2011 July

V I S I T U S A T W W W . S A P A T O D A Y . C O M

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association (931) 490-0400 (931) 490-0488 fax 1

SAPATodayAdvancing the free paper industry by providing resources for success and venues for sharing ideas.

Board of DirectorsThe leadership of SAPA is in good hands. The board of directors, director, and assistant are listed with contact information.Page 3

A Sales Lesson On the Golf CourseJohn Foust teaches us that thinking “towards” will help us go greater distances. Just read it, it makes sense.Page 3

Conference SchedulePlan today to join us at the fabulous Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, AL on July 15 & 16, 2011.Page 8

Graphics Series Ellen Hanrahan shows how small space ads can be creative and effective. Who knew?Page 5

“Netiquette”In our connected society there are some rules that will set you apart from other and help you be more effective online.Page 6

Checklist for Effective AdvertisingWhen you approach a prospective client have these questions in mind so that they can get great results, and you get the sale.Page 9

Second in a Three-Part Series by Bob Bert-ing

Many hard to please customers are created because they are upset over their advertis-ing programs and let their discontent go on and on until they are ready too quit and then it’s too late. A lot of customer displea-sure can be alleviated with proper planning and incorporating:

The goals of the advertiser—getting their ego involved.

Reasons why shoppers should come to their business.

Knowing winning edge points over compe-tition.

Working With Hard To Please Customers

A creative campaign that tells the story of their business.

Ad design that attracts the reader with pro-vocative headlines, bold illustrations, sharp copy, and above all, ads which are easy to read and project one idea at a time (Unique Selling Point).

ON THE FIRING LINE WITH CUSTOMERS

Before we examine the types of hard to please customers. let’s look at some basic guidelines to make happy customers:

Acknowledge seriousness of problem

Make statements of emotional empathy

Acknowledge validity of their emotions

Use their name

Give personal reassurance: “I’m taking per-sonal responsibility for this”

Give a clear plan of action

Say “I’m sorry.”

Use statements of conviction: “We’re going to do something about that”

Think about the above points and apply them to your thinking and how you would present each point. Watch for the final phase of this series in the next issue---“7 Types of Hard to Please Customers.”

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE FREE PAPER INDUSTRY JULY 2011



by Brian Gay

By now most of you have seen the fantastic ads from the PaperChain Ad Contest. Please run theses ads as they promote the Free Paper Industry. We have the ability to promote ourselves with these ads. From past experience and because our publications work so well, as a group we can promote our industry better than any other me-dia. When you have extra space to fill please remember to run the ads that you receive each week.

If you want to follow PaperChain on Facebook please go to the Facebook site and search for PaperChain. Once there just click on the like button and you will start receiving all the news about PaperChain.

There are five committees all working to advance PaperChain. They are:

Campaign Committee chaired by Dick Colvin – They worked to bring you the PaperChain Ad Contest and are work-ing on additional projects to move Pa-perChain into the future.

Member Relations Committee chaired by Janelle Anderson – They are cur-rently working on the Link and Learn and will have a new Link and Earn program shortly. The committee is working on a membership survey to

find out what members would like to see PaperChain accomplish in the next few years.

Technology Committee chaired by Alyse Mitten-Beahr – They are work-ing on everything electronic for Paper-Chain. This includes all social media, blogs, and everything about the digital aspect of our industry.

Administration Committee chaired by Greg Birkett - Greg will be the next Chairperson of PaperChain starting on January 1, 2012. His committee takes care of all the administrative details as-sociated with PaperChain.

Public relations Committee chaired by Carlos Guzman – The committee is working with the Make A Wish foun-dation as the charity for our members to promote. There will be more com-ing out about this shortly.

It is plain to see that PaperChain is doing a great deal to promote the Free Paper Industry. Often the various com-mittees are working behind the scene promoting what a positive image of the Free Paper Industry. None of this would happen without the support of the various associations funding this important project.

Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off our goals.

Zig Ziglar

Character is the ability to follow through on a resolution long after the emotion with which it was made has passed.

Brian Tracy

Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but can’t get more time.

Jim Rohn

Partners in Printing Since 1900

David C. ZehPrint Sales Consultant

mobile: 770.722.0076 email: [email protected]

www.waltonpress.com

402 Mayfield Drive • P.O. Box 966Monroe, GA 30655

toll free: 800.354.0235 local: 770.267.2596 fax: 770.267.9463

Organizational SoftwareOrganizational SoftwareTools you need to be more effi cient.

Software Developed by: Little Fish Big Ocean, Inc.

Lead Developer & Founder

[email protected]@[email protected]@MaxProPublishing.comwww.MaxProPublishing.comchris@[email protected]@MaxProPublishing.com

407-656-2777

Report

Free PapersWorking For You

What does this sign mean?Some signs you see along the road leave you scratching your head wondering what they mean.

One sign you’ll never have to wonder about is ours. We are committed to bringing you the best our community has to off er each issue. Your free community paper has the best local content, the best values, and the most readers.

Insert Your Logo Here

Another sign we’re working for you.By the way, the sign at the top is a European “Bridge Ahead” sign.



PresidentRussell

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Vice PresidentTony OnellionBargains PlusSlidell, LA

985-649-9515

Past PresidentGreg Ledford

Shelby Shopper & Info

Shelby, NC 704-484-1047

TreasurerAlan Lingerfelt

The Piedmont Shopper

Danville, VA434-822-1800

Board MemberWill ThomasExchange, Inc.

Fayetteville, TN 931-433-9737

SecretaryCaroline

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Executive Director

Douglas FrySAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-490-0400

Board MemberBill Derby

Johnson City News & Neighbor

Johnson City, TN423-979-1300

Past PresidentGary Benton

Peddler ADvantageParis, TN

731-644-9595

Administrative Assistant

Vickie BeldenSAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-490-0400SA

PA

Lead

ersh

ip Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.

Brian Tracy

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

Henry, a golf buddy of mine, watched me hit a drive that caught only a glimpse of the fairway before slicing deep into the woods. “John, your towards is off,” he said.

Henry has a gift for taking something complicated and reducing it to a simple nugget of wisdom. (I’m sure that’s a big reason why he’s one of the must successful publishers I know.)

I think his golf philosophy can easily be applied to advertising sales. Let’s take a closer look at these two elements:

1. Towards: Think of all the things which must be in alignment in order for a golf shot to go in the right direction. Stance, grip, club position, posture, shoulder turn, follow through, and so on.

A Sales Lesson On The Golf Course

continued on page 4

“My what?” I asked.

“Your ‘towards.’ The two most important things in golf are ‘towards’ and ‘distance.’ You’ve got to make sure that every shot moves you towards the green. And you need to get the right distance from every swing. Consider everything that has been written and said about golf, and it all comes down to ‘towards’ and ‘distance.’”



It’s the same in sales. A lot of things must be done correctly in order to lead a prospect to a buying decision.

A sales veteran at a large paper once told me that – when he first started selling – he didn’t realize the importance of strategic thinking on an individual level. “One day I was looking at the notes I had jotted on a printed prospect list and realized that I had written ‘follow up’ beside the most of them. That was a wakeup call. I decided to start thinking in specifics

instead of generalities. ‘Follow up’ is not a strategy.”

He explained that he customized a strategy for each one of those prospects: timetables for phone calls and e-mails, what to say, invitations to meet for coffee or lunch, what advertising schedules to recommend.

“There was an immediate payoff,” he said. “With a plan for each prospect, I knew where I wanted to take them – and I knew how to get there.”

2. Distance: I remember talking to an advertiser about his main contact at his local paper. “She makes the most of every meeting,” he said. “Before the ink was dry on the first contract I signed with her paper, she pulled out a legal pad and started mapping out a campaign. She didn’t waste any time digging down to details – special offers, headlines, illustrations. Each time I meet with her, I know we’ll get a lot accomplished.”

Distance can also apply to the advertising itself. Are you helping your advertisers squeeze as much as possible from their budgets? Will your next ad make a compelling offer? Or will it make a vacuous statement like, “For all your transportation needs?” Will it be different from all the other ads in that product category (real estate, finance, automotive, etc.)? Or will it look like all the other ads on the page?

Henry is right. Go towards. And get distance.

(c) Copyright 2011 by John Foust. All rights reserved. E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: [email protected]

You cannot tailor make the situations in life, but you can tailor make the attitudes to fit those situations before they arise.

Zig Ziglar

Most people achieved their greatest success one step beyond what looked like their greatest failure.

Brian Tracy

Tight Economy? Revenue Down? You need More Than Just Content!

2005: 80,000

2009 Kidsville News! Circulation 1.1 millionnationwide!

Award Winning Editorial • Educational Worksheets CVC Audits • Website • Online Edition • Truman, the dragon

New revenue sources, higher profits, solutions & opportunities

2007:806,125

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT BRINGING

KIDSVILLE NEWS TO YOUR COMMUNITY CALL

Bill Bowman, [email protected] or 910.391.3859

Kidsville News! is NOT a franchise, insert or special section.

Find out why the Kidsville News! educational resource and children's newspaper is the fastest growing publication in the nation.*

www.KidsvilleNews.com

“ReadKiddoRead is about getting the very best books into kids’ hands, the ones that will create life-long readers. Kidsville News! understands how important this

is — they have a solid, entertaining paper that gets kids and parents reading together. What a great place to showcase a taste of what’s going on

at ReadKiddoRead.” — James Patterson, Author

The Nation’s Fun Family Newspaper

“Kidsville News! is a unique publication that is not only well read in the classroom, but CVC research shows the editions are brought home and shared with parents and

siblings. Each month nearly 60% of Kidsville News! editions are still in the hands of child & adult readers when the new issue is distributed. This high retention

rate allows sponsors a unique opportunity for their message to have an impact in communities.”

— TIm Bingaman, CVC



Small SpaceWHEN THE ECONOMY IS WEAK, ADVERTISERS MAY CUT BACK ON THEIR ADVERTISING… SO IT’S NOW UP TO THE DESIGNER TO CREATE A LOT OF IMPACT IN A…

I welcome your input and suggestions. I entered the publishing business after nine years as a high school art teacher and taught software programs at the technical school level. I also write another graphics column for The Independent Publisher…and I am still learning. Reach me at: [email protected] Ellen Hanrahan ©2011

Sometimes the ad is really, really really wideHeaders can be quite a problem. We want to unite all the advertisers, but we usually don’t have much room. The header below (yes, I realize it’s more of a “footer,” but pretend it’s at the top) offers a bit of flexibility as well. For example, the original width is 61 picas (slightly more than ten inches) but this arrangement allows for the width to change if you need to fill just half the page. The reader still knows the ads are grouped and what they are about. This header is slightly less than an inch tall, yet it acts as a unifying element without feeling too confined.

Add some punch to that small spaceDon’t be afraid to go bold and add pattern to the small space ad. If you add color… great, but if you have no choice, use the black and white con-trast to your advantage—just keep it strong! Too much gray will actually “wash out” and diminish the contrast. Keep color simple —too much color could overwhelm the small space. Just keep everything in balance and you will be fine.

VOTEAPRIL 7

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

SPRING COUPONSSPRING COUPONSSPRING COUPONSSPRING COUPONSMany of these coupons are available online www.booster-ads.com

ARE YOU READY?Snowplowing & ShovelingResidential & Commercial

FREE ESTIMATESTim’s

Landscaping & Lawn Maintenance

262-689-0515 cell262-677-1334 office

Friday, Nov 21featuring Live Music byGary Cross

6:00pm–10:00pmBAR OPEN 4:00PM

KC HallSEAFOOD BUFFETServing 4:45–8:30pm

3245 Lighthouse Lane • West Bend262-334-9849www.kc-hall.com

$100DOMESTIC BEER

TAPPERS

…’till next month!

Apparently I have a thing for small space ads! I guess the challenge is to see what can be done with the information. Sometimes I was very lucky and got to create “fill” ads for our paper —which means that there is a lot of freedom in putting the info together. Other times the customer needs to get his message across in a specific way. Usually the ads are 2 columns wide by two inches deep—and I have a lot of those samples—but I’ll share those at the conference in July! In the meantime, one column ads can be even more of a challenge—the trick is using the right “pieces.” All the ads on this page are at 97% of their original size (I’m working in a smaller space on this page!). These ads are totally different, yet there are similarities because of the siz-ing. I don’t like to mess with borders in these skinny ads because I need all the room I can get! I use contrast to my advantage—to call attention to the space and to confine the information. A condensed typeface is also pretty much a given and I like to make the info as large as I can. I try to avoid thin and decorative typefaces as they can become too “anemic” for the small

space. All the ads shown on this page share the same attributes—they need to be bold! Small space doesn’t mean you have to shy away from a pattern either. The blood donor ad shows that patterns can work well in a small space. In the “vote” ad, the pattern has anoth-er advantage—it can be stretched or shortened depending on the space avail-able. By the way, this ad can also be used in a horizontal format as well. Using sym-bols, like stars and stripes, evoke a feeling of patriotism to allow us to display our message in a graphic and eye-catching manner. We depend on our little “fill” ads to run consistently and with some flex-ibility to give our pages an overall orga-nized look. Line, space, shape, texture, size, value and color are the elements of design that we use over and over. How to use these elements is the function of the principles of design—balance, emphasis, unity, and proximity to help to keep that informa-tion organized so the reader has a clear

understanding of the mes-sage. These elements and principles come together, in varying degrees, and they work well in both color and grayscale.

See the Booster’s

Fall & Winter Car Care

special section coming

October 14



‘Netiquette’ for Sales Professionals: Six Rules for Social Media Communication

by Landy Chase

As the selling profession transitions from traditional to digital methods of initiating relationships, it is important to remember that there are signifi-cant differences between traditional and digital methods of communicat-ing. Below are six “rules of the road” for building online relationships with business contacts:

BE YOURSELFWrite to others as you talk to others. Show your personality. Be real. People who don’t know you at first will warm up to you quickly by getting to know you in this way. You will never meet all of them in person, but they will be much more likely to follow you – and recommend you to others, a key to your success in building your foot-print – if they find you to be a likeable, genuine person through the way that you write.

YOU ARE TALKING TO PEOPLE, NOT COMPUTERS

The world of online communication lends itself to being impersonal, if we so choose. After all, there is an ele-ment of anonymity to online commu-nication that can de-humanize the way

we interact with others. We can forget at times that we are talking to other people, not other computers. This, combined with the ability to hide one’s identity, causes some people to aban-don traditional parameters of good be-havior, particularly when participating in polls or forums. You see examples all the time in comments posted on a variety of websites; there are a lot of people who say things to one another on the web that they would never say to them in person. People who use the cloak of anonymity to say ugly things online, simply because they can re-main anonymous, are cowards. You do not want to be one of these people.

Rudeness in the online environment is just as inappropriate as it is in the real world. Remember that you are in-teracting with other people who have feelings similar to your own. It gets back to talking to people online as if you were talking to them in person – if you wouldn’t say it to them in person, don’t say it to them in your correspon-dence.

WHO YOU ARE IS WHAT YOU TYPE

The most important aspect of online

communication – something that you must be aware of at all times- is the singular power of the written word. Because you are a sales professional, in your ‘natural’ environment as a sales person – a face-to-face interaction with another human being – there are a myriad of factors collectively creat-ing the overall impression that a pros-pect or client has of you, and how you are therefore perceived. These include how you shake hands, how you sit, your appearance, your voice, eye con-tact, hand gestures, and many other, more subtle nuances. When you are communicating online, all of those in-terpersonal aspects of you that make you who you are have been stripped away. You need to take this into con-sideration, because it is a fundamen-tally different environment than you are used to. In this universe, the words that you choose online have singular, absolute power over how people per-ceive you. Your online persona con-sists entirely of you write. Take heed, be careful, and be conservative.

BE ACCURATEOne of the things that you will learn quickly about the online community, if you haven’t discovered it already, is that there are people online who have way too much free time on their hands. We know this to be true, be-cause there is a legion of users that spend copious amounts of time serv-ing in the unpaid capacity of research-ing posted content posted by others, solely for the purpose of finding items that are inconsistent, inaccurate, or

Introducing

Creator Express$2999 Exclusively sold

through the Mac App StoreSM

multiad.com/creatorexpress

continued on page 7



just plain wrong. When they find a discrepancy, in behavior reminiscent of Pavlov’s dog, they get their ‘reward’ by publicly outing the offending party that posted the item. Why do they de-light in doing this? Because they have an overwhelming need to be appreci-ated and/or noticed, we suppose.

Irrespective of their motivations, it pays to be diligent in validating the accuracy of any claims that you make, or data that you share, about a sub-ject, particularly one within your field of expertise. You can get by with an occasional mistake, but repeated in-stances will undermine your credibil-ity to those who follow you in the on-line community. If you cannot validate a piece of information, do not present it as fact; present it as an opinion, or at the very least, as information that you obtained from another source. This will give you some protection in the event that the item turns out to be bo-

gus. Rest assured, if it is, someone will delight in holding you account-able.

SPELLING AND GRAMMARYour grammatical skills, or lack there-of, is another area of communicating online that affects both your brand and your credibility as a Value Generator. Here again, if your sentence structure and/or spelling are not consistently accurate, the same people who scour your content for inaccuracies will also pick apart your grammatical mistakes publicly and make these, and not the value of your content, the focus of the online community’s attention. Always use a spell-check tool to review your writing before posting it. Read your content through a couple of times, even aloud if necessary, to ensure clar-ity of message. It is well worth the time to do some editing of what you

write, if the extra effort results in im-proving the value of the information being presented.

AVOID RACY HUMORAs you build your social media follow-ers, never take liberties with their taste in humor when distributing ‘funnies’. The problem with forwarding jokes of any kind, and particularly racy ones, is that you never know who will find something you send out as stupid, or worse, offensive. You cannot win here. Some recipients might find a dirty joke that you forward to be hilarious, but they are still left with a new per-ception of you that you probably don’t want them to have. Remember that you are building a personal brand, and everything that you say and do either contributes to or detracts from that brand. There is too much risk in-volved to your professional reputation to forward questionable content to your online followers.

Landy Chase, MBA, CSP is an expert who spe-cializes in speaking to corporations and associa-tions on advanced professional selling and sales management skills. His latest book, Competitive Selling, was named an Editors Choice Best Busi-ness Books of 2010 selection and is available on amazon.com. To book Landy for your next sales meeting, visit his website at www.sellingrevolu-

tion.com or call (800) 370-8026.

‘Netiquette’ for Sales Professionals: Six Rules for Social Media Communication continued from page 6



SAPA Annual Conference: Birmingham, AL July 15 & 16, 2011: SAPA always has the best conferences in the industry. Next year’s conference at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama will be no exception. Great speakers, enjoyable time to mingle with your publishing friends, and opportunities to network

Conference Schedulesmake this conference another “must-attend” event. The Wynfrey Hotel adjoins a huge shopping experience so you might want to plan an extra day or two. Now, more than ever, you’ll benefit from attending this upcoming conference. Call Douglas Fry at 1-800-334-0649 for more info.

IFPA Annual Conference, Reno, NV September 30 - October 1, 2011: Valuable seminars, open forums, a vendor showcase, Awards banquet, design contests, luxurious settings, and plenty of entertainment. Seminar topics include: sales, new revenue ideas, how to make money online, classified ad program development, ad layout & design, and how to compete with broadcast media. Call Gary Rudy at 609-408-8000 for more information.

Display & Classified Ad Sales & BillingCirculation Direct Mail Payroll Accounting

Integrated Management Software designed by publishers for publishers

MERRIMAC SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES INC.TAMWORTH, NH 603 323 8811 WWW.MERRSOFT.COM


Will the Internet kill your free community paper?Did instant coffee kill coffee?

New technologies change many things. But not everything. You may tweet, blog, surf, shop, or search online but you continue to read your free community paper. You just proved it.

Readership of free community papers is now higher than paid daily papers, and continues to grow. Rather than being replaced by “instant” media, your local free community paper has become an important part of our neighborhood.

The reason, which sometimes is not heard because of all the noise about the Internet, is pretty obvious: your free community paper does what the Internet doesn’t. We promote connections at a local level. Free papers join readers and advertisers in ways digital media don’t.

In fact, the local content and power of your free paper makes advertising even more effective. We are the number one medium for driving purchases. That’s important in every product category.

Including coffee.



Justin Gerena, President, Director of Salesp: 888.592.3212 x710e: [email protected]

JB Multimedia, Inc. P.O. Box 704 N. Bellmore, NY 11710 888.592.3212 phone/fax www.jbmultimedia.net

M a k i n g p u b l i c a t i o n s i n t e r a c t i v e.

It's time for a new business venture…Needing new Revenue for 2011?

theBOOKcreators.bizCONNIE GIBBS

[email protected]

JOEL [email protected]

620-947-1923

It's time for a new business venture…Needing new Revenue for 2011?

theBOOKcreators.bizCONNIE GIBBS

[email protected]

JOEL [email protected]

620-947-1923

Client Questions forEffective AdvertisingTo help develop an effective advertising strategy for your clients, consider and ask these questions:

Who is their competition?

When is their peak selling time / season?

What sets them apart from their competitors?

What is the biggest misconception about their product or service?

Who is their typical customer? Age? Income? Sex? Education?

What image do you try to project? (Service? Price? Convenience? etc.)

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PUBLICATION:

Does your publication reach the advertisers in the age, gender, income and education groups that best match their customer profile?

What geographic area does that publication cover? Will they be paying for wasted coverage? Does it reach those most likely to do business with them?

How much investment is required to get results?

What results should they expect?

HOW CAN THEY TELL IF THEIR ADVERTISING WORKS?

Have phone calls and inquiries increased?

Do they see new customers? More customers?

Are there questions about advertised items?

What are sales vs. a similar period without advertising?

Are there weather or other influences that might have changed results?

IS THEIR AD AN EFFECTIVE ONE? GOOD ADS ...

Make a specific offer to sell something.

Are directed to a targeted audience.

Ask a reader to take action.

Make response possible (address / phone).

Have theme or approach to catch interest.

Hold interest with graphics, copy and a real offer.


While others retreat, we are moving forward.Some publication’s numbers are falling behind. Your free community paper is moving forward. Readership of free community papers is now higher than paid daily papers, and continues to grow. Rather than being replaced by “instant” media, your local free community paper has become an important part of our neighborhood.

Insert Your Logo Here

Another sign we’re working for you.

Character gets you out of bed; commitment moves you to action. Faith, hope, and discipline enable you to follow through to completion

Zig Ziglar



USPS REVIEWS STRUCTURAL CHANGES

In June 2011, the Postal Service released information signaling potential structural changes in the postal rate categories it will be proposing in Fall 2011, to be imple-mented on January 22, 2012. The Postal Service has promised mailers that it will do a better job of giving advance notices of mi-nor and major changes it plans to make in Postal Service operation requirements and structural and pricing changes. Two chang-es were recently listed that could impact free paper publishers and mailers doing TMC or saturation mail programs.

In Standard Mail, the Postal Service pre-viewed that it may add additional price tiers to high density. Currently, standard mail can qualify for high density rates if there are 125 pieces, sorted in carrier route walk sequence, on a carrier route. By adding ad-ditional tiers, the Postal Service could, con-ceivably, create separate rate categories for automation-compatible high density and non-automation high density. It could also create higher or lower counts (with differ-ent corresponding rates) per carrier route that would still qualify as high density. This announcement does not commit the Postal Service to adding new structures or price offerings. It is a “placeholder” that it gives mailers notice that changes in this area could take place.

The Postal Service also announced that two rate cells will be in place for detached ad-dressing labels. Currently, detached ad-dress labels may only be used when they are automation-compatible and are sent as part of a saturation flat mailing. The current sur-charge for DALs is 1.7 cents added to the applicable saturation flat mail rate. The weight of the DAL is added to the weight of the piece in computing the postal rate due. This announcement previews that the Postal Service could be doing something new in terms of the surcharge(s), or other specifica-tions, for the detached address label.

In first class mail, the Postal Service an-

nounced it would be offering a blended second ounce rate, might be offering some-thing for “election mail,” offering a new ser-vice for Day-Certain Delivery, and for mail-ing DVDs/optical disks as round-trip letters or flats.

The Postal Service’s January 2012 structural release overview does not obligate the Postal Service to bring forward any of the potential proposals previewed. But the Postal Service is required to give advance notice to reserve to itself the option of including structural changes in its future rate filings. This was done to respond to industry requests that the Postal Service signal to mailers, mail service providers and software designers its intentions to add new products or to make structural changes in its rates, operations, or product line to allow for more advance planning. Putting it bluntly, if the Postal Service wants additional buckets for prices or products, it has to tell the industry that a new bucket has been added.

CHANGES IN PERIODICAL AND NEWSPAPER PROCESSING

On June 27, 2011, the Postal Service an-nounced a change in how it will handle, process and deliver periodicals. Newspa-pers and magazines that may have enjoyed preferential handling and processing at-tention to ensure delivery of time-sensitive publications are now subject to a more stan-dardized approach in handling.

The announcement is part of the Postal Ser-vice’s program to streamline the processing of its flat mail and to take steps to reduce the costs attributable to periodicals. Newspa-pers, like the Wall Street Journal, that previ-ously received expedited handling and pref-erential treatment will now be processed based upon the time the piece is received. In an announcement signed by David Wil-liams, Vice President of Network Opera-tions and Susan LaChance, Vice President Consumer & Industry Affairs, the Postal Service explained: “Since all Periodicals (daily, weekly, quarterly and monthly) have the same processing expectations and ser-

vice standards, they will be processed based upon arrival times and service standards, not publication titles.”

The Postal Service announcement included a standard national critical entry time for periodicals that would go into effect on July 1, 2011. The standard for destination en-try varies depending upon whether or not a bundle sort is needed and if the mail will be processed on flat sequencing system equip-ment.

The Postal Service has been under pressure to take steps to reduce the cost associated with periodical mail and processing or to significantly raise periodical rates to “cover costs.” This announcement, and the elimi-nation of “red tag” or “Hot 2 C” processing that has given time-sensitive publications expedited, and often expensive and manual handling, is expected to help reduce the costs attributable to periodicals.

BUSINESS WEEK WALKSIn June 2011, Business Week announced it would no longer use the Postal Service for delivery to certain households in the Washington D.C. area. The weekly news magazine advised many subscribers in the Washington, DC area that the magazine would be delivered like a newspaper by us-ing the Washington Post’s delivery service, to deliver the magazine on Friday morning at the same time that subscribers receive the newspaper.

In announcing the change in distribution, Business Week stressed that its decision was based less upon cost than the certainty that subscribers would get their magazine with the paper on Friday morning. Business Week currently reaches approximately 10% of its subscribers by alternate delivery. Cost savings are achieved by not having to put an address on the magazine, and lower costs of preparation and palletizations. The com-parison between costs of alternate delivery and postage was described as “competitive.”

As Postal Service management continues to press its legislative goal to be free to elimi-nate Saturday delivery, we can expect more exploration by, newspapers, periodicals, free papers and other mailers in the feasibil-ity of alternate delivery programs.

USPS Update



Publishing

Is A Picnic For

Our Members

Join Us In

Birmingham, AL

July 15 & 16, 2011

And Find Out Why

Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association

Room RatesLowered to

$99!

2011 July

Documents

Transcript of 2011 July