Postage costs are going up!
The Royal Mail announced last week that postage costs are to rise. A 1st Class stamp will go up by 3p to 70p and a 2nd Class stamp will go up by 3p to 61p. These increases will be implemented on the 25th March, and are to ‘ensure the sustainability of the universal postal service’.
After releasing a Profit Warning last year, it was always likely that another price rise was on its way. Royal Mail is struggling to maintain revenues as the number of letters being sent across the UK fell by 7 per cent in the last year. Our sustained shift to digital communications is hitting them hard, although parcel numbers are increasing.
This isn’t entirely bad news for small businesses though!
As more people move away from sending physical post, there is an opportunity too.
Direct Mail has strengths over email marketing, as it is tangible. Your Direct Mail piece doesn’t have to be glossy and expensive, particularly with the increasing affordability of digital print. It can be produced in small quantities, personalised and updated frequently.
As a result, a Direct Mail piece is more likely to:
- make an impact.
- stay on a desk.
- prompt the recipient to get in touch, or to give you a second thought!
Compare that to emails, which may be ignored entirely, and if they are opened, may not even be read, never to be opened again…
And it’s not just Direct Mail that you can get fabulous results with:
- A postcard to a customer to remind them that you’re here.
- A thank you or birthday card to show you care.
- A copy of your newsletter.
Whatever you send, it’s bound to be well received.
We all receive far less physical post now, so what does come in (apart from HMRC’s brown envelopes!) is usually appreciated and opened with interest. Remember to handwrite the envelope and put an actual stamp on it, and it’s WAY more likely to be opened than an email. A little effort can go a very long way…
So is an extra 3 pence per 1st class stamp a bad thing?
If you’re competing for new customers, I’d say not, as more businesses will reduce the volumes of post they send as a direct result.
Remember though, to stock up on those stamps before postage costs rise on the 25th March!
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