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In this issue: |
FERRANTE SPEAKS Newsletter |
JANUARY 2010 Vol. 2 / Issue 2 |
WAKE UP IF YOU USE DIRECT MAILJANUARY 4th IS HERE!The following DMM Advisory, dated December 11, 2009, is something we should all pay attention to! Just a reminder.... Ominous words for your postage budget, but what do they mean and how do you avoid the additional 7¢? The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) uses a process called Move Update to help marketers keep their mailing databases up to date. It makes sense to use this process – what return on investment do you receive for a mail piece that can not be delivered? $0 is my guess!
There are three major avenues to achieving Move Update compliance: Ancillary Service Endorsements (ACS), National Change of Address (NCOA), and FASTforward (Multiline Optical Character Reader (MLOCR). For more detail, see USPS bulletin 363 at http://ribbs.usps.gov/files/MOVE_UPDATE/PUB363.PDF. NCOA is the avenue most marketers are familiar with. Under NCOA, when you submit an electronic list for mailing, the names are scanned and matched against the USPS change of address database. Prior to January 4, 2010, this Move Update procedure went forward without any financial consequences if a mailing failed to meet the change of address updates. That changed on January 4, 2010. Now, when a mailing is presented for acceptance at the USPS, the mailing list must pass a 70% test. This applies to first class presort and standard mail alike. Calculation of the penalties for failure is discussed in USPS Advisement Policy paper as of August 2009: http://ribbs.usps.gov/move_update/documents/tech_guides/Move_Update_Advisement_Policy.pdf. Here is an excerpt from this paper to show how the 7¢ penalty is applied: FOR A MAILING THAT FAILS, BOTH FIRST-CLASS AND MAIL WILL BE ASSESSED AS FOLLOWS:
For example: A mailing with a score of 60% and more than 5 pieces that were not updated will be assessed additional postage of $.07 per piece for 10% of the pieces in the mailing. The 10% is the difference between the not-updated percentage (40%) and the tolerance (30%). If the mailing consisted of 100,000 pieces, 10,000 of the pieces would be charged $0.07 per piece = $700.00 What happens to a mailing submitted without any Move Update documentation? All discounts are forfeited and the rates for individual mail pieces would apply and that is a REALLY bad thing! So, if you have not already done so, it’s time to reassess your mailing practices. Make sure that you, or your mailing house, is Move Update compliant, or see your postage dollars go up the chimney! |
GETTING EXPOSURE DOESN'T HAVE TO COME WITH A HEFTY BUDGET
Ferrante & Associates is a integrated service-driven company based upon a single point-of-contact approach. We provide just the products and services, just when you need them, or create and deliver all aspects of your B2B communications working together as a unified force. |
KEEP MARKETING MATERIALS CURRENT AND RELEVANT, WHILE REDUCING COSTS For medium to large size companies that are searching for better ways to maximize internal efficiencies that bring lowered costs, a web-based print on demand and literature fulfillment solution may be just what you have been looking for. The amount of time presently wasted by company employees working on non value-added tasks is enormous. Imagine all the advantages preplanned and centralized web-based print and literature fulfillment solutions could do for your bottom line! With a custom web-based solution, all of your corporate stationery, brochures, training materials and newsletters can be produced and shipped on demand, while at the same time more complex items like direct mail components and marketing collateral can also be supported. Companies can easily supply their domestic and international customers, their network of dealers/distributors and their employees with the most up-to-date materials from anywhere in the world 24/7. Often companies experience frustration after creating printed materials for use in the field by customers, sales or service representatives because too many are printed of one particular piece and not enough of another. When too few are printed, a small number must be reprinted at a higher cost. Too many, and older outdated materials have to be destroyed when the newer versions are ready. Another area where web based on-demand print and literature fulfillment programs can offer a huge value-added advantage is materials storage. Because fulfillment centers charge for storage on a per SKU basis, maintaining a large inventory of materials is costly. Web-based programs equipped with online reporting tools such as usage reports, automatic reorder points, and graphs provide managers with real time tools for maintaining optimum print and fulfillment quantities. To utilize this technology properly, you need a service provider who can offer a wide variety of print and fulfillment capabilities, shopping cart technology and expertise in interfacing with internal ordering or management systems. Since each business has different requirements, it is important that you work with a provider who can tailor solutions specifically designed around YOU and YOUR NEEDS......
Ferrante & Associates can do that for you! For more information about: Ferrante & Associates, Inc. provides marketing strategies and integrated print and web-enabled services to help companies increase revenue opportunities and reduce costs. |
» Web-based Print and Fulfillment |
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THE GO GREEN CORNER
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FERRANTE & ASSOCIATES, INC. 49 WELLESLEY STREET WESTON, MA 02493 | 1.781.891.4328 |
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The Move Update assessment charge of $0.07 per piece is effective January 4, 2010, and applies to a percentage of pieces in First-Class Mail and Standard Mail mailings failing Performance-Based Verifications at acceptance. A noncompliance charge of $0.07 per piece may apply to all pieces in a Standard Mail mailing that does not comply with the Move Update standard. 
