In April 2017, the USPS® launched Informed Delivery and gave consumers the option to digitally preview their mail. It has been largely successful with an estimated 5 million household users and a 70% email open rate.
70%?! That kind of stat is unheard of in email marketing, where average open rates are closer to 21%.
Business mailers – including mail owners, mail service providers (MSPs) and advertising agencies – have a huge opportunity to capitalize on integrated marketing via an interactive Informed Delivery campaign. But there are some important things to consider before, during and after you’ve submitted your campaign. The following step-by-step approach will help you familiarize yourself with the process (and the possibilities):
How to Create an Informed Delivery Campaign
Before: Submitting Your Informed Delivery Campaign
- Choose Your Submission Method: As a mailer, you have two options for submitting your Informed Delivery campaign – PostalOne! or the Mailer Campaign Portal – with the main difference being that PostalOne! is better equipped for high-volume, complex mailings.
- Define Your Customer List: Will one list work for all recipients, or are there segments within it for A/B testing or loyalty groups? If so, they need to be segregated first.
- Assign Your Digits: Define campaign codes as they relate to your internal codes used for mailing. Ensure your Mailer Identifier (MID) is valid and the one printed in the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) on the mailpiece. Last, determine your serial number ranges in the IMb.
- Produce Your Creative Content: This includes a “ride-along” image that appears in addition to the email preview of your mailpiece, as well as a call to action. Images will be posted grayscale unless you select a color option. You’ll also need to include a trackable URL for click-throughs on the offer.
- Select a Timeline: Here, you’ll need to consider both the class of mail and where the mail is being entered for your Informed Delivery schedule. Overall, remember 2-3 days: suggested start times are 2-3 days prior to your first expected in-home date and suggested end times are 2-3 days after the last expected in-home date.
During: Informed Delivery Campaign Elements
The items needed for your mailing may differ between PostalOne! and the Mailer Campaign Portal, so make sure to include the appropriate details for your submission option.
| Submission Options | Images | Mailer Information | Mailpiece Information | Campaign Information |
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| Mailer Campaign Portal |
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PostalOne! Submission Options
Images
URLs, ride-along and representative images need to be emailed to the USPS, who will add them to the campaign.
Mailer Information
- MID
- Brand Display Name
Mailpiece Information
- IMb Serial Numbers
Campaign Information
- Campaign code
- Campaign title
- Start and end dates
- Ride-along image URL
- Ride-along target URL
- Representative image URL
Mailer Campaign Portal Submission Options
Images
URLs, ride-along and representative images are uploaded to the portal. The portal also has a Media Library for users to upload and manage creative assets for future campaigns.
Mailer Information
- MID
- Brand Display Name
Mailpiece Information
- Mailpiece shape (e.g. flat, letter, postcard)
- IMb Serial Numbers
Campaign Information
- Campaign code
- Campaign title
- Start and end dates
- Ride-along image URL
- Target URL
- Representative image
Be sure your graphic design team knows image requirements ahead of time. All images should be jpegs under 200kb in size with the following size requirements:
- The ride-along image should be 300 pixels wide x 200 pixels high.
- The representative image should 780 pixels wide x 500 pixels high for letters/postcards, 780 pixels wide x 500 pixels high for flats. These should also be sized to at least one maximum dimension, so a flat could be 600 pixels wide x 500 pixels high and still meet dimension requirements.
After: Analyzing Your Campaign Performance
Your interactive campaign has launched, and now it’s time to analyze your results. PostalOne! mailers can request a post-campaign summary report at the end of each campaign, and Mailer Campaign Portal mailers can view and download post-campaign summaries in the reporting section of the platform.
Find more information about Informed Delivery on the mailer website, or contact the USPS Informed Delivery representative at USPSInformedDeliveryCampaigns@usps.gov.
