Leverage three USPS ® promotions to your benefit
Mailers have several choices when it comes to creating a multi-channel campaign— and they also have good reason to do so. The United States Postal Service® (USPS®) offers several promotions that can help mailers map out and save on their next campaign. These promotions include are related to emerging and advanced technologies, Informed Delivery or retargeting.
Qualify for USPS Promotions by Using AR and QR Codes
Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion
In addition to captivating audiences, AR can help mailers save. Through the USPS’s 2024 Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion, brands that create mail experiences using any of the approved technologies to receive one of two discounts.
A 3% discount applies to mail pieces that use:
- “Enhanced” Augmented Reality (AR)
- Basic Integration with Voice Assistance
- Mobile Shopping (QR codes)
A 4% discount applies to mail pieces that use:
- Advanced Integration with Voice Assistant
- Video in Print Technology (VIP)
- Near Field Communication (NFC)
- Mixed Reality (MR)
- Virtual Reality (VR)
Informed Delivery ® Promotion
The Informed Delivery® (ID) program sends a daily email with a preview of that day’s mail before it arrives in mailboxes. The feature allows mailers to create an omnichannel experience that drives more impressions, interactions and insights. As of June 2023, there were 56.6 million active ID users, representing more than 15% growth from the previous year. The USPS 2024 Informed Delivery promotion offers a 4% discount.
Mailers can capitalize on those impressive rates by creating graphics to grab their audience’s attention. A standard ID campaign has three elements:
- ride-along image: a full-color, interactive image that can be thought of like a branded, clickable button. This is where mailers include a compelling call-to-action (CTA) and link to their website.
- representative image: a full-color image in place of the black-and-white scan of the mailpiece. This offers them the chance to tie into the ride-along imagery and create a more cohesive and impactful message.
- personalized URL (PURL): either in the direct mailpiece itself or the ride-along image. When a customer clicks on a PURL, they’re taken to a customized webpage just for them. PURLs also make it easy to track and gain customer information.
Retargeting
Retargeting involves matching a website visitor or app user’s IP address to their physical address. The USPS Retargeting promotion for 2024 offers a 5% discount to mailers that send personalized First-Class Mail® postcards to website visitors who recently visited their website or app but didn’t convert. Retargeting is an effective way to meaningfully reengage because mailers can tailor offers and messaging to a person’s online habits and interests.
Download Our White Paper
Download Tension’s “Phygital Marketing: Where Print and Digital Meet” white paper to learn more about this marketing strategy.
About Tension Corporation
A global leader in envelopes, printed products, packaging and packaging automation solutions, the Tension Corporation is a privately held and operated company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Tension manufactures billions of envelopes annually and their envelope and printed products division serves a variety of industries, including third-party billing, financial, insurance and direct marketing. The packaging and automation division of Tension provides software, consumables, automation and service and support for fulfillment to the e-commerce and pharmaceutical industries.
