(L-R) Kathy Hall, Joy Z, and Carme Williams sporting their finish line medals under the Final Four 4 Miler.
Team BEB ran in the 2016 NCAA Final Four 4 Miler event on Saturday, April 2nd.
A record breaking attendance of over 2,500 runners ran the streets of downtown and paid tribute to our city’s Veterans. Proceeds from this event benefited the Lone Star Veterans Association.
A great time was had by all and our ladies finished strong!
Have you scanned your April QR Code from BEB-Business Extension Bureau’s 2016 calendar?
We have a special message for you!
You can also click here to see it!
We are so honored to have been awarded the 2015 All Star Award by Constant Contact. Every year, Constant Contact recognizes customers that have demonstrated exemplary engagement with their audience through email. Less than 10% of all (250,000+) users earn this prestigious certificate annually.
Criteria for the award include higher than average open rates and click-through rates (consistently exceeding 25%), low bounce rates, and high engagement levels that include incorporating other digital interaction such as social media venues.
We are thrilled to have been named a Constant Contact All Star twice since 2013! This is a great representation of our expanding products and services.
Back in 2014, the USPS submitted an emergency rate increase (also known as an exigent rate case) to help raise $4.6 billion of lost revenue. Congress approved it with the stipulation that once the lost revenue was recuperated, prices had to go back to the previously approved rates from May of 2015. The money has been recaptured and postage rates will DECREASE effective April 10, 2016. A first-class stamp will cost 47 cents, down from its current 49-cent price.
A digital version of our handy BEB Postal Guide with the new rates is attached below.
As our economy slows down and companies tighten their belts; the rate decrease offers (much needed) relief to marketing budgets. Be sure to take advantage of the discounted rates while they last. Step up your direct mail and be sure to mirror your direct marketing on your social sites for that extra boost.
Postal rate changes are based on the CPI (Consumer Price Index) which will most likely justify a rate increase in January of 2017. Don’t let this unusual opportunity to mail for less pass you by.
2016-04 RATE DECREASE BEB POSTAL GUIDE
If you would like to receive a FREE printed copy of the 2016 BEB Postal Guide (printed on 8.5 X 11 Card Stock), click here.
Have you scanned your March QR Code from BEB-Business Extension Bureau’s NEW 2016 calendar?
We have a special message for you!
You can also click here to see it!
The USPS & PRC (Postal Regulatory Commission) have started preparation for the end of the exigent surcharge that’s been in place since January 2014. The surcharge removal is projected to end in early April, but that date is only a forecast at this point, as it’s based solely on when the full amount authorized to be derived from the surcharge ($4.63 billion) will be collected.
For obvious reasons, the PRC is interested in ensuring that the correct date is set for the end of the surcharge and, accordingly, had directed the Postal Service to provide biweekly updates on the amount collected beginning in the postal quarter when the end of the surcharge was anticipated. Also, the agency must give 45 days’ notice of the end of the surcharge.
In its February 14 report, the USPS explained that it had collected an estimated $4.347 billion, including $827.1 million so far in FY 2016. For the 750 days that the surcharge had been in effect through February 14, the USPS averaged about $5.796 million per day in additional revenue. At that rate the total should take just over 799 days to collect, or until about April 3, 2016. As the PRC has noted, the USPS is entitled to collect only the amount the commission authorized, and there’s no process for refunding any excess collected from ratepayers, so the need to be as precise as possible in setting the end date is clear. In the meantime, the surcharge revenue continues to accumulate, mailers look forward to lower rates in April, and the Postal Service worries how it will replace the 4.3% of revenue.
See below for rate changes and comparisons:
2016-04 NP STANDARD LETTER AND FLAT COMPARISON
2016-04 STANDARD LETTER AND FLAT COMPARISON
2016-04 FIRST CLASS AND PC RATE COMPARISON
If you have questions or need additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Kathy Hall joins BEB-Business Extension Bureau
Join us in welcoming Kathy Hall to our BEB Team. Kathy is a business development manager specializing in multi-channel marketing for Houston and national markets. Kathy built a career within the Unites States Postal Service and brings 30-years of industry experience. Her rise through the USPS included serving as a Mailing Solutions Specialist and Senior Sales Executive-HQ | Houston Division . Well versed in the connection between direct mail and digital platforms, Kathy’s expertise in marketing is an exciting addition to our business. She earned her degree in management from Rice University and serves as a volunteer for several faith based charities and industry organizations. Check out her profile on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook and connect!
