Author Archives: bebtexas

JASPER

10 AI Programs in use today.
#3) Jasper
Jasper is built for marketing teams to create content at scale, offering features like content generation, style improvements, and translation.

It can generate various types of content, including blog posts, product descriptions, marketing copy, and social media posts.  It helps maintain a consistent brand voice and tone across all content, IT offers a wide range of templates for different content types, and has a Chrome extension that allows users to generate, repurpose, translate, and edit content on any platform.

Jasper is primarily aimed at marketers and businesses looking to streamline their content creation workflow and produce high-quality content efficiently.

Claude


10 AI Programs in use today.
#2) Claude
Claude is an AI language model developed by Anthropic that focuses on understanding and generating human-like text. Similar to other conversational AI systems, Claude is designed to assist users by providing information, answering questions, and engaging in dialogue across various topics. Its architecture emphasizes safety and usability, aiming to minimize harmful or biased outputs while delivering insightful and coherent responses. Claude can be utilized for a range of applications, including customer support, content generation, and educational tools, making it a versatile asset for businesses and individuals looking to harness the power of artificial intelligence to enhance communication and productivity.

Claude is being utilized in marketing as a powerful tool for content creation and customer engagement. Marketers are harnessing its natural language processing capabilities to generate compelling and relevant copy for advertisements, social media posts, and blogs, which helps save time while producing high-quality content. Additionally, Claude can assist in crafting personalized emails and responses, enhancing customer interaction and building brand loyalty. Its ability to analyze consumer sentiment and provide insights into market trends enables marketers to make data-driven decisions quickly. Moreover, businesses are employing Claude in chatbots to offer real-time customer support, answering inquiries and resolving issues promptly, which significantly improves the overall customer experience. By integrating Claude into their marketing strategies, companies are not only streamlining their operations but also enhancing their ability to connect with their audience effectively.

Utilizing AI as part of your business strategy can unlock a multitude of advantages that drive growth and efficiency. By streamlining content creation, it enables marketing teams to produce high-quality materials rapidly, freeing up valuable time for strategic initiatives.

CHAT GPT


Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is an advanced conversational AI model developed by OpenAI that utilizes machine learning to understand and generate human-like text. It can assist users by answering questions, providing explanations, generating creative content, and even engaging in casual conversation. Trained on a diverse range of topics, ChatGPT can understand context and nuances in language, making it a versatile tool for applications such as customer support, personal assistance, educational tutoring, and entertainment. Its ability to learn and adapt through interactions allows it to deliver relevant and coherent responses, enhancing the overall user experience.

Marketers are increasingly leveraging ChatGPT to enhance their strategies and streamline their workflows. For instance, many use it to generate compelling copy for advertisements, social media posts, and email campaigns, saving time and ensuring freshness in their messaging. Additionally, ChatGPT can assist with market research by summarizing trends and consumer insights from vast amounts of data, allowing marketers to make informed decisions quickly. It also aids in customer engagement by providing instant responses to inquiries via chatbots, creating a more interactive experience. Furthermore, content marketers utilize ChatGPT to brainstorm blog ideas, create outlines, and draft articles, enabling them to maintain a consistent flow of high-quality content while focusing on strategy and brand voice.

Incorporating AI into marketing strategies can lead to significant benefits that enhance both efficiency and effectiveness. By automating content generation and equipped with the ability to analyze data quickly, marketers can focus more on strategic planning and creative execution. AI’s capacity for personalized communication helps brands engage with their audience in a more meaningful way, leading to stronger customer relationships and improved brand loyalty. Additionally, with 24/7 availability, AI ensures that businesses can respond to customer inquiries in real-time, enhancing customer satisfaction. Ultimately, by harnessing the power of AI, marketing teams can not only boost productivity but also create more compelling, targeted, and impactful campaigns that resonate with their audiences.

10 AI PROGRAMS BEING USED TODAY

In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence is not just a buzzword; it’s reshaping the way we live and work. While many have heard of popular AI programs like ChatGPT and DALL-E, countless innovative tools are waiting to be discovered. We will explore  ten remarkable AI programs that may not be on your radar but hold incredible potential for a variety of applications. From enhancing productivity to sparking creativity, these amazing gems promise to broaden your understanding of what AI can achieve. Join us as we explore these fascinating tools that could revolutionize the way you approach everyday tasks and challenges! Over the next few weeks, we will dive into the following programs:

  1. CHAT GPT
  2. CLAUDE
  3. JASPER
  4. SYNTHESIA
  5. GITHUB COPILOT
  6. CURSOR
  7. CANVA MAGIC STUDIO
  8. MIDJOURNEY
  9. HUBSPOT
  10. OTTER

 

What Is Social Listening?

 Social listening, often known as social media listening, involves tracking and analyzing online conversations about a company, individual, product, or brand. This process helps organizations gauge public sentiment and understand their digital presence.

The vast amount of unstructured data generated from online interactions makes it crucial for organizations to define their objectives for a social listening initiative. Depending on these goals, the right tools could range from simple, free options like Google Alerts to more comprehensive and costly software solutions that integrate ad-hoc analysis with existing customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Social media monitoring tools can extract specific keywords from various online platforms, including social networks, blogs, discussion forums, and more. This monitoring software transforms these keywords and phrases from unstructured data into quantifiable metrics that can be analyzed using traditional data mining techniques, providing valuable insights into consumer perceptions and trends.

Four AI Programs You Should Know About

In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence is not just a buzzword; it’s reshaping the way we live and work. There are countless innovative AI tools waiting to be discovered. Here we explore four remarkable AI programs that should be on your radar. They hold great potential for a variety of applications. From enhancing productivity to sparking creativity, these amazing gems promise to broaden your understanding of what AI can achieve.

Join us as we explore these fascinating tools that could revolutionize the way you approach everyday tasks and challenges.

CHAT GPT
Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) is an advanced conversational AI model developed by OpenAI that utilizes machine learning to understand and generate human-like text. It can assist users by answering questions, providing explanations, generating creative content and even engaging in casual conversation. Trained on a diverse range of topics, ChatGPT can understand context and nuances in language, making it a versatile tool for applications such as customer support, personal assistance, educational tutoring, and entertainment.

SYNTHESIA
Synthesia is an AI-powered platform that allows users to create professional videos using text-to-video technology, featuring AI avatars and voiceovers, and offering tools like script assistance and screen recording. Synthesia uses artificial intelligence to generate videos from written text, enabling users to create content without needing cameras, microphones, actors, or studios. The platform offers a wide selection of AI avatars, allowing users to choose from various ethnicities, languages and accents. It can convert written text into natural-sounding voiceovers, making it easy to create engaging video content.

JASPER
Jasper is built for marketing teams to create content at scale, offering features like content generation, style improvements, and translation. It can generate blog posts, product
descriptions, marketing copy, and social media posts. It helps maintain a consistent brand voice and tone across all content, It offers a wide range of templates for different content types, and has a Chrome extension that allows users to generate, repurpose, translate and edit content on any platform.

GITHUB COPILOT
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool that assists developers by suggesting code snippets and entire functions as they write in their integrated development environments (IDEs).
Copilot analyzes the context of the code being written, including comments and existing code patterns, to offer relevant suggestions in real-time. It supports many programming languages and frameworks, making it versatile for various development tasks. As developers type, Copilot presents suggestions that can be accepted, modified, or discarded, effectively enhancing productivity and encouraging best practices.
By automating repetitive coding tasks and providing intelligent recommendations, GitHub Copilot allows developers to focus more on problem-solving and creativity in their projects.
GitHub is being embraced across various industries and companies, particularly in software development, tech startups and large enterprises. Technology companies integrating AI-driven tools into their workflows leverage Copilot to enhance productivity and streamline coding
processes.

USPS Proposed July Rate Increase

During the week of February 10th, the USPS updated its forecast for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the July 2025 rate filing to 2.854%, an increase from the previous estimate of 2.7%. They plan to incorporate an additional 2.1% for density and 2.3% for retirement funding, leading to an estimated July postage increase of 7.254% .

In addition, the USPS distributed $530 million in postal credits through the 2024 growth incentives, but now they’re looking to recoup that amount. This translates to a potential increase of about 4.3% for marketing mail and approximately 0.5% for First-Class mail, which could result in an overall increase of around 11.5%.

Furthermore, the USPS is contemplating the elimination of some work-share discounts. Currently, mailers receive a discount of 2.7¢ per piece for Destination Sectional Center Facility (DSCF) delivery and 2.4¢ for Destination Network Distribution Center (DNDC) delivery. It’s important to note that any changes will need to be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) before they take effect. The PRC, an independent agency that oversees the USPS, has the authority to approve or deny postal rate increases, although their role is primarily to ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

Unfortunately, the recent departure of US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy doesn’t halt the steamroller momentum of the July impending rate increase. However, many believe that The Postal Service Board of Governors is searching for a new leader who actually believes in the United States Postal Service. We will keep you abreast as things unfold.

 

 

A Note From Joy Z

Joy Zehrbach

Happy Spring! 2025 marks our 76th year in business at BEB and we are very proud of that incredible milestone. Spring marks the season of change and growth and reminds us that our businesses must do the same to remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing business environment.

Our industry continues to face many challenges, including the upcoming postal rate increase set for July and the loss of some postal discounts. While we understand the negative impact, I assure you that direct mail remains one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. Despite these changes, direct mail continues to deliver a higher rate of return compared to digital platforms. The tangible nature of mail fosters a connection that electronic communications lack—and we are here to help you to harness that power.

The recent departure of the U.S. Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, may have a positive impact on the industry. We hope the new USPG will slow postage rate hikes and return delivery to a more expedited timeframe. These changes won’t be immediate, yet we remain optimistic. We will continue to help you navigate this evolving landscape and promise to keep you informed as things unfold in Washington DC.

We hope you enjoy the article on AI (Artificial Intelligence). As it becomes increasingly significant in our industry, we recognize the importance of adapting and learning. Our new service offerings—personalized boxes, bags, and specialized label printing—reflect our commitment to innovation. We believe that these services will enhance your marketing campaigns and make your communications more personalized and engaging.

At BEB we also recognize the importance of exceptional customer service. To this end, we are considering launching a class dedicated to the fundamentals of good old-fashioned customer service, aiming to empower your team with the skills necessary to foster lasting relationships with your clients. If you have an interest in learning more about this class, contact me at joyz@bebtexas.com

On a personal note, we are participating in MD Anderson’s Sprint for Life Fun Run and Walk against Ovarian cancer in early May. Our participation honors two remarkable women who left an indelible mark on our lives: our beloved, Rama Moore, (who worked for us for over 40-years), and Brenda Wiener-McKnight, mother of our Senior Executive Account Manager, Angel Wiener. Their bravery in the face of adversity inspires our commitment to supporting our community and raising awareness for this important cause. If you would like to participate or donate, click here for details. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

In closing, from all of us at EB, we extend a heartfelt appreciation for your continued partnership and loyalty. Together, we will navigate the changes ahead and harness the power of direct mail to enhance your marketing efforts. Thank you for being an essential part of our journey, and stay tuned for more updates and insights in this edition of The Bureau.

USPS Aims for Major Downsizing

In a significant effort to address its ongoing financial struggles, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is anticipating that 10,000 employees will opt for voluntary retirement. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy recently informed Congress about this initiative, which is part of a broader strategy to tackle the agency’s substantial losses, amounting to $100 billion since 2007.

Despite being exempt from the federal employee reductions advocated by Elon Musk’s DOGE government reform team, USPS remains under immense pressure to recover from its staggering financial woes, including a $9.5 billion loss reported last year.

DeJoy’s correspondence with Congress, which was obtained by Reuters, underscores the USPS’s urgent need for support as it grapples with “big problems.” The agency, which currently employs approximately 635,000 workers, has already reduced its workforce by 30,000 positions since 2021 and hopes that the voluntary retirement program, first introduced in January, will help streamline operations in the coming month.

So Long To Work Share Discounts

The US Postal Service is contemplating the removal of mail entry at Network Distribution Centers (NDCs) and the discontinuation of the Destination NDC (DNDC) discount, aiming to shift more mail volume to SCF/LPC facilities. As part of this future approach, mailers who currently utilize NDC volume and receive the DNDC discount will have three new options: mixed pallets for Origin Entry (without a discount), a DSCF entry discount, or a DDU entry discount specifically for Carrier Route Flats.

Currently, mailers benefit from a 2.7¢ discount per piece on DSCF mail and a 2.4¢ per piece discount on DNDC letter mail. Furthermore, many industry experts anticipate a reduction in the existing SCF Work Share discount, potentially lowering it to 1.7¢ per pieces.
For now, any proposed changes to these pricing structures will require approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission.