Each year, the USPS introduces promotions and incentive programs aimed at motivating marketers to integrate new technologies and printing techniques into their direct mail campaigns.

It’s a win-win: by enhancing your mailings, you boost engagement and response rates while earning a 4 percent postage discount by meeting a few straightforward requirements.

Despite the interest from many large marketing agencies, some hesitate to proceed with USPS promotions. They often feel overwhelmed by new techniques and revert to familiar strategies.

However, running campaigns eligible for USPS promotional discounts is relatively easy, especially if you partner with a company like Direct Mail Depot that specializes in these campaigns.

Here are three USPS promotions for 2024 and how you can easily qualify for them:

Tactile, Sensory, and Interactive Engagement (available December 15, 2024 through July 31, 2025)

This promotion focuses on innovative paper stocks, inks, interactive elements, and finishing techniques. One of the simplest ways to qualify is by using a textured envelope.

Direct Mail Depot’s real-world examples include:

•  A soft-touch envelope with a velvet-like feel, used by a communications provider to enhance the mailing’s prestige.
•  A textured envelope mimicking the surface of a basketball, used by an insurance provider to appeal to sports fans, with other options like baseball or football textures.

These mailings not only qualify for the promotional discount but also stand out in the mailbox, catching the recipient’s attention. While there are other options like pop-ups or scented mailers, a textured envelope might be the easiest to implement.

Informed Delivery (Now through December 31, 2024, and all year in 2025)

Running an Informed Delivery campaign is simple: just provide an image that links to your website. This approach not only saves you 4 percent on postage but also doubles your advertising exposure at no extra cost!

Informed Delivery is a free USPS service that allows residential consumers to preview incoming mail and packages via a daily email. This email includes a color or black-and-white image of your mail piece before it arrives, with the added benefit that everyone in the household can see it, not just the addressee.

The physical mailing arrives along with a digital version linking directly to your website, creating an additional touchpoint.

Informed Delivery boasts high customer satisfaction and email open rates. Consider using it during the promotional period from Labor Day to Thanksgiving to save 4 percent on postage.

Informed Delivery has extremely high customer satisfaction rates and email open rates. Why not try Informed Delivery during the promotional period from Labor Day to Thanksgiving and save 4 percent on postage?

See the entire 2024 USPS Promotional Calendar here.

Still feeling uncertain about integrating these techniques into your marketing strategy? Let Direct Mail Depot assist you. With our experience in executing these types of campaigns, we can guide you through the process.

Reach out to us today to discover which tactics are best for your campaigns, how to qualify for postage discounts, and how to achieve optimal results.