Delivery Network Redesign: USPS will continue to redesign its delivery network, which may involve renaming facilities and assigning new responsibilities to them.

Mailing Promotions and Incentives: USPS plans to introduce five mailing promotions and two 鈥渁dd-on/upgrade鈥� promotions.听 These include the Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Promotions, Integrated Technology Promotion, Reply Mail IMbA Promotion, Continuous Contact Promotion and First-Class Mail Advertising Promotion.听 The add-on promotions deal with Informed Delivery and Sustainability.听 Additionally, there will be growth incentives for both First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail.

Identification of Official Election Mail/Ballots: New requirements will be introduced to identify Official Election Mail/Ballots from Political Campaign Mail, aiming to ensure the secure and timely delivery of election-related materials.

Reevaluation of First-Class Mail Flat Pricing: USPS will reevaluate the pricing structure for First-Class Mail Flats, potentially impacting the cost of mailing larger, flat items.

USPS Proposed Pricing Changes for July 2024

The USPS has proposed a list of rate increases that covers many of its services, in addition to changes to the way pricing is calculated for certain mailings.

How Promotional Discounts are applied: Currently, the USPS removes promotional discounts from primary postage and then removes incentive discounts.听 Moving forward, incentive discounts will be removed from primary postage and then promotional discounts will be taken.

Full-Service Discount for First Class and Marketing Mail pieces increased from $.003 to $.005 per piece. (Full-Service Automation barcoded pieces receive this discount) Seamless discounts from $.001 to $.002 per piece.

First Class Flats are currently priced by the ounce with a base price for each additional ounce.听 Moving forward, the prices between ounces could vary.

Marketing Mail had components found to be over their costs, or not covering their costs.

• Marketing Mail Flats will raise by 11.708%
• Carrier Routes will raise by 9.918%
• Nonprofit flats will raise by 16.2%
• Nonprofit Carrier Route will raise by 20.1%
• Nonprofit High Density and High Density Plus Carrier Route will increase by 17.3%

Marketing Mail Flat Rates Restructuring: Currently, marketing mail flat pieces over 4 ounces pay per piece and a per pound rate for the weight over 4 ounces.听 This will be restructured so a per-pound rate is paid for the whole weight, including the first 4 ounces. Also under this plan, work share discounts will return for under 4 ounces reflected in the per piece cost, but over 4 ounces, the work share discounts will be shared in the per pound pricing.

Catalog Incentive: Mailers using Marketing Mail or Package Services Bound Printed Matter Flats and Parcels will be granted a $.001 per piece incentive for announcing their mail pieces are catalogs when presenting the mailings to the USPS via the postal statements. However, Marketing Mail Simple Samples will be eliminated.

To qualify as a catalog, a mail piece must meet one of the following requirements:

1. 12 or more pages.
2. Bound or fastened along one edge and shaped as a letter, flat or parcel.
3. An organized, illustrated, descriptive listing of the products or services offered for sale.
4. Prices or a method for determining prices.
5. Information on Shipping or Fulfillment (shipping or pick-up methods)
6. Enough information to allow an order to be placed.听 This may be through an order form, mailing address, phone number, web address or means to access a web address such as a QR Code.
7. Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) 鈥� Retail

Mailing Rate Increases By Mail Class

First-Class Mail Price Changes

First-Class Mail First-Ounce Rates – Letters

USPS Marketing Mail Product Price Changes

Periodicals Price Changes

Package Services Price Changes

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To see how other classes will compare to the 5.4% increase for First Class, here is a chart. It appears that Periodicals are getting hit a little harder this increase.

Table 4听

Price Change Percentages听

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:

When reviewing percent changes, it appears periodicals will be affected more than other items.听

Below is the statement USPS sent out about the proposed changes.听

Though we are sharing this information today, please use this information with the understanding that it is all pending approval.听听

April 10, 2023

U.S. Postal Service Files Notice with PRC for New Mailing Services Pricing

• Actions taken to address continued elevated inflation and prior years defective pricing model

• New prices scheduled to take effect July 9, 2023
• Postal Service prices remain among the most affordable in the world

WASHINGTON, DC 鈥� Today, the United States Postal Service filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect July 9, 2023. The new rates include a three-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 63 cents to 66 cents.

If favorably reviewed by the Commission, the proposed increases will raise First-Class Mail prices approximately 5.4 percent to offset the rise in inflation. The price changes have been approved by the Governors of the U.S. Postal Service.

The price for 1-ounce metered mail will increase to 63 cents, and the price to send a domestic postcard will increase to 51 cents. A 1-ounce letter mailed to another country would increase to $1.50. There will be no change to the single-piece letter and flat additional-ounce price, which remains at 24 cents. The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for Special Services products including Certified Mail, Post Office Box rental fees, money order fees and the cost to purchase insurance when mailing an item.听听听

The proposed Mailing Services price changes include:听

As operating expenses fueled by inflation continue to rise and the effects of a previously defective pricing model are still being felt, these price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue to achieve the financial stability sought by its Delivering for America 10-year plan. The prices of the U.S. Postal Service remain among the most affordable in the world.

The PRC will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect. The complete Postal Service price filing, with prices for all products, can be found on the PRC website under the Daily Listings section at . The Mailing Services filing is Docket No. R2023-2. The price tables are also available on the Postal Service鈥檚 Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.

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Associations are always looking to improve member experience and technology provides many routes to do so. In one of the AM&P sessions, 鈥淲here Technology Can Take You 鈥� and Your Reader,鈥� a panel of technology experts shared their expertise and addressed concerns to help associations understand which technologies should be on their radar 鈥� and why.

The Panel
The afternoon session was moderated by Erin Pressley, the Vice President of Education and Media at , an international trade association that represents convenience and fuel retail. AM&P brought in three panelists: Robert Flynn, CEO of , with experience in many forms of digital media including traditional media companies and startups; Johnny Kaldor, the Founder and CEO of , an award-winning mobile engagement platform that works with major publishing brands; and Keanan Koppenhaver, CTO of , a digital consultancy that frequently works with publishers.

Mobile publishing apps
Panelists quickly established the importance of mobile 鈥� 78 percent of publishing content is consumed via mobile. Apps are a key part of the mobile strategy 鈥� in the U.S. 87 percent of user time on a mobile device is spent with apps.

However, publications haven鈥檛 seen the results they want. They鈥檝e been struggling to engage readers with apps. According to the panelists, this may be a problem with how they鈥檙e reading. People don鈥檛 interact with an app the way they鈥檇 read a magazine. They won鈥檛 read it front to back.

Associations should focus on creating a good reader experience in the app. That may mean a different way of storytelling than with the magazine.

Mobile web or app?
When asked whether associations should use a mobile website or an app, the panelists suggested meeting the reader where they want to be. A mobile website allows for quick access, but an app can create a deeper experience.

You could also take a cue from social media sites: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram offer both mobile websites and apps, but their apps provide a much better experience than the mobile website as it completely focuses the reader on its content, with minimal outside distraction.

The future
What鈥檚 working? Where should the association go?

Panelist Keanan suggested doing micro projects to experiment and see what works. Flynn suggested setting a solid strategy of what you鈥檙e trying to accomplish. Kaldor recommended looking at game developers to understand where things are going next 鈥� they鈥檙e often at the forefront of technology trends.

Don鈥檛 write off a trend just because it鈥檚 not the obvious choice. Voice technology is becoming a more widely-used platform to deliver content via device and publishers can take part. The Economist app has the ability to read articles out loud, so the audience can listen on the go in more of a podcast format.

People don鈥檛 like change. The panelists warned that some people will always complain when there鈥檚 a change. App replacements often get horrible reviews because complainers are always the loudest and first to react. However, later surveys often show high satisfaction ratings. So don鈥檛 despair if people don鈥檛 like your change at first.

It will work!
Audience members asked why some apps just 鈥渄on鈥檛 seem to work鈥� and the panelists reiterated that mobile, especially apps, are a different experience. Publications need to sort out how to make digital work in a content ecosystem. The experience is different. Content read on mobile is about a stolen moment of the day. Print is more of a luxury you sink into. If an app merely publishes PDFs, it鈥檚 a lesser experience than print and it鈥檚 not providing content that matches the platform.

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Association Media and Publishing () recognizes the special needs that unite these diverse organizations, and their provides associations with a platform to ask questions and learn from fellow association leaders.

The Panelists
A recent Lunch & Learn in Washington, D.C., sponsored by 杏吧原创, focused on digital content challenges for associations and followed an AMA format 鈥� short for Ask Me Anything, popularized in online forums like .

John Bond, with , served as moderator. The three distinguished panelists were Joe Vallina, with the , Larry H. Hoffer, with the , and Dr. Bibiana Campos Seijo, with the .

Their discussion with attendees spanned many themes related to digital publishing, and the panelists discussed the significant changes that are taking place with content distribution.

One key takeaway from the session: The days of writing for one content distribution channel are gone. Now, associations must think from the start how to disseminate information over many channels simultaneously so they鈥檙e not defined or limited by a single channel.

Developing a Content Plan
The panelists and moderator dove deeper into planning content. One important component to the plan is knowing what members want. What engages them?

The panelists discussed what鈥檚 working for their associations, and naturally, being very different associations, they shared unique examples of what engages their respective members.

• Members of the American Chemical Society find the group鈥檚 engaging.
• The Woodworking Machinery Industry Association found their really resonated with members.
• The American Nurses Association found their members have really enjoyed participating in and uploading photos for their .

Panelists also advised attendees to take industry trends and professional certifications into account. These are indicators and drivers of member interests.

Defining a Distribution Strategy
The panelists had some easy-to-implement suggestions for their online publishing strategy. For starters, they recommended re-purposing older content to drive web views to newer content. For associations looking to add content distribution channels, panelists suggested podcasts and video as engaging and relatively inexpensive options.

The panel recommended consideration of using paywalls to monetize prime content as long as this method aligned with an association鈥檚 mission and content offerings.

Lastly, the panel pointed out that, while many associations intend to make use of personalization, most have yet to implement it. They鈥檙e convinced associations can use personalization to deliver content tailored to an individual member鈥檚 areas of interest. It boils down to a few steps: look at viewing behaviors, discern trends, develop personas that encapsulate these trends, and deliver content to persona groups matching these trends.

Recruiting the Right Staff
Panelists shared that the choice of communications staff and contractors can have a big impact on an association鈥檚 culture, and advised that organizations prioritize diverse skills in the people hired.

Panelists suggested looking for a candidate鈥檚 interactions in online forums to identify the people who are influencers. Recruiting staff with this skill-set is a forward-thinking way to prepare your association for the future.

Session Summary
Since the days of one-channel content distribution are gone, associations must utilize multiple methods to deliver tailored content to defined persona groups.

Data analytics are key to identifying trends related to a member鈥檚 content and consumption preferences. Otherwise, associations will continue struggling to break through the flood of information available to their members and will miss out on meaningful engagement opportunities.

Join Us Next Time!
Feel like you missed out? Attend the next one! AM&P hosts several throughout the year, in different parts of the country.

杏吧原创 is sponsoring an upcoming Lunch & Learn in Chicago, . We hope you鈥檒l join us July 19.

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