Hard to believe, but the United States Postal Service is CUTTING the cost of a first-class stamp. This applies to all first class – letters, post cards and international mail. The USPS had no choice. They are not happy.

Why?

This price cutting decision involves an obscure agency that approves postage rates. A provision for an “emergency” rate hike to 49 cents actually had a sunset provision. Sunday, April 10, 2016, the price drops to 47 cents for a first-class letter. So maybe sending a card or letter is now possible?

Here is a complete breakdown of First Class Postage Rates compliments of Pitney-Bowes, as reprinted in Target Marketing’s eNewsletter today.

These USPS rates will last until the next rate hike.  Of course, your “Forever” stamps now have a value that is 2 cents less. At the moment that is.

Ah, progress.

The European Safe Harbor Agreement – permits data exchange between companies in the US who agree to abide by European data laws and European organizations.  That means treating the information with a different level of security due to stricter European laws..

European Data

Recently, the basis of the of this Agreement was challenged in an Irish court. The claim, Facebook did not play by European data rules.

Well, finally, with a lawyer’s backing, the plaintiff proceeded with legal action against Facebook in Ireland, it’s European nexus. The news of the fast reaction to the court ruling comes from Silicon Beat .  The end result has been a series of rulings that almost brought even the most standard data exchange  – who is on a specific airline flight and passport data – to a feared standstill.  Havoc was seen by all sides.

The US government and laws make all sorts of claims to privacy but sites like Facebook have been lambasted by the press and many privacy advocates for their cavalier attitude and actions to do whatever they pretty much wanted with your data. So, it remains open as to how much companies like Facebook or Google will have to keep European data in Europe for processing and storage. There may be new data centers built in Europe to satisfy these regulations.

Bethesda List Center

Added to all this excitement,  even mailing list owners and list brokers who work worldwide like Bethesda List Center had to be aware of the provisions of the Safe Harbor Agreement. Information sent from Europe has to be handled differently. Sometimes, special documents are necessary to get this information.

Let’s be glad this exchange of information appears about to be renewed. What Are Safe Harbor Rules? Look to the folks at Bethesda List Center who are located near Bethesda Navy Medical Center, to stay informed about the European data laws, including the European Safe Harbor guidelines.

  (Baraka, National Zoo

Smithsonian Institution)

An interesting article by Target Marketing’s Denny Hatch about the actual value of direct mail.

Turns out that because direct marketing is not Email, it often gets overlooked in reports. Like not even mentioned.

Good work researchers, just ignore the old. Direct marketing, says Hatch is almost a $45 Billion industry. That puts it ahead of television as an advertising medium. Real money in my book.

As Hatch says, Direct Mail takes planning and time. Something a lot of folks do not want to commit to their sales campaigns. “Fail Fast” with Email, go on.  Consider adding some direct mail in the mix once you know what you are looking for.

Direct Mail

Hum, make a lot of money, with direct mail if you know what you are doing.

Uniformed quasi-government representatives doing your bidding. Delivering offers and products. Or, making postal offers and having websites taking orders and deliver products.

Further thoughts from Hatch here http://ht.ly/RddVF

Bethesda List Center has been appointed the mailing list manager for the Construction Specifications Institute International list. This list reaches buyers and inquirers of technical bulletins, reports and other construction related materials for this internationally recognized standards setting organization.

“We are excited that Bethesda List has been appointed to manage the US, and now, international names for this well known organization,” said Barbara Higgins, VP List Management. “CSI is well known as the standards setting organization in construction” she continued.

Quick counts permit mailers to accurately plan their campaigns.  List owner approval is also required for this list.  Contact Bethesda List Center directly at +1 301 986.1455 or info@bethesda-list.com for further details.

Canada has had a big change in how marketing is permitted to be done. What marketing is legally permitted has suddenly become much more regulated. The most recent changes have occurred with Email lists but Postal lists have restrictions as well. It has been said that Canada has been following what is widely regarded as the German model of public data management.

The biggest change has come in an area that has become more common, Email. “Don’t Email Canada” is the short answer unless you have met the Canadian Government Rules and Regulations.  Some third party lists like many magazine and professional trade publications generally are OK. Of course, you need to check that all important permission has been obtained and is properly stored.

Most third party Email is illegal.  As an Email sender, you must have specific permission to SEND to the client.  Even then, clients can decide they only want very specific Emails such as Order Confirmation and Shipping Status type mailings.

The effects of this new law are just starting to be felt. Fines are starting to be levied and the direct marketing trade press is carefully following each pronouncement.  So far, the fines are big but the organizations cited are very small,  generally unknown Emailers. This means your offer might be in the sights of the Canadian Government. Being a small company has not stopped the Canadian regulators from going after companies who do not adhere to their standards and practices.

The Big News: The trade press recently reported that Canada is now working to ensure that US mailers will be subject to their regulations when sending promotions to Canadian prospects. The thought is that a decision would be rendered north of the border and the US Courts would be used to enforce the rulings. This will take awhile, but don’t be foolish and assume that being out of Canada will protect you.

How do you market to Canada?

Previously, Canadian Government laws narrowed the permitted sources of data to be gatheried even for postal mailings.  Getting your offer into the hands of your best prospects has become a much bigger task than it used to be. Many mailers are in a quandary.

There is a solution.

Business Executives and Professionals in Canada is the postal list you need.  The information gathered meets the very strict Canadian regulations about mailing lists.

This list has the largest collection of businesses executives and professionals, all legally correct for mailing.  You can select and mail from this file with assurance that it is Canada compliant.

The mailing and telephone list has over 735,000 names from which to select.  Selections include:

• Job Title/Job Function
• Sales Volume
• Employee Size
• Telephone Number
• Geography

This mailing list has been a solid source for Canadian, US, UK and other marketing offers.   The list of offers made is wide:

• computers
• real estate
• seminars and training, webinars
• insurance
• office furniture
• office supplies
• books and publications
• internet design services
• computer programming and the like

Counts are fast and easy.  Just send an Email to info@Bethesda-List.com or call 301 986.1455 for full details.

About Bethesda List Center, the List Manager:

Bethesda List Center, Inc has long been recognized as a source of US, Canadian and worldwide business mailing lists. The company was established in 1992 and is based in the Washington, DC suburb of Bethesda, Maryland. Bethesda List professionals work as mailing list managers and mailing list brokers for associations, publishers, business offers and other promotions.

The Private Practice Section (PPS) of the American Physical Therapy Association mailing list has updated. The file supplied directly from the list owner is carefully converted at a professional mailing list service bureau. This list identifies those physical therapists who are generally business owners and managers of a physical therapy office.  These people are buying decision-makers for everything from office space, insurance, health care, training and development – courses, webinars, training sessions and, of course, association memberships.

Selections on this mail list are gender and geography. It is possible to select based on state, or what is known as SCF – Sectional Center Facility, or the metropolitan area.  This permits you to pinpoint your offer. Counts and additional information are available from info@bethesda-list.com , telephone 301 986.1455 or fax, 301 907.4870.

This postal mailing list is managed by the association mail  list management experts, Bethesda List Center.  The Bethesda List Center (BLC) was established in 1992 and has represented associations, publishers, b2b companies and others for mailing list management. BLC also has an experienced team of mailing list brokers. These brokers can help marketing professionals select the best possible names for their offer – either postal or Email.

It is possible to order the list directly from the list manager, BLC, or with a mailing list broker. Either way, the price is the same to the list renter.  Some list renters, especially those renting more than five lists, decide that the details of mailing list or Email list rental are too complex and require the services of an expert whose fees is paid by the seller.

Bethesda List is headquartered in the Washington, DC suburbs in Bethesda, Maryland.

Residential Contractors from Electrical Contractor Magazine has updated and added Email Addresses as a new selection said  Barbara Higgins, Vice President,  Bethesda List Center.  The Residential Contractors  list has over 41,000 postal addresses and over 17,000 Email addresses. The Email addresses are new to the market. The postal file is an update of a previous count.

Electrical Contractor Magazine, published by NECA – The National Electrical Contractors Association – is recognized as the association for electricians.

Electrical Contractor Magazine’s readers are active in both traditional electrical power applications as well as commdata system projects, including voice, data, video, and security. They are actively involved in Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, and Non-Building projects, whether new construction, renovation, or maintenance.  

These electricians make Recommendations, Specification, and Purchase of virtually every component/tools and/or piece of electrical equipment for these facilities.

Typical certifications include RCCD, LAN, Cisco and Microsoft.

 About Bethesda List Center:

Bethesda List Center, Inc. has managed the Electrical Contractor Magazine Database for over 10 years.  Our experts are able to help you pinpoint the best prospects for your offer.  Our experienced list managers have an average of almost 20 years of working with clients like you. Getting started is easy, identify your offer, talk with BLC about your target audience and let us do the rest of the work. Our experienced team will present you with list suggestions, prices and delivery schedules.

Bethesda List is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, a Washington, DC suburb.  Bethesda List works with many association, specialty publishers and other list owners. Bethesda List was founded in 1992 and has worked with companies like IBM, HP, LWW, the medical publisher, Johns Hopkins University and many other colleges and universities.

Doctors and their Specialty mail list has updated.  This list identifies physicians by their area of medical specialization. Over 140 various medical specialties are detailed on this postal list.  Another selection available is Geography. Within geography choose by State, SCF (the first 3 zip code digits used to define cities especially), or Zip Code.  An additional feature is the ability is to select by radius. Or, X number of miles from a location.

Full details, counts and prices are available from Bethesda List Center, Inc.

Bethesda List Center is a recognized expert in medical mail lists with over 50 different pre-counted lists available for fast delivery.  Not only is physician information available, but nurses, technical staff, hospital administrators, nursing home executives and managers, assisted living facility managers and staff, social workers, occupational and physical therapy specialists are also available as mailing lists or telephone lists.

Sources for these medical lists include association memberships, medical meeting attendance, medical certification registrants and prospects, Federal, State and Local registrations and other sources. Each mail list source is different and is shown on the individual data card.  With associations. meetings and certifications, Bethesda List is the official source for these names.  Bethesda List works as the agent for the association or certifying organization. Many  of of Bethesda List’s associations have been clients for well over 10 years.

However you need to reach the medical and life science community, with postal mail of qualified prospects for your campaign, or Email lists Bethesda List Center is the source for many marketing campaigns.

About Bethesda List Center:

Bethesda List Center, Inc., is a mailing list manager and mailing list broker based in Bethesda, Maryland.  The company manages mailing lists for associations, medical certification organizations, publishers and others. List owners rely upon Bethesda List to help them to provide a smooth ordering process for clients. With well defined processes, BLC provides expert representation to buyers and inquirers.  Many of the list owners who work with Bethesda List have been with the company for over 10 years. That is client satisfaction.

Mailing list owners are encouraged to contact Bethesda List to learn more details about the BLC list management advantage. Mailing lists can be either postal mail lists (sometimes called snail mail), Email lists or both. Let Bethesda List provide details to improve your list rental sales.

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARMDS) has provided a new copy of their postal mailing list to Bethesda List Center.  Bethesda List Center (BLC) is the official source for this mailing list. Among the permitted uses of the list are for recruiting, medical conferences, and medical training – or Continuing Medical Units (CMUs).

The ADRMS list has been divided into easily selectable portions. The major selections include:

• Registrants
• Applicants and Prospects
• Canadian Members and Prospects

Further breakouts for the Registrants is detailed by medical certification achieved:

• 6 RDMS Sub-specialties, in Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
• 4 RDCS  Sub-specialties, in Registered Diagnostic Cardiac Sonographer
• RMSK, Registered in Musculoskeletal
• RPVI Registered Physician in Vascular Interpretation
• RVT, Registered Vascular Technologist
• VT, Vascular Technology

Full details, further breakouts and ordering instructions for the postal mailing list  can be found on the ADRMS information page

Mailers using this file include many of the hospitals in the United States. This goes from big, multi-location hospital chains to smaller hospitals with fewer than 100 beds.   Training and accreditation organizations constitute the entire market specializing in Medical Sonographic training.

Details on how to order,  the ARDMS required statement needed for any offer that is not recruiting and other details can be found on the ADRMS Information Page.

About American Registry for Medical Diagnostic Sonographers (ARDMS):

The American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS), incorporated in 1975, is an independent, nonprofit organization that administers examinations and awards credentials in the areas of diagnostic medical sonography (RDMS), diagnostic cardiac sonography (RDCS), vascular interpretation (RPVI) and vascular technology (RVT). ARDMS has over 65,000 certified individuals throughout the world and is considered the global standard in medical ultrasound credentialing.

About Bethesda List Center:

Bethesda List Center, Inc., is a mailing list manager and mailing list broker based in Bethesda, Maryland.  The company manages mailing lists for associations, medical certification organizations, publishers and others. List owners rely upon Bethesda List to help them to provide a smooth ordering process for clients. With well defined processes, BLC provides expert representation to buyers and inquirers.  Many of the list owners who work with Bethesda List have been with the company for over 10 years. That is client satisfaction.

Mailing list owners are encouraged to contact Bethesda List to learn more details about the BLC list management advantage. Mailing lists can be either postal mail lists (sometimes called snail mail), Email lists or both. Let Bethesda List provide details to improve your list rental sales.

Bethesda List Center has updated two mailing lists from the BioMedical Engineering Society (BMES) have been updated. These postal lists are that of the membership of the Society and those Members and Non-Members who attended the Annual Conference.

The BMES membership file has about 5,400 names and addresses. Further information on this list is found here:

The BMES Conference Attendees list has overe 11,000 names on the file. More  information is here:

These mailing lists are managed by the Bethesda List Center (BLC), who is a noted expert in association list management.  Association lists are a unique resource for organizations who wish to reach individuals who have paid a fee to join the specific interest association.  Bethesda List has over 20 years mailing list management and mailing list brokerage experience.  Further information about Bethesda List Center, Inc is available.