May 2, 2022
Direct mail is a very powerful marketing channel that can be enhanced by adding informed delivery. What is informed delivery? Basically, you provide to your customers and prospects more touch points, more impressions and therefore create more impact.
The USPS offers a free service to subscribers which sends an email to them with an image of that day’s mail. The default images are not in color since they are scanned on postal equipment.
When you participate in an informed delivery campaign, you can replace that image with a color image and even add a web link for quick purchasing or information about your product or service.
How does informed delivery enhance your mailing results?
- The USPS says 64.7% of emails are opened daily. People will see your ad.
- 86% of consumers are satisfied or very satisfied with Informed Delivery
- 90% of consumers would recommend Informed Delivery to friends, family, or colleagues
- They have a 4.92% click through rate on ads. People do click on the ads.
- They encourage faster response rates with the easy link.
- Provides an easy way to have multiple touch points with clients and prospects.
Is it complicated?
No, that is the best part. Once you design your mail piece you should design an image for informed delivery and also create a ride along ad. Both will then be sent with the landing page information to the post office along with a mail.dat file so the post office knows who gets the mail and the ads.When the post office scans the mail piece for delivery, they will send the email to your customer or prospect with that day’s mail. Your color image with the ad and web page will be in that email.
How can you measure results?
You will use your normal measuring tools for your direct mail results plus the added informed delivery results. The best way to do this is to create a special landing page for your informed delivery ad and coupon code they enter at purchase.This will allow you to track how many hits to the page as well as how many purchases are made from the informed delivery portion. Your responses from the mail piece will go to a different landing page; they can also come in based on other response mechanisms like phone or email depending on what you provide.
Why use informed delivery?
The post office is having a promotion for informed delivery. This program runs August 1, 2022 – December 31, 2022. This year the discount has increased from 2% to 4%. Get the requirements here: https://postalpro.usps.com/promotions/2022-informed-delivery/requirementsOver 43 million people have registered to receive these emails from the post office and that continues to grow daily. Many marketers are looking at new ways to use direct mail and informed delivery can help you grow your ROI.