USPS Proposes 2019 Promotions & Incentives

They’re back!

After suspending the popular Postal Mailing Promotions in 2018, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced the proposal of several special offers and incentives for nonprofit mailers in 2019. While they only last for a limited time with certain restrictions, the cost savings they can ultimately provide will make them worth it.

Let’s take a look at which promotions you can take advantage of to help drive higher response rates and increase the overall return on your investment in mail:

What are the proposed 2019 USPS Promotions?

• Emerging and Advanced Technology
  • Registration Period: January 15, 2019 – August 31, 2019
  • Promotion Period: March 1, 2019 – August 31, 2019
  • An upfront 2% postage discount on mailpieces that incorporate mobile-based technologies, such as Near-Field Communication, Enhanced Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Addressable TV or Video in Print.
• Mobile Shopping Promotion
  • Registration Period: June 15, 2019 – December 31, 2019
  • Promotion Period: August 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019
  • An upfront 2% postage discount on mailpieces that include a mobile barcode or print/mobile technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device and leads the recipient to a mobile-optimized shopping website or the ability to complete a financial transaction. NOTE: Charitable giving does qualify for this promotion so long as a hard copy certificate, voucher or thank you note is mailed to the donor or the mailpieces contain a BRM or CRM enclosure.
• Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement
  • Registration Period: December 15, 2018 – July 31, 2019
  • Promotion Period: February 1, 2019 – July 31, 2019
  • An upfront 2% postage discount on mailpieces that incorporate specialty inks, sensory elements, textural papers, and the use of folds or other dimensional elements that are interactive.
• Informed Delivery (New this year!)
  • Registration Period: July 15, 2019 – November 30, 2019
  • Promotion Period: September 1, 2019 – November 30, 2019
  • An upfront 2% postage discount for mailings that incorporate Informed Delivery campaigns as a component of their mailings.
• Personalized Color Transpromo
  • Registration Period: May 15, 2019 – December 31, 2019
  • Promotion Period: July 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019
  • An upfront 2% postage discount on mailpieces that use dynamic/variable color print for personalized transpromotional marketing messages on bills and statements.
• Earned Value Reply Mail
  • Registration Period: February 15, 2019 – March 31, 2019
  • Promotion Period: April 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019
  • Future postage credit for each BRM/CRM mailpiece scanned, with an Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb), throughout the promotional period.

Phew! That’s a lot of promotions, but which ones are a best fit for nonprofit mailers?

• Informed Delivery
  • As our postal experts shared in our recent blog post, the number of Informed Delivery subscribers grows by 20,000 each day, adding to the 10.6 million people already signed up! So, if you haven’t joined this program yet, now is the time while gaining some additional savings.
• Mobile Shopping (or charitable donation)
  • Many organizations have already invested in mobile optimized landing pages to complete a tangible purchase or charitable donation; therefore, by adding a mobile barcode driving the user to the mobile URL will easily qualify your mailpiece for the 2% postage discount throughout the promotional period. We have seen nonprofit organizations realize substantial postage savings by utilizing this promotion for their high volume catalog mailings.
    
• Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement
  • If you are already using metallic inks, spot UV varnishes, textured UV varnishes, embossed/debossed paper, unique/engaging folds, pop-ups or other qualifying sensory engagements, then you may already qualify for this promotion. If not, the expense of investing in one of these element types might be greater than the potential postage savings, but it’s worth exploring these options with your printer to do a true comparison on your package.

How can I take advantage of these promotions?

We are here to answer any questions or advise you on how to leverage these promotions in the most cost-effective way. Our Director of Resource and Supplier Relations, Carolyn Angelini, is certified in Mailpiece Design from the USPS and has expertise around how you can maximize the 2019 USPS mailing promotions.

Contact us to discover new opportunities with your mailings before the incentives expire and it’s too late to save your organization some money!