USPS Delays May Affect Your Marketing Efforts

Delayed Mail and Packages? Here’s Why.

We know you’ve noticed. There are tremendous U.S. Postal Service (USPS) delays right now. We won’t lie. We continue to be amazed by just how bad it is!

The past year (RIP 2020) has caused many changes in USPS delivery, but in case you’re not up to speed, here’s a simple math equation for reference:

(Election Mail + Record-Breaking Online Sales + USPS and FedEx Shipping Cap) x COVID-19 Impact on USPS Workforce/The World = A Perfect Storm of Slow Delivery

We have heard from the USPS that delivery times should be returning mostly to normal for First-Class Mail. Standard Mail (which includes Pre-Sorted Standard and Nonprofit Standard) will follow suit. You should see closer-to-normal turns very soon for letter mail. Flats and parcels, which are processed on different equipment at USPS facilities, will take a little longer to normalize.

We want you to know we are working diligently to expedite all mail so we can get your packages and mailers out at a reasonable time. That means we need to continue our lines of communication.

Here are some tips and resources as we work through this bummer together.

• Keep up to date with USPS delivery delays on their website.
• If there is a major concern about the timing of mailings, consider mailing First Class rather than Standard rate mail.
• Consider upcoming weather. Now that we’ve witnessed a major snowstorm, prepare for further postponements.
• Uncertainty is the only certainty for most businesses. So prepare for it! Adopt a mindset that allows you to approach challenges with confidence and flexibility.
• Plan to work ahead on any time-based mailings you know are coming. If you’re planning to send a Doctors’ Day appeal letter, for example, start writing and designing earlier than usual and plan to drop much earlier, too. Same for ongoing newsletters and other publications or appeal letters.

Let’s be proactive and work together to make sure your projects and deadlines account for any possible delays! As always, we’re here to chat if you have any other questions.