Tech Creates New Breed of Interactive Mail

To help boost direct mailer use of emerging technologies, the U.S. Postal Service offered postage discounts this summer for use of interactive mail tools such as QR codes, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Near Field Communications (NFC), and Video in Print. But taking a new technology from gimmick to ROI booster requires inspiration even more than discounts. So here are some success stories courtesy of the USPS, too. Among the USPS-cited case studies of mobile- or tablet-scanned QR and AR codes is this example of how QR codes proved their value for organized sports marketing. Sports event managers created more than 50 unique codes for signage, publications and e-tickets to provide information, social media sharing, and mobile store access, and succeeded in getting QR-code users to scan event material an average of 1.6 times, and increased downloads of the official app to 15 million. Meanwhile, AR proved its traffic-building value for a furniture retailer's mailed yearly catalog; recipients used the app to superimpose pieces of furniture onto a real-time 360°/180° view of their homes, resulting in both more app and website visits by customers for the retailer. Apps can achieve other retail marketing goals besides traffic and sales, of course. The USPS cites a beauty company's print ad AR that allowed digital trials of nail polish, with the goals of preventing product returns and improving future stocking decisions and color choices. Over 10% of users scanned the ad with their smartphones or tablets to try on 40 different nail polish colors. Near Field Communications (NFC) relies on chips and radio waves to communicate with smartphones and has the advantage of instant access. The USPS notes a movie premiere's NFC-enabled posters that encouraged users to tap an image with their smartphones to access behind-the-scenes footage, and an Uber campaign in England with NFC-enabled coasters in pubs, right on the table with the smartphones--and the drinks inspiring ride requests. Video-in-Print (VIP) uses a video device included in a mailer or print ad and can work well for targeting high-value customers. For example, an auto company promoting a new truck used publisher data to select 20,000 readers who fit the target truck owner profile and sent them a VIP magazine insert. Mobile-in-Print also creates immediate interaction by placing mobile call or text capabilities in print media. Consider the case of a multinational auto insurance company plagued by complaints about help line delays: The insurer sent out mobile-in-print mailers that prompted customers to use the keypad embedded on the page to enter their mobile telephone number and license plate information to receive instant insurance quotes on their mobile devices. For more, see https://www.acculist.com/emerging-technologies-create-new-breed-of-interactive-mail/

Use 2019 USPS Promotions to Up Mail ROI

AccuList reminds direct marketers of the raft of 2019 U.S. Postal Service mailing promotions designed to increase response, engagement and ROI via new digital technologies and printing techniques, as well as traditional mail tactics. The registration and promotion periods have already begun for a Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mailpiece Engagement Promotion that will last from February 1 to July 31. With the goal of encouraging marketing mailers' use of advanced print innovations in paper and stock, substrates, inks, interactive elements and finishing techniques, all USPS Marketing Mail letters and flats are eligible for the promotion’s upfront 2% postage discount. Registration has also begun for the Emerging and Advanced Technology Promotion, open to First-Class Mail and USPS Marketing Mail. The promotion, also offering an upfront 2% postage discount, spans the March 1 to August 31 period this year and is designed to help direct mailers leverage emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), Near Field Communications (NFC), and Video in Print, as well as multi-channel mail integration with Addressable TV or digital assistants. Hurry to take advantage of the Earned Value Reply Mail Promotion since registration closes March 31. The April 1-to-June 30 promotion rewards mailings using Business Reply Mail (BRM), Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM) and Share Mail envelopes and cards by providing them with a financial benefit when customers put those pieces back in the mail. New participants will earn a 3 cent credit per counted reply piece between April-June. Created by USPS to encourage bill and statement producers to invest in dynamic/color printing technology, the Personalized Color Transpromo Promotion also offers an upfront 2% postage discount. Registration starts May 15 for incentives running from July 1 to December 31. First-Class Mail pre-sort and automation letters—bills and statements only—that meet the dynamic print and personalization requirements will be eligible for the upfront 2% postage discount. The Mobile Shopping Promotion benefits marketers who send regular and nonprofit Marketing Mail letters and flats combining mobile with print, with registration starting June 15 for a promotion lasting August 1 to December 31, in time for the holiday season. There are many new mobile bar-code formats, in addition to payment QRs, that can be leveraged to qualify for the upfront 2% postage discount. Finally, this year’s Informed Delivery Promotion pushes the new USPS omnichannel tool that allows residential consumers the free ability to digitally preview letter-sized mail and manage scheduled packages on their computers, tablets, or mobile devices. Regular and nonprofit Marketing Mail letters and flats, and First-Class Mail pre-sort or automation letters, cards and flats will be eligible for an upfront 2% postage discount. Register starting July 15 to take advantage of the September 1 to November 30 promotion period. For more, go to https://www.acculistusa.com/mailers-can-use-usps-2019-promos-to-spur-roi/

2019 Trends Can Propel Direct Mail Success

Direct mail lists and data services are core to AccuList USA’s business success, so each year we research which trends our direct mail marketing clients will want to embrace for maximum response. We start by noting that digital era issues can actually create direct mail opportunities, as pointed out by direct mail agency Inkit. More customers are tuning out digital advertising. In fact, eMarketer estimates that 30% of all Internet users will use ad blockers in 2019. One way marketers can offset the drop in digital ad effectiveness is to beef up direct mail campaigns. After all, ANA-DMA research shows that 84% of millennials take the time to look through their mail and 64% would rather scan for useful information in the mail than e-mail. Plus, 41% of millennials and 53% of Gen Xers report enjoying catalogs. That engagement translates into higher response rates for mail than for any other media, per the 2018 ANA-DMA Response Rate Report, with 9% for house lists and 4.9% for prospect lists. While digital ads are being ignored, digital video is booming; Inkit reports that Cisco projects video will encompass more than 85% of all Internet traffic in the U.S. by 2020! Direct mail doesn’t have to be left out. Thanks to print technology–QR, AR, Video-in-Print and Near Field Communication (NFC)–paper promotions can jump on the video bandwagon. For all marketing channels, customers in 2019 will expect marketers to personalize offers and deliver a seamless experience across channels, Inkit asserts. AI is one way marketers can get a handle on messaging across channels and at different points in the buyer journey. Meanwhile, variable data content printing and enhanced database targeting and segmenting can deliver personalized relevant messaging for mail. Yet there are some popular direct mail printing practices that need to be ditched this year, advises direct marketing agency Darwill. For example, using a 4-color master shell on which variable content is laser-printed in black and white has become old-hat given that new inkjet presses can create endless 4-color versions, including coupons varied based on a recipient’s past shopping patterns or demographics. Plus, custom maps once laser-printed in black and white can be replaced by full-color variable maps that are more personalized, eye-catching, and likely to drive leads. For more see our full blog post at http://www.acculistusa.com/2019-trends-open-doors-for-more-direct-mail-success/

Tailoring Direct Mail to Millennial Tastes

Research shows that millennials respond well to direct mail--but not necessarily to their father's style of direct mail. Summer Gould of Target Marketing magazine recently listed five traits to incorporate in direct mail creative to enhance its appeal to the millennial mindset. Authentic: The first rule is to strive for authenticity in messaging and imagery, keeping it in sync with the brand with a stress on consistency and transparency. Accessible: Make sure your company is accessible by providing multiple ways to respond, especially digitally and via mobile. Human: Keep it human and seek connection with personalized, emotional messaging. Also humanize the brand by highlighting real employees and user-generated content. Socially Aware: Showcase your company as socially aware, linking with charities and causes relevant to the brand. Tech Savvy: Make sure you include digital and mobile technology in printed pieces, going beyond QR codes to the more powerful Near Field Communication (NFC), Augmented Reality (AR), video and more. For the full article, read http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/post/direct-mail-marketing-millennials-5-tips/

USPS 2016 Programs Incentivize Innovative Mailers

The U.S. Postal Service is luring direct mailers toward creative and technology innovations that promise to punch up response this year. It's a siren song hard to resist in an election year of intensified mailbox competition. Target Marketing magazine recently outlined five key USPS promotional programs incentivizing 2016 mailers, especially those embracing print technology. For example, from March 1 to Aug. 31, an "Emerging and Advanced Technology/Video in Print Promotion" gives a 2% postage discount on First Class, Standard and Nonprofit letters, cards or flats using interactive technology: standard NFC, Video in print (ViP), beacon technology or "enhanced" augmented reality. During the same period, the "Tactile, Sensory and Interactive Mail Piece Engagement Promotion" offers a 2% postage discount on Standard and Nonprofit letters or flats offering special visual, sound, scent, or texture/tactile effects, as well as interactive dimensional features such as pop-ups. Another 2% postage discount can be earned for First Class Mail with the "Personalized Color Transpromo Promotion," starting July 1, just by adding a color sales message to a statement or invoice. Also starting in July, the "Mobile Shopping Promotion" gives a 2% postage discount to Standard and Nonprofit letters or flats using a mobile bar code or other print-to-mobile technology. Plus, the spring "Earned Value Promotion" rewards each piece of returned First Class Business Reply and First Class Courtesy Reply mail with a $0.02-$0.03 credit. For links to details, go to http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/post/5-usps-direct-mail-promotion-programs-2016/

Is USPS Planning New Mail Technology Discounts?

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) may be considering more discounts for direct mailers who use emerging mail technologies -- at least that's the implication of a "Mail Innovations" report just released by the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report details and encourages use of 10 types of innovations, hinting that these may also come up for promotional discounting. Three tools listed under "Connected Mail," meaning mail that incorporates digital via Internet-enabled devices, already get discounts from the USPS: QR Codes, Augmented Reality (AR) and Near-Field Communication (NFC). The OIG report adds Webkeys, which can be plugged into USBs to launch web pages, to the Connected Mail category for potential promotion. The OIG report also discusses three technologies in an "Electronic Mail" category, meaning direct mail with an embedded electronic component: video in print, which creates a screen on paper that can play up to five videos; mobile in print with call or text buttons connecting directly to the marketer; and conductive ink mail that can link to an electricity source such as a battery or processing chip to do things like light a bulb or create a noise. Finally, the OIG report looks at "Dimensional Mail" innovations, such as "interesting links" that allow consumers to interact with mail by making colors appear or disappear; customized MarketMail that uses shape, size and texture, often without an envelope; and 3D mail that folds or pops into a message, similar to a pop-up book. For more on the new USPS OIG report and emerging mail technologies, see the Target Marketing magazine post at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/usps-new-direct-mail-discounts-innovators/1