Category Archives: Blog With BEB

BEB Co-hosts PIGC Graphic Excellence Awards

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2016 PIGC GEA AWARDSHouston, TX- This marks the 2nd year that we were invited to co-host The Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast (PIGC) annual awards gala, The Graphic Excellence Awards.

Our Joy Z acted as emcee while our Diane Bandemer, Kathy Hall and Angel Wiener-Vierna worked registration and the silent auction.  Our partner Anne Swanson worked the show with us as well!  The event was a sell out crowd of over 300 people and was held at The Double Tree Hilton – Greenway Plaza.  Business Extension Bureau has been active with the PIGC for over 25 years.

This event brings out the best of the best in the Houston market.  We were honored to work the show as well as compete in this coveted competition.  Read more about our entries and results here!

2016-04-13 PIGC GEA Joy Z at the podium

Patty Eldridge (left) of the Printing Industries of the Gulf Coast and our Joy Zehrbach served as emcees at the 2016 Graphic Excellence Awards.

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(L-R) Anne Swanson (Swanson Graphics), Kathy N. Hall, Diane Bandemer, Joy Z, and Angel Vierna (BEB) at the 2016 Graphic Excellence Awards

BEB WINS HONORABLE MENTION for Video

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HERMES CREATIVE AWARDWe are proud to announce that BEB-Business Extension Bureau has been awarded an Honorable Mention Certificate in this year’s HERMES Creative Awards by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) for our video, #ShowMeRank.

2016-04-08 HERMES HONORABLE MENTION SHOWMERANK CONTEST VIDEOThe video was created to promote a contest for our client, RANKRODEO.COM.  RANKRODEO sells rodeo themed T-Shirts online and through mobile store fronts that travel to different rodeos throughout the United States and Australia.  Social media is a major factor in their marketing strategy and branding.  The contest was a search for a model to take part in the semi-annual photo shoot held in Texas.   We encouraged their social media audience to upload pictures of themselves wearing the brand and to post using the hashtag #ShowMeRank.  The hashtag was used over 14K times and the video was viewed over 3,700 times in the first 90-days of its release.

The Hermes Creative Awards received over 6,000 entries worldwide this year and we are proud to have been recognized by the AMCP.  The AMCP is an international organization consisting of several thousand marketing, communication, advertising, public relations, media production and free-lance professionals.

SHOW ME RANK VIDEO PICTURE

Watch the award winning #ShowMeRank video here.

 

BEB and the NCAA Final Four 4 Mile Run

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JOY KATHY AND CARME WILLIAMS

(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!

2016-03-31 kathy and joy pick up Final Four 4 Miler Packets

BEB Wins Constant Contact All Star Award

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2016-03 ALL STAR AWARD BY CONSTANT CONTACTWe 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.

2016 BEB Postal Guides are Here

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2016 POSTAGE RATES GOING DOWNBack 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.

Postal Rate Decreases Coming in April

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BEB POSTAL RATES DECREASING APRIIL 2016The 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!