WHAT MARKETERS NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THE USPS 2025 PROMOTIONS
Integrating USPS annual promotions into your marketing strategy is a smart way to create more engaging experiences for your audience while boosting your return on investment. As the landscape of marketing and direct mail continues to evolve, taking advantage of the discounts and innovative opportunities offered by the USPS promotions is a smart strategy to enhance your campaigns and drive better results.
Understanding the details of these promotions can be overwhelming. To help you make sense of what’s coming, we’ve brought in our Postal Affairs Specialist, Suzi Oswald, for a Q&A session. In this blog, Suzi will walk you through how to take full advantage of the USPS 2025 Promotions to improve your engagement rates and achieve a higher ROI.
1. Can you give us a summary of the USPS 2025 Promotions and how marketers can take advantage of them?
The USPS Mailing Promotions are designed to encourage the use of technology and print techniques in mail to drive customer engagement and boost results. Five promotions are offered for 2025:
Two of my favorite promotions are Integrated Technology and Tactile, Sensory & Interactive. Integrated Technology connects physical mail with digital experiences; studies show it gives your direct mail 39% more attention1. The Tactile, Sensory, & Interactive promotion creates memorable experiences for recipients that increases brand recall by 70%2.
Each promotion has a timeline for registration and when the promotion will run. Typically, you must register your mailpiece through the USPS Business Customer Gateway to ensure your mail design incorporates the specific technology and submit the mailpiece for pre-approval to confirm eligibility. Don’t worry; SeaChange is here to help with the registration and pre-approval process. The promotions calendar is a great tool to keep track of promotional timelines.
2025 USPS Promotions
2. How can marketers use tactile and sensory elements, like metallic inks or embossing, to make their direct mail stand out and drive higher engagement?
Sensory elements like soft-touch finishes, embossing, and metallic inks can elevate your mailpiece, making it more memorable and engaging for consumers. According to a study by Sappi North America, 81% of consumers favor a product they can touch and smell over one they can only see3. These sensory enhancements increase brand recognition and engagement by stimulating multiple senses, leading to better recall and deeper emotional connections. Incorporating tactile elements can also increase conversion rates by as much as 30% compared to standard direct mail campaigns4.
3. What’s a simple way for marketers to leverage USPS Promotions as a way to “ease into” digital marketing?
To give your mailpiece more digital interaction, use Informed Delivery and conduct an interactive campaign that engages your audience. According to the USPS, Informed Delivery has over 62 million users and boasts a 63% email open rate5. Informed Delivery drives immediate action by including a clickable ride-along image in the email message that takes users directly to a target URL. Target URLs can be landing pages, social media profiles, or videos—ideal for lead generation, growing an online presence, or improving brand awareness. Arriving in close succession via two channels, a ride-along image and physical mailpiece provide a powerful 1-2 marketing punch that leads customers to action.
4. Can you explain how interactive technologies like AR or video-in-print can be effectively integrated into a direct mail campaign, and what results marketers can expect from using them?
Interactive technologies are transforming how marketers use direct mail, creating new avenues for interaction to make connecting the physical and digital channels easier than ever. Research from the Data & Marketing Association shows that combining direct mail with digital channels drives 92% of recipients to take digital action and 87% to shop online6. Examples of interactive technologies include:
Near Field Communication (NFC)
NFC-enabled mail allows customers to launch digital content on their mobile devices simply by holding their devices near the mailer. The content could be a landing page or a video.
Video in Print (VIP)
VIP allows you to embed small video screens in mailpieces, creating an exciting, immediate experience. These videos can highlight product features or show a unique manufacturing process.
Virtual Reality (VR)
VR creates 3D virtual experiences. Include an easily assembled cardboard VR headset in a mailer to bring your brand to life. For example, a camping supplies company could showcase its products within a realistic campsite.
Augmented Reality (AR)
AR uses a real-world setting to create interactive experiences. Customers can place their mobile devices over a mailer to launch a video experience—such as a tour of your hotel or pro tips for their recent purchase.
Voice Response
Mail can even be connected to voice assistants, which carry out tasks based on spoken commands. With voice-enabled mail, customers can launch their voice assistants and interact with the mailpiece.
Mixed Reality (MR)
With MR, a hybrid of AR and VR, you can offer customers an immersive digital experience that superimposes over the real world. MR could show how furniture will look inside a customer’s actual home.
5. What’s the best way for marketers to measure the success of their campaigns when using the USPS Promotions, and how can they optimize these efforts for even greater ROI?
One of the best ways to measure a campaign's success is to use tracking mechanisms, such as unique landing pages with specific URLs for each USPS promotion, to track website activity. Another option is promo codes on each mailpiece to identify which campaign generated the action, or the use of dedicated phone numbers to monitor call volume and conversion rates.
Our team at SeaChange is here to help. Our GATHER platform makes it easy to monitor and measure your campaigns seamlessly. GATHER combines everything you need to stay on top of your marketing efforts. From managing print and digital projects to tracking response rates, conversion rates, and ROI in real time, GATHER provides actionable insights that help optimize your marketing for even greater success.
Ready to Level Up Your Direct Mail Strategy?
The USPS 2025 Promotions offer incredible opportunities to enhance direct mail campaigns, improve engagement, and boost ROI. Whether you're looking to incorporate sensory elements, interactive technologies, or sustainable practices, now is the time to take full advantage of these promotions.
At SeaChange, we’re here to help you navigate the complexities of these opportunities. As your trusted partner, we can guide you in crafting campaigns that not only qualify for USPS discounts but also incorporate innovative elements that drive meaningful results. Our team will work with you to seamlessly integrate print and digital strategies, ensuring your direct mail campaigns stand out and deliver measurable success. Let's talk.
1USPS, 2024 Promotions Guide, 2Forbes Insights, 3Sappi, The Neuroscience of Touch, 4USPS Sensory Mail Study, 5USPS Informed Delivery Data, 2024, 6DMA 2024 Report
