Posted: 1/18/2012By: Mark Nolan
For small enterprises that use the United States Postal Service to send invoices or business marketing materials, the agency's threat to eliminate Saturday service means it will take longer for items sent through the mail to arrive at their destinations.
Discontinuing Saturday mail is just one money-saving option being considered by USPS, along with closing some of its rural branches and changing its employee health benefits.
In response, some small business owners are looking into online billing, ZDNet reports. In addition to assuring virtually instant invoice delivery, distributing bills via the internet can also help companies save money and reduce their carbon footprints by conserving paper.
Being forced to rely less on direct mail campaigns could actually be a boon for those that need to expand their business advertising efforts. In its recent overview of several trends small businesses can't afford to ignore, the Daily Comet underscored the importance of securing a social networking presence in 2012.
"Social media offers the possibility of inexpensive ways to reach and interact with customers," the source notes.
Offering Facebook-based business promotions or using Twitter to tout new products are good ways of getting the word out about company developments without having to resort to direct mail.