U.S. Postal Service Launches Innovative Technology for Small Businesses

Link to Small Business News, Tips, Advice - Small Business Trends

U.S. Postal Service Launches Innovative Technology for Small Businesses
The Total Package: A Marketing Message That Resonates
Why You Should Think, Write and Grow

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 02:05 PM PDT

The U.S. Postal Service wants the small business world to know about its direct mail shipping service for small businesses, called ”Every Door Direct Mail.”

With Every Door Direct Mail, small businesses including restaurants, auto dealerships and doctor’s offices can send out direct mail campaigns such as postcards and brochures, with postage rates as low as 14.5 cents. The remarkable thing is that you don’t need a mailing list with specific addresses and/or names, or a postal permit. Such items typically drive up the costs and effort in a direct mail campaign.

Instead, the Postal Service’s website provides an online mapping tool. You can choose a city, county, zip code or even a neighborhood (i.e., within a 5-mile radius of a specific address). You just choose the area, and the direct mail will be delivered without the need to affix labels or print specific addresses.

The tool is fairly easy to use. Once you’ve registered your business and learn it the first time, thereafter it only takes minutes to schedule a simple local mailing. It walks you through the process step by step. The amount of your postage cost is displayed instantly online. Once you pay, you print out the documentation and take it to the Post Office along with your bundles of direct mail pieces.

This is part of a larger initiative by the Postal Service to use innovation and technology to serve small businesses.

The Postal Service also announced the redesign of its Click N ship site, where businesses and consumers can buy postage and print shipping labels online. The site is a counterpart to the “If it Fits, It Ships” flat rate mantra for Priority Mail packages (see above), where you can get the packaging for free and then go online to pay for the postage, print a label, and even schedule a pickup. No postage scale required!

The current Click N Ship site has been quite successful with small businesses — there are a million registered users and half of them are small businesses, notes Paul Vogel, president and chief marketing/sales officer, U.S. Postal Service. Coming this month (April 2012) will be a dedicated business version of the Click N Ship site, designed for small businesses that ship between 10 and 100 pieces of mail per day. Business Click N Ship will have a desktop app and expanded payment options.

From Small Business Trends

U.S. Postal Service Launches Innovative Technology for Small Businesses

The Total Package: A Marketing Message That Resonates

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 11:30 AM PDT

Your company focus and marketing message should be so clear that it's driven home in every opportunity you get. When clients experience:

your print media (business cards, posters, flyers, etc.)
your online media (websites and social media sites)
your office space

online message

There should be a consistency in the message and that's where your branding pieces come in to play. But before you start printing things, the message has to be core and clear.

What is your company about?

Can you explain it in a simple to understand mission statement or tagline? Be clear about:

what your company is
who it serves and
how it gets it done

If you do that, you can relay this standard to your team and this clear message becomes a measuring stick in your business. If you don't live up to it, then you're off track and you know it. And when you know, then you can do something about it.

To get to the core of your company, tackle it from different angles. Understand what your company looks like and feels like from a client's perspective. Then, dig a little deeper and find out what your prospects see and feel. But don't stop there.

Choose to investigate your employee and independent contractor experiences and responses to working with you and other clients. Does all of this feedback line up to how you see your company? What adjustments can you make to get the most out of these experiences?

Now, get it to the right team.

This kind of information in the hands of the right team can turn into something amazing. Anita Campbell suggests that the size of that team should be well managed. In “When It Comes To Innovation, Small Is Beautiful” she says:

“Every brain in your business needs to be engaged in thinking more creatively. But by keeping your core team small, you'll stay more nimble."

Startups often expend energy trying too look bigger than they are. Anita points out that big business is trying to benefit from the power of smaller teams and the creativity and quick action that can emerge. It reminds me to "use what you got" and start with what you have.

If you "look out for your company" as John Mariotti puts it in “If You Don't Look Out for Your Company, Who Will,” then you can make waves at any stage in the game. John believes that regardless of your position:

"Your real job is to look out for the company's interest, to the best of your ability, in (your) area of responsibility."

Which brings us back to this core message…

And these 3 little questions:

What is your company about?
Who does it serve?
How do you do what you do?

Once you're clear, consistently share that message with your team. Pour this message into them — in print, in training, in visuals, in "practicing what you preach" — so that they naturally pour it into your public.

In my opinion, the total package is about a message that resonates on every level of the organization. It shows up in the logo, the tagline, the mission statement, the staff training, your attitude, the products and services, the branding materials and even the colors.

In fact, Ivana Taylor even suggests that:

"Your work surroundings should remind you of the marketing message and image that you intend to project."

You can read more about this in “How To Brandify Your Office Space“ at the AMEX OpenForum.

From Small Business Trends

The Total Package: A Marketing Message That Resonates

Why You Should Think, Write and Grow

Posted: 01 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT

Becoming a thought leader is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise in your industry, as well as garner new clients. In Grant Butler’s Think Write Grow: How to Become a Thought Leader and Build Your Business by Creating Exceptional Articles, Blogs, Speeches, Books and More, the author (@grantxbutler) explores the importance of becoming a thought leader, as well as how to improve the types of communication that help establish you as a thought leader.

A Thought Leader Himself

Grant Butler is the Founder and Managing Director of Australian-based Editor Group, a company that provides corporate communication (ads, articles, brochures, newsletters, reports, website copy and white papers) for companies. Prior to this, he was a senior journalist with The Australian Financial Review, as well as held other positions in media and PR. His extensive experience in writing thought leadership materials gave him the expertise for his book.

What You’ll Get Out of This Book

Think Write Grow, which was nominated for the 2012 Small Business Book Awards, educates readers on what exactly thought leadership is:

“What sets thought leaders apart is that they don’t just think; they go out of their way to share their thoughts with others. They may do this by publishing their views in books or journals, speaking at events, appearing in the media and taking up industry leadership roles such as serving on boards and standards-setting bodies. Most importantly, thought leaders are focused on what’s likely to happen in the future.”

Butler also highlights key types of thought leadership communications, as well as their benefits. He includes:

Essays
Whitepapers
Articles
Letters
Blogs
Speeches
Books

He provides ample tips for getting the most out of each of these forms of communication. I found his “Three Cs” useful for my own writing:

1. Capture the reader’s attention
2. Convince the reader of your case
3. Close with a strong conclusion and ideally a call to action

What I Liked Best

One part thought leadership education, one part writing coaching, this book blends practical writing advice with the bigger picture of why you’d write essays, blogs and books. Butler connects the dots between the actual writing and the marketing you need to do to get the writing in the right hands.

Who Should Read this Book?

If you’ve been interested in becoming better known in your industry, publishing a thought leadership book, or speaking at industry events, this book will guide you on your path to achieving your goals. If you’d like tips for being a better writer, regardless of your thought leadership status, this book provides tips for every level of writer.

From Small Business Trends

Why You Should Think, Write and Grow