness of Direct Mail is any indication, you can still be a kick-butt business-savvy entrepreneur and advertise with mail—including if you’re running for office—hey, Kanye! All of which helps to save the USPS. Full disclosure: to take advantage of this amazing agency, you’ll need a bit of translation first (the Postal Service lingo isn’t always easy to decode) and that’s what I’m here for.  Let’s look at some main mailing insider info that you should know (c’mon say it 3x fast).

POSTAGE CATEGORIES

Yes, there are a bunch of ways to mail. No, you don’t need to think about all of them right now, so let’s look at the basic ones and what they do for you. Once you’ve chosen one that you think will work, use this Business Price Calculator to estimate a per-piece cost. You will also need to know what type of mail you have (letter, flat, etc.) so it might be a good idea to talk to a mailing expert—they mostly live in excellent print shops, DM for recs (JK, an email is fine). Annnd, I’m just going to say this one more time. The USPS can be tricky, so you likely want to work with an expert when determining your postage. You’ve been warned.

STANDARD/MARKETING MAIL/NON-PROFIT
Marketing Mail (formerly Standard Mail) is usually the cheapest option when mailing. This option is for all mail that isn’t required to mail first class and can include anything from direct mail to catalogs to bulletins to small parcels to hamsters (don’t send a hamster). Minimum weight per piece is 1 ounce, maximum weight is 16 ounces and you have to mail more than 200 pieces. If you are mailing non-profit, you get a special discount, so it is even cheaper—USPS takes care of the little guy, and the big guy, and all they guys in between. How’s that for inclusive? 😛 
EDDM (EVERY DOOR DIRECT MAIL)
A subset of Marketing Mail, EDDM works by delivering to every single door in a postal code/neighborhood and you don’t even need to know a single name or address. You can send between 200-5,000 pieces a day, if that’s what you’re up to. If you ask me, more targeted mail lists work a lot better, but HAY, if you’ve got the money, go for it!

FIRST CLASS/FIRST CLASS PRESORT

If you are sending anything funky (meaning a weird size/shape/etc.) meaning that it can’t mail Standard, or you need it to get to its recipient quickly, it will likely mail First Class. There is no minimum weight (this is not a roller coaster, people) and the maximum weight for letters is 3.5 oz, maximum weight for parcels is 13. Oh, and the minimum quantity that you can mail at commercial prices is 500. Good stuff! First Class Presort is a cheaper rate because it can be automated—this is often good for big mailings. If you have to mail First Class, don’t feel too bad—It’s one of the Postal Service’s number one sources of revenue, which makes you a good person

EXACTLY HOW LONG WILL THE DARN MAIL TAKE? 
Keep in mind that with Covid and all the weird DeJoy stuff, oh, and the election, mail delivery times have been wonky. Just to be safe, add about 3 days on to all the times that I list below, kay? They might be a little bit over the top but under promise and over-deliver, right? 
 
Standard/Marketing Mail and Non-Profit Mail
7-13 days (can be less if local) 
 
First Class Mail
2-3 days
USPS PROMOTIONS AND INCENTIVES

The USPS does this cool thing where they reward you for your ingenuity and loyalty—with discounts (like 2%)! Each promotion lasts for 3-6 months and focuses on certain mail qualities that help businesses get noticed. Examples of promotions include Tactile, Sensory and Interactive mail, and Emerging and Advanced Technology mail (augmented reality, etc.). These promotions can be fun to design around OR, if the ring fits…

BONUS: PRODUCT SAMPLES!

Another fun little thing that you can put in the mail. Send a sample (see available formats here), without any outer packaging between you and the WOW that your recipient will utter upon opening their mailbox.

USPS FALSIES. (DARN YOU, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM)

Let’s just get some facts straight because Facebook and Instagram don’t always do that. Have you seen those little “Facts You Should Know” things going around?? Ignore them and read here.

Just like they say in those workout videos: this isn’t a rest day. Even though your brand elements are visual, they matter. They should be on-brand and inform people about your product/service while advancing your position in the marketplace. WORK.

THE USPS IS NOT IN DEBT AND IS NOT LOSING MONEY
BULLCRAP! In 2019 alone, the USPS lost $8.8 billion dollars in revenue and had debt exceeding $97 billion. Poor guys. That is not something you can pay off with interest3. Oh, and Covid has and will increase that debt by about $22 billion4.
 
THE USPS COSTS TAXPAYERS ZERO DOLLARS AND IS EXPLICITLY STATED IN THE CONSTITUTION
Well, yes, both are true. However, The USPS is mentioned in the Constitution as being an important part of democracy—which would imply that having a USPS is a right, which begs the question: why is the USPS on the brink of financial ruin? I won’t answer that question for you, but I will say that taxpayers stopped paying for the USPS in the 1970’s when Nixon made the Postal Service more like a business5—and look where they are now. If the USPS is a right, shouldn’t our government find a way to support it? Just sayin’. 
 
THE USPS HAS ALWAYS BEEN SELF-SUSTAINING 
No. Just no. Read above, people! The USPS has only been self-sustaining since the 1970’s. 
 
THE USPS EMPLOYS OVER 500,000 PEOPLE 
This is true, the USPS employed a total of 633,108 people in 2019. But. Since 1999, the Post Office has been forced to reduce its labor force by 30%6, all to save a dime. Sad face. Sad face. 
USPS TRUE-EES (FALSIES SOUNDED BETTER BUT WHATEVS)

Okay okay. I know we got serious but it’s time for some GOOD stuff. Do you like donkeys? What about mules?

THE USPS WILL LITERALLY TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN THE U.S, RAIN OR SHINE, TO GET YOU YOUR MAIL
The Postal Service is legally obligated to deliver all mail to all Americans7.
 
Some mail is delivered by mule.
Yes! Mules deliver approximately 4,000 pounds of mail, supplies, sustenance, and medicine every day to the village of Supai8 (at the bottom of the Grand Canyon). Go horse power! 
Some people receive their mail by boat.
In a shocking twist, the USPS goes Huckleberry Finn and travels by river boat to get people their mail9. 
The longest mail route is 190.7 miles10 
Some person travels 190.7 miles to deliver mail to other people. Can somebody get them a cookie? Okay, maybe 190 cookies. 191? 
 
THE USPS HAS AN ACTUAL PLACE WHERE THEY READ CRAPPY HANDWRITING

You know who you are…
It is called the Remote Encoding Center and they read your sloppy handwriting all day—just so that it gets delivered to the right place11. 

POSTAL WORKERS ARE MORE RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY DIVERSE THAN THE U.S. LABOR FORCE AS A WHOLE12 
You get it, right? The USPS matters. 
DEAR USPS, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS?

The outlook is a tad grim for the USPS from 2020-2024. Mail volume is expected to decrease (an estimated 18% over the next 5 years) and delivery points will increase13, all in the middle of major environmental, business, and consumer needs changes. The Postal Service will have to scramble to stay relevant as marketing continues to err on the digital side, all while fighting a financial battle with debt piled high. In order to stay competitive, the USPS has pledged to ramp up their “last mile” services, meaning that they will try to deliver faster and more often (including on Sundays)14, amongst other changes.

FIRST CLASS IS STILL BEST AND SO IS USPS

Despite the setbacks that the USPS is having, I urge you to soldier on. Direct Mail is expected to remain effective and relevant, especially when you consider the fact that a lot of these forecasts likely fail to measure levels of digital fatigue that people are bound to experience as a result of digital acceleration. We as marketers will need to find unexpected ways to reach out to our customers to keep them engaged, and we will do that (and stay top of mind) by doing what others are not. We will need to follow the lead of the USPS by fighting to stay afloat against all odds (no wonder stamp costs keep going up!), and we will need to keep innovating. To reiterate: in order to achieve a healthy state of business again, we will need to support each other (collaborate!) and go far beyond the conventional. Want ideas for that? Let’s talk about print in the next blog. Until next time, keep your heads up and the mail-in ballots flowin’. Ciao! 

1, 2, 6 Pew Research 2020
3,4,5 Fact Check AFP USA, 2020
7,8,9,10,11 Mental Floss, 2020
12 U.S. Census Bureau, 2020
13 Mail OMG, 2020
 
Photo Credit: West Central Tribune