Despite the prevalence of electronic communications, postal mail and the United States Postal Service (USPS) remain relevant and critical means of communication in today’s business environment.
The enduring value of First-Class and Marketing Mail is a testament to their importance. There are several benefits for security and privacy, including postal mail’s role as the preferred method for legal correspondence. Marketing mail enhances the performance of social media and electronic marketing campaigns by adding dimension, tangibility, permanence, and the capacity to target specific demographic groups.
Organizations that have converted entirely to electronic communication should re-evaluate postal mail for legal correspondence, documents sent under privacy policy mandates, and as a powerful marketing tool to improve sales, revenue, and customer engagement.
The United States Postal Service and the world
The USPS has been playing “catch up” by increasing postage rates every six months to compensate for years of inconsistent and inadequate price increases and the obligation to prefund the healthcare premiums for postal employees that were not born yet. The Postal Reform Act of 2022 removed the requirement for USPS to pre fund retiree’s healthcare benefits. The Postal Service was the only federal agency prefunding premiums before they were due, exacerbating their underwater financial position. The best-case scenario is that these actions will lead to predictable and less frequent postage increases in the future.
Though, even with frequent postage increases, the USPS remains a terrific value for its service. In 2024, the equivalent of a First-Class stamp in Canada is $1.15; in 2023, the European average for the equivalent of a First-Class stamp was $1.46. Denmark’s stamp price in 2023 was $4.72.
In the United States in 2024, a Mail Carrier will pick up a birthday card filled with photos, money, or whatever you can fit in an envelope up to 3.5 ounces at your house in Bangor, Maine, and deliver it to your favorite aunt in Poway, California in about five days for 73 cents. And if someone other than your aunt opens the envelope, there are legal consequences. That is the topic of the following discussion.
First-Class postal mail security and privacy
Email correspondence has some protection under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). It extends legal protection to electronic communications like emails and prohibits unauthorized interception or disclosure of electronic communications.
However, an email can be opened, read, and closed, and it looks the same. If someone opened, read, and closed your email before you read it, how would you prove it, and who do you report it to?
Once a mailing envelope is opened, it is obvious and remains open. A federal statute known as 18 USC Section 1702 protects postal mail, making it illegal to open correspondence addressed to someone else. Because it is a federal offense, it’s punishable in federal courts under the federal sentencing guidelines. The USPS’ police force, known as the Postal Inspection Service, enforces this and similar laws.
While electronic communications can be secure with encryption, many organizations trust postal mail for sensitive information due to hacking and digital privacy concerns. Once a document enters the mail stream and is in the hands of the USPS, it can never become digital and transmitted electronically. An organization can store hardcopy mailed documents long-term without fears of digital obsolescence, data loss, or unauthorized alterations.
Certified and Registered Mail have no true digital equivalent
Email certification services, including proof of delivery, content, and timestamps, are available. These services help ensure the email was sent, received, and not tampered with. However, the services are typically subscription-based, and the user must pay annually. Also, the private corporations that administer these services do so without oversight.
Comparatively, the United States Postal Service has the Postal Board of Governors and the Postal Inspection Service. These government-mandated safeguards are in place to protect the sender and the receiver of Certified and Registered mail. Hardcopy Certified and Registered mail benefits include …
Legal proof of delivery
Certified mail provides a mailing receipt, tracking history, and electronic verification of delivery. Registered mail offers even more security with additional protection when mailing valuable items. Both of these services create a paper trail that is widely accepted in legal proceedings.
Evidentiary value
Courts and government agencies often consider physical documents sent via Certified or Registered mail and a return receipt with a wet signature more valuable. There is no risk that they have been “photoshopped.” Certified and Registered hardcopy mail is the standard in legal disputes, contract matters, or regulatory compliance.
Non-repudiation
The recipient cannot deny receiving a document, as their actual signature is required upon delivery. Again, this Certified and Registered mail feature is essential for legal notices, contract terminations, or other sensitive communications.
Chain of custody
Registered and Certified mail provide a detailed chain of custody that shows the item’s journey from sender to recipient. Scan points along a letter’s journey through the USPS mail stream are easily viewed at usps.com. Tracking is essential for sensitive or valuable documents.
Date certainty
The postmark on Certified and Registered mail provides an official date stamp, which helps meet deadlines and prove that timely action has occurred. The United States Postal Service, a disinterested third party and federal agency, applies the date stamp.
Physical security
Registered mail is handled under lock and key throughout its journey, reducing the risk of tampering or loss.
International recognition
Many countries recognize Certified and Registered USPS mail for legal and official purposes, but that is not always the case with electronic communications.
Marketing Mail: crucial for promotion and customer acquisition
Email marketing is easy and cheap. An organization can launch a campaign on a day’s notice. Because of this, inboxes overflow with repetitive, irrelevant, and occasionally fraudulent offers. A helpful email may be overlooked because of the sheer volume of emails and protective spam filters.
Email should not be the singular marketing and communication vehicle. Adding direct mail to an organization’s marketing mix reaches demographics more responsive to hardcopy postal mail than electronic communications. Adding postal mail to marketing initiatives offers …
Tangibility and permanence
Postal mail is a physical, tangible form of communication. Documents, contracts, and official correspondence sent via postal mail have a sense of permanence and credibility that electronic communications lack. The same is valid for Marketing Mail. Recipients save relevant Marketing Mail. Look behind the banana magnet on your refrigerator, and you’ll likely find a marketing card or coupon.
Trust and engagement
Postal mail conveys a personal experience and effort on the part of the mailer, especially in marketing and customer relations. A well-designed physical mail piece can create a lasting impression that electronic communications struggle to achieve. Electronic communication is viewed as just another email.
Reach and accessibility
The USPS must provide access to mail delivery to all addresses in the United States. Did you know mail is consistently delivered to a community within the Grand Canyon using mules? Postal mail ensures that information reaches individuals in rural areas with spotty internet coverage or those who simply do not have access.
Sampling and promotional items
Marketing Mail is ideal for product samples and fulfillment of low-value promotional items. This marketing practice often cannot be accomplished with electronic media, and it cannot be done economically with carriers such as UPS and FedEx. Placing a sample of a product or a promotional item in the hands of a prospective customer strengthens awareness, interest, and desire to purchase.
Conclusion
The USPS plays a crucial role in facilitating the benefits described by providing a reliable and widespread infrastructure for delivering postal mail across the United States. Its services are integral to businesses, government agencies, and individuals who rely on timely and secure mail delivery.
Postal Mail directly affects an organization’s marketing impact: Direct mail campaigns are highly targeted and have a higher chance of being noticed than emails, which can easily get lost in a cluttered inbox. Physical samples and promotional goods are economically placed in the hands of potential customers. Postal mail allows for delivering physical samples, catalogs, and products, which electronic communications cannot replicate.
Overall, it is clear the value of postal mail endures even as the world becomes more digital.
