4. ADVERTISING MAIL, STANDARD MAIL
Standard Mail service is the primary class of mail for delivering advertising content to the mailbox. It is a valuable medium for the distribution of information about products and services (catalogs and direct mail), organizations (fundraising), and individuals (campaign materials). It can target the right audience, it can deliver personalized messaging, it allows for testing of different creative and mailpiece elements as well as the entire advertising campaign, and it delivers these benefits within the framework of the security and privacy of the U.S. Postal Service. These attributes position Standard Mail service as a cost-effective and efficient advertising medium.

To better serve our customers, Product Marketing continued its efforts to refine the already successful www.uspsdirectmail.com website to offer more information and access to transactional capabilities. The improved website continues to offer online help to businesses interested in adding to their customer base and/or better meeting the needs of their current customers. New for this year is the Simple Formulas series of publications that provide idea starters, tips, tricks, and trade secrets for using the mail to grow business.

Working closely with the Sales team, Product Marketing developed new materials with a consistent corporate look and messaging to support the national sales force in its pursuit of new customers. Product Marketing is also working closely with many other functional areas to provide new tools and sales support materials to facilitate local efforts to increase revenue and better communicate the value of Postal Service products and services.

Product Marketing conducted more than fifty direct mail seminars that provided more than 3,700 small businesses with the information and tools necessary to begin using the mail to advertise their products and services. These seminars are provided in conjunction with district offices and members of the mailing community.