As we look ahead to the second half of 2024, USPS is rolling out promotions aimed at helping businesses mitigate increasing postage costs while enhancing the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of the key promotions you can take advantage of:
Emerging Technology Promotion
Promotion Period: August 1 – December 31, 2024
The Emerging Technology Promotion encourages mailers to integrate cutting-edge technologies into their direct mail campaigns. By leveraging these advanced technologies, businesses can create immersive and interactive experiences for recipients. This not only boosts engagement, but also qualifies mailers for postage discounts.
Eligible Technologies for a 3% Discount:
- Enhanced Augmented Reality: Showcase real-world objects using 3D digital images to engage recipients.
- Basic Integration with Voice Assistant: Use voice commands to interact with mail content.
- Mobile Shopping Technologies: Include QR codes, image recognition, or digital watermarks to seamlessly connect recipients to online shopping experiences.
Eligible Technologies for a 4% Discount:
- Advanced Integration with Voice Assistant: Enhance mail interactivity with advanced voice assistant integration.
- Video Integrated into Mailer: Embed videos within mailpieces to provide dynamic content.
- Near Field Communication (NFC): Incorporate NFC chips to enable interactive experiences directly from the mailpiece.
- Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality: Immerse recipients in virtual environments or overlay digital information onto the physical world.
Informed Delivery Promotion
Promotion Period: August 1 – December 31, 2024
Informed Delivery allows businesses to extend the impact of their direct mail campaigns by reaching recipients digitally before their physical mail arrives. Here’s how you can maximize this feature:
- 4% Discount: Companies can earn a 4% discount on postage at the Postage Statement line level by including a ride-along image, representative image of the mailpiece, or a URL in their Informed Delivery campaign.
- Additional 0.5% Incentive: eDoc submitters qualify for an additional 0.5% incentive, enhancing cost savings for compliant submissions.
Informed Delivery enhancements are eligible for both first-class mail and marketing mail, making it accessible for various types of campaigns aimed at engaging recipients both digitally and physically.
Why Use Informed Delivery?
- Extended Reach: Reach recipients digitally before physical mail delivery, enhancing anticipation and engagement.
- Enhanced Visibility: Increase the visibility of your campaign by integrating multimedia elements and interactive content.
Retargeting Promotion
Promotion Period: September 1 – November 30, 2024
The Retargeting Promotion targets recent website visitors who did not convert, encouraging them to engage through personalized postcards:
- Eligible Mail Types: First-class mail postcards including 4.25 x 6″ and 6 x 9″ sizes.
- Discount: Receive a 5% discount on postcards sent as follow-ups to organic online interactions.
How These Promotions Help Mitigate Postage Costs
With postage rates set to increase, these USPS promotions offer a strategic opportunity to:
- Save on Postage: Earn discounts ranging from 3% to 5%
- Enhance Engagement: Utilize interactive elements like QR codes and video to captivate recipients and drive higher response rates.
- Integrate Online and Offline Experiences: Seamlessly connect physical mail with digital experiences, improving campaign effectiveness.
Getting Started
To participate, start planning your campaigns early and reach out to us to ensure compliance with USPS guidelines. These promotions can optimize your marketing budget while delivering impactful results. To get started with these promotions, reach out to our sales team.
PrintComm is able to manage every step of these promotions for you! This means everything form registering for the promotion to helping you develop your campaign to meet the promotion requirements and submitting your campaign elements for approval and completing the mailing. Don’t miss out on these opportunities to innovate and save on your direct mail campaigns in the coming months.
