Increase Direct Mail ROI with USPS 2014 Promotions
Every year the US Postal Service offers discounted mailing promotins that allow you to save money on your direct mail campaigns. These promotions can save you some real money if your are flexible on your campaign timing or they happen to match your marketing calendar.
Some 2014 promotion highlights:
Branded Color Mobile Technology | February 1 – March 31
In an attempt to make QR codes visually more appealing, use color or branding in QR codes and receive a 2% discount on first class, standard, flats or cards. The QR code must contain one color other than black, white or gray, and lead the recipient to a mobile optimized experience, as it should.
Premium Advertising | April 1 – June 30
This is the largest discount in all the 2014 promotions. This promotion is intended to encourage marketers to use first class mail as a marketing tool. Send your marketing or advertising content via first class mail and receive a 15% discount.
Earned Value Reply Mail | April 1 – June 30
This promotion is offered to mailers that include First-Class Mail Business Reply Mail (BRM) or Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM) enclosures. You can earn a 2 cent credit on each piece that is returned during the promotion period.
Mail and Digital Personalization | May 1 – June 30
This is my favorite promotion. You get a 2% postage discount if your mail piece contains personalization in the mail piece that has a personalized URL or QR code call to action that sends the recipient to a personalized landing page.
Emerging Technology / NFC | August 1 – September 30
This one might be a little more difficult to take advantage of but we’d love to help. The USPS loves it when marketers combine direct mail with mobile technology. Near Field Communications (NFC) chips and tags enable communication with mobile phones and tablet computers. Any mail pieces embedded with a NFC device will receive a 2% discount at the time of mailing.
Color Print in First Class Mail | August 1 – December 31
This promotion is intended to create a greater connection and increase consumer response by utilizing color in bills and statements. First class transactional pieces that include the use of four-color printing on bills and statements receive a 2% discount at the time of mailing. Pre-printed paper stock and color inserts don’t count. This is a great application for our 4 color variable data digital presses.
Mail Drives Mobile Commerce | November 1 – December 31
This promotion is another mobile initiative, providing a 2% discount for all mail pieces that utilize technology that can be scanned by a mobile device that leads the recipient to a mobile-optimized shopping website. This is a great opportunity to save money using QR codes or augmented reality technology in catalogs and other direct response pieces.
To qualify for these discounts the campaign must be registered with USPS before mailing. Please contact us and we’ll take care of the detailed requirements for your campaign and help you get more value our of your marketing spend.