At DirectMail2.0, our purpose is to make direct mail the most effective form of marketing by integrating it with cutting edge digital marketing technology. USPS provides postage incentives and discounts for technology that makes the direct mail marketing channel more effective and DirectMail2.0 qualifies!
Technology in print is amazing and there are so many ways we can enhance direct mail to lift the response and take advantage of postage discounts. Here’s an easy-to-read overview of the USPS promotions for reference and educational purposes.
Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Engagement Promotion: 4% Discount
Promotion Dates: February 1, 2022–July 31, 2022
USPS Marketing Mail® letters and flats and Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail® letters and flats.
Tangible, tactile materials create a sensory experience that digital touchpoints simply can’t match and studies have shown that physical touch leaves a deeper footprint on the brain and triggers a greater emotional response. Neuromarketing research suggests that when marketing materials engage a reader’s senses, brand recognition and message recall can increase. This USPS promotion encourages mailers to integrate bold techniques to increase response rates with double the discount from 2021! Some examples are the following:
- Specialty Inks – Unique properties of specialty inks must be both visible and distinguishable on paper.
- Examples:
- Inks that react to temperature
- UV light exposure or water/liquids
- Inks that appear to change color while viewing from different angles
- Examples:
- Specialty Paper – Sensory elements such as sight, sound, smell, touch and even taste can heighten the experience of the mailpiece for the recipient.
- Examples:
- Scented paper
- Paper that includes sound chips or speakers
- Holographics
- Textured elements (bubbled, velvet, sandpaper, etc)
- Paper that brings in the senses (scent, sound, taste)
- Examples:
- Interactive Elements – The mailpieces must include an experience that engages the recipient with dynamic effects by the use of folds or other dimensional elements.
- Examples:
- 3-D elements
- Pop-ups
- Infinite folding
- Examples:
To qualify for this promotion a mailpiece needs to engage recipients though innovative uses of paper stocks, substrates, inks, interactive elements and finishing techniques. A link to the guidebook and resources is available at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-tactile-sensory/requirements
Emerging & Advanced Technology Promotion: 2-3% Discount
Promotion Dates: March 1, 2022–August 31, 2022
USPS Marketing Mail® letters and flats and automated first class letters, cards and flats.
Registration started on January 15th and runs through August 31st. The promotion dates are March 1st to August 31st. With this promotion, customers can explore technologies that are included or embedded into paper and linked to a mobile phone or other device. Your direct mail piece needs to integrate one of the following approved technologies to be eligible for this program.
- “Enhanced” Augmented Reality (AR)
- Basic Integration with Voice Assistants
- Advanced Integration with Voice Assistants
- Near Field Communication (NFC)
- Virtual Reality (VR)
- Mixed Reality (MR)
- Video in Print (ViP)
A link to the guidebook and resources is available at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-emerging-tech/requirements
Earned Value Reply Promotion: 2 cents per counted reply or share mail piece
Promotion Dates: April 1, 2022–June 30, 2022
Business Reply Mail (BRM), Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM), or Share Mail envelopes and cards
The registration period is from February 15th thru March 31st, with the promotion running from April 1st thru June 30th.
Business Reply Mailings (BRMs), Courtesy Reply Mailings (CRMs) and Share Mail® play a critical role in facilitating payment of bills and nonprofit donations. Include a reply envelope in your outbound mailing and qualify for a per-piece postal discount. Your return envelope can feature a “Thank you for your payment” or “We appreciate your donation!” message to enhance the sender’s experience. A link to the guidebook and resources is available at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-earned-value/requirements
Personalized Color Transpromo: 3% Discount
Promotion Dates: July 1, 2022–December 31, 2022
Qualifying first-class presort and automation letters (bills and statements)
Registration for this promotion is open from May 15th thru December 31st. The promotion begins on July 1st and runs thru the end of the year. This promotion is used by mailers who send out bills and statements. Connect a reminder to make a payment to an offer or special deal. USPS is encouraging mailers to use color to enhance the marketing messaging to improve response rates by using personalized color transpromotional messages on bills and statements. Mailers will receive a 3% discount on postage.
A link to the guidebook and resources is available at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-transpromo/requirements
Informed Delivery Promotion: 4% Discount
Promotion Dates: August 1, 2022–December 31, 2022
USPS Marketing Mail® letters and flats and automated first class letters, cards and flats
*Double the discount from 2021*
Have your mail piece accompanied by a full-color, clickable ad within the Informed Delivery® email preview sent by the USPS with a DirectMail2.0 omnichannel campaign and take advantage of 4% postage discounts!
The Informed Delivery promotion has a registration period from June 15th thru December 31st and the promotion runs from August 1st thru December 31st.
The Informed Delivery campaign guidebook and resources are available at https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-informed-delivery.
Mobile Shopping Promotion: 2% Discount
Promotion Dates: September 1, 2022–December 31, 2022
USPS Marketing Mail® letters and flats and Nonprofit USPS Marketing Mail letters and flats
*Does NOT include first class letters, cards and flats
Registration starts on July 15th and runs to December 31st. Promotion dates are September 1st thru December 31st. Mailers who integrate mobile technologies such as QR code or barcode, voice assistant, a digital watermark or image recognition to facilitate a seamless online shopping experience. You can provide a direct link to the website where the customer can easily purchase the advertised product. Nonprofits can provide a link for the sale of services or charitable donations. The mailpiece will need to have one of the technologies listed and when scanned, it needs to lead to a mobile-optimized site from the beginning of the shopping experience all the way through purchase completion to qualify for the 2% discount.
Here’s the link that will provide all of the information needed for this promotion. https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-mobile-shopping/requirements
By utilizing technology such as DirectMail2.0 you can increase the response and return on investment to the direct mail marketing channel and save on postage with USPS promotions! It’s a win-win. Contact us at [email protected] to learn more.
