In a nutshell: Want to save money on postage and enhance your customers’ mailing experience? Here’s an overview of the six USPS promotions for 2024 with reasons why the more mail you send, the more money you can save on direct mail campaigns.
United States Postal Service (USPS) Promotions for Direct Mail: The more you send, the more you can save.
When you commit to a direct mail campaign, you accept that you’re making an initial investment that won’t see a return right away.
But if the campaign is successful, the long-term rewards can be numerous. Better brand recognition, increased authenticity, and personalization can all lead to higher response rates and strengthen longstanding customer relationships.
It’s one thing to write a check for producing a direct mail campaign, but we often cringe when it’s time to pay for the postage. The good news is, there are ways to save on postage by taking advantage of the USPS promotions for direct mail. Some of these promotions don’t require a huge investment on your end, and all of them enhance the marketing message you’re trying to convey.
What’s this all about?
The United State Postal Service offers different promotions throughout the year to provide us marketers and mailers with the opportunity to use our envelopes or mail pieces to increase engagement with customers. By utilizing one or more of these offers, you can create a bond through tactile and physical experiences – something that digital advertising can’t do.
Implemented in 2011, the USPS promotions program introduced new technologies and ideas to get away from the traditional letter/envelope package in the hopes of being competitive in a digital age. Each year, the USPS New Solutions team researches the market and develops offers to showcase how businesses can elevate their relationships with their customers.
Why use USPS promotions?
- To save money. You can save 3% – 6% off your postal costs depending on the promotion and time of year. Some offers can be combined to get a bigger discount.
- To capture your customers’ attention and make a lasting impression.
- To increase response rates.
- To target more customers. Using the postal discount(s) allows you to mail out more pieces while maintaining your budget. The more you send, the more you save.
What are the 2024 USPS promotions?
Here are the six promotions offered this coming year:
Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive
This promotion engages the customers’ senses by using special finishes, paper stocks, specialty inks like metallic or scented, and interactive elements like pop-ups or scratch-offs that can be incorporated into mail pieces. Try using a soft-touch coating on an outer envelope or a scratch-off promotion to attract your customers and create a lasting impression.
Runs February 1 through July 31, 2024 (registration opens December 15, 2023).
Personalized Color Transpromo
Transactional mail marketers can use color messaging, dynamic variable print, and personalization to enhance the mailing piece and involve customers. The mail piece must include two or more colors (no black, white, or grayscale) to be eligible.
Note: If you combine this promo by including a courtesy or business reply envelope or card in your package, the savings will increase from 3% to 4%.
Runs February 1 through July 31, 2024 (registration opens December 15, 2023).
Emerging and Advanced Technology
Video mailers, mobile shopping using a QR code, and voice assistance technology are some of the ways to reach customers through this offer. Create an even stronger bond by enticing your customers to interact with your mail piece.
Runs year-round for six consecutive months maximum during 2024 (registration is now open).
Reply Mail IMbA
If you’re including a business reply envelope or return card in your mail package, this is a simple promotion to use. By using a static or serialized Intelligent Mail® barcode, the return trip through the mail ensures faster delivery of payments or response by the end user.
Runs July 1 through December 31, 2024 (registration opens May 15, 2024).
Informed Delivery®
Consumers can get a digital preview of what’s coming in their mailbox. This free notification service reaches 52 million customers every day and is the least expensive and easiest promotion to accomplish. When creating your mail pieces, you can add a ride-along image with a call to action and an embedded live URL that corresponds to your campaign.
Runs August 1 through December 31, 2024 (registration opens June 15, 2024).
Retargeting
Would you like to reengage a potential customer that visited your website but did not take any action AND save money while doing it? Send a postcard triggered by a customer’s digital interaction from a website or app that was then matched to their physical address.
Runs September 1 through November 30, 2024 (registration opens July 15, 2024).
How to get started?
Before you give your design team the green light to start the creative process, make sure to visit the USPS promotions site to learn more. Each promotion has specific guidelines for participation and requires pre-approval from the post office.
Need help? Reach out and we can guide you in the right direction. Whether it’s choosing the best promotion to fit the needs of your company and your customers, or finding opportunities to use more than one promotion, we can walk you through the process with ease. Let the savings begin!
