Should We Save The Post Office?

It seems like every time I turn around lately I see a story about the Post Office’s impending doom.

There’s a long history of debating USPS finances. Every time rates rise Congress explores cutting 1-3 days of weekly service.

USPS gets no tax revenue. Like any smart business, management has introduced new products (greeting cards) and alliances (UPS, FEDEX). These have helped, yet the rumors remain.

Today states are increasing mail-in balloting, even as coronavirus is devastating their bottom line.

I won’t debate the wisdom of politicians dictating conditions for a bailout. However, as a marketing professional, logic demands keeping (and using) the USPS. Here’s why:

• The Postal Service is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality.

• You can reach your customers, first class, for 55¢. Postcards are only 35¢. Their EDDM service lets you reach customers for as little as 16¢.

• Your competition probably isn’t using the mail for their marketing. This spells opportunity for you, with easy customer access and nobody else talking to your target audience.

Snail mail can be infinitely more creative than email. One of my clients mailed out fortune cookies with a customized promotional message. Another sent out stuffed mice. Another, two cups and a string.

Each campaign provided a clever message to a specific community, had a big response, and was INCREDIBLY profitable.

So…are you missing a trick?

Over the past 20 years we’ve seen the internet replace brick & mortar stores. 25% of shopping malls are expected to disappear by 2025. Many print media are rebalancing, and most business owners believe the only answer to their communications challenges is placing another post on a crowded Facebook feed.

And do you REALLY believe you can get first position on Google?

Yet these same professionals ignore the obvious way to reach customers: with an introductory promotion sent via snail mail.

If you’re looking to goose up activity from your existing customer base, creative mailers demonstrating how you’ll service their needs could go a long way.

Or you could open new markets with mailing lists matching your customer profile.

Because, used intelligently, Ben Franklin’s vision of a national postal delivery system has potential to make a huge difference in your bottom line.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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Communications insights from every angle are found at www.askmrmarketing.com.