Category Archives: News

Postal Partner Appointed to MTAC

Congratulations to our ‘Postal Partner’ and Industry colleague, Tom Glassman.  Tom has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Postmaster General’s Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC), for a six-year term.

Tom will be representing Idealliance.  David Steinhardt, Idealliance President said, “Tom’s insight and extensive experience in mailing, as well as his service with the association’s mailing Working Groups, give him a wealth of knowledge he can draw from to contribute to the important work of MTAC.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve as a representative to MTAC,” says Glassman. “To have the chance to be involved in the activities of the two core working groups in the mailing industry—Idealliance and MTAC—provides the power to really move the mailing industry forward.”

Glassman is Director of Data Services & Postal Affairs at Wilen Direct, serves on the Idealliance Postal Operations & Technologies Council, and is Chair of the association’s Education Working Group, which last year launched MailPro®, a mail and postal education certification program with more than 1,000 enrollees. He has also been actively involved with MTAC working and user groups for some years. A graduate of Babson College, he is a USPS certified Mailpiece Design Consultant (MDC) and Mail Design Professional (MDP) and has earned Idealliance Mail Professional certification.

Tom has worked closely with BEB for the past 5-years and we consider him a ‘member of the BEB family’.  Congratulations, Tom.

 

 

HPCC WINS PLATINUM

Congratulations to our Kathy N. Hall as she is now Co-Chair of the     Houston chapter of the Postal Customer Council.  The Postal Co-Chair is Houston Postmaster, Chenise LaDoux.

The Postal Customer Council (PCC) was organized in 1953 to provide a forum for communication with and cooperation between commercial mailers and the USPS.

HPCC shares information and facilitates the exchange of ideas about new and existing Postal Service products, programs, services and  procedures that affect all businesses that use the mail; and help industry members and their organizations grow and develop professionally through focused education programs.

A national program, PCCs are postal sponsored organizations, and membership consists of both Postal Service  employees and representatives of the mailing industry.

Executive Board Officers are elected for a two-year term.  The Houston Postal Customer Council was recently presented with a Platinum Premier PCC Recognition award during the 2017 National PCC day.  Congratulations!

 

Target Social Media Ads Work

Be sure to distribute some of your holiday  marketing budget toward targeted ads using social media. 

One of our clients recently spent only $250, over a        17 day period on an a multi-channel ad posting to   Facebook & Instagram.  The ad was presented to 69,625 people (Reach), 138,736 times, (Impressions), and generated 835 website clicks.  774 of the clicks were unique.  That’s a lot of traffic!

Let BEB help you with the set up, creation, and       distribution of a highly targeted social media ad    campaign.  Costs are very affordable, and the          demographics that are available are amazing.  Geo, income, age, households with children, and a plethora of general interests such as music bands, politicians, foods, and hobbies, are only a few of the many selects available.

 

 

Letter from the President – Oct 2017

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey.  The devastation in Houston and surrounding areas was truly alarming.       However, our fellow Houstonians shined with acts of incredible selflessness and kindness. I am proud of our city.

BEB was very fortunate as our compound remained dry, sustained no damage from the storm and remained open for business without interruption.  Also, 100% of our staff emerged from the storm safe and sound.

The Houston USPS was closed for only a few days and is now 100% operational.  Mail is flowing without delay and we’re in full swing with open enrollment, giving, and holiday season preparations. 

Our social media and digital division was extremely busy during the storm.  Many of our clients used those platforms to communicate with their customers regarding closings, temporary relocations, and notification of available services.  We hope you, your loved ones and your businesses fared well and know that we are here to assist in any way we can. 

In this issue of The Bureau, we review the latest happenings in Washington DC pertaining to the upcoming postal rate increase expected in January.  We also outline the controversy surrounding the proposed methodology change to the way nonprofit rates are determined. 

This summer, our Social Media seminar series completely sold out.  With demand so high, we decided to schedule another series for the Fall, starting October 24th.  These sessions will sell out again quickly, so if you are interested and haven’t already registered, do so fast. 

Our Marketing for Small Business classes are divided into three programs.  The Basics Series include Blogging, Social Media Platforms Overview,  Organic Search Engine Optimization, Direct Marketing, and Email blasts.  The Social    Media Series covers Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for Business, and a new session dedicated to content.  The Digital Program offers LinkedIN, how to create an email blast and another session on event marketing within Constant Contact.  The final class covers how to understand Google Analytics.

Though our prescheduled series are conducted at our facility, many of our  clients have asked us to teach classes at their location.  We can modify an individual presentation or an entire series to address your needs.  One of our more popular traveling seminars is called Direct Mail Made Easy.  Several clients invite us to teach this class once or twice a year.  We have presented to sales and client service reps, graphic artists, and marketing coordinators.  Some highlights from the class include, what to look for when designing materials to mail, understanding different classes of mail, and a review of postage rates.  If you have an interest, call your representative and we will make it happen.   

We hope that you enjoy this edition of The Bureau, and if you have questions or need more information about anything herein, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  Thank your for your business and partnership.

Ron Royall, President

Business Extension Bureau

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT IS INFORMED DELIVERY

Informed delivery is a free and optional notification service that gives residential consumers the ability to see a preview of their letter mail, wherever they are,  BEFORE IT ARRIVES.

Participating customers (20 million strong so far), receive an email containing an image of the outside of their  letter-sized and package mailpieces that will be arriving soon.

Notifications can also be viewed on the dashboard at informeddelivery.usps.com.  Notifications are not sent on days when there is no mail to be delivered, or on  Sundays and federal holidays.

There is a lot of potential for marketers as this program takes root.  You have the option to make the images  interactive by connecting to your website or landing  pages.

 

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

  • Visit informeddelivery.usps.com
  • Click View My Mail
  • Go to My Preferences. Under Account Management, you will see a box for Informed Delivery.  Click Manage Your Mail
  • Opt IN to Informed Delivery by selecting the check box and confirm your address.  Complete ID verification process.
  • Start receiving notifications within the next few days!