A preview of your mail each day, emailed to you every morning. For free. Does this sound compelling and useful?
Until you sign up for Informed Delivery and experience it yourself, you may not appreciate the value of this innovative new service from the Post Office.
Despite its boring name, Informed Delivery may serve as an exciting new bridge between old school direct mail and our new digital lives. And it may help increase direct mail’s relevancy among younger, digital-native audiences as they experience the link between the two channels.
I subscribed to Informed Delivery in May, and instantly became a huge fan. Each morning the USPS sends me an email that includes black and white images of the front side of the mail pieces expected in that day’s mail delivery. Bills, promotional mailings, personal letters, official correspondence. Anything that is handled via automation by the USPS is included in the email, up to 10 pieces. Additional pieces may be viewed from a link in the email.
I began to appreciate the benefits of Informed Delivery immediately:
- The limited-time sale postcards from my favorite retailers get me psyched to start planning my shopping.
Source: USPS.com - A heads up about important, official correspondence helps me manage my life better. For example, knowing a new car insurance policy and a new driver’s license are on their way means other plans can be put into motion faster.
- And if important mail doesn’t arrive as expected, then I know there is a problem to address, rather than being completely oblivious and possibly dealing with serious consequences later. Was the mail lost or stolen? I can take action more quickly. I feel empowered.
- The curiosity factor. I’m eager to open the email every day to see what mail I’m going to get. There’s always the hope that something interesting is on its way. It’s almost fun! It’s like receiving a text message alert. How can you not look?
- I travel frequently, and it’s useful to know what’s arriving while I’m away. I can alert other household members about their mail when they are away from home too.
You can learn more and sign up here at www.InformedDelivery.USPS.com. Try it for yourself.
Once you see firsthand the benefits as a consumer you’ll start imagining the opportunities as a marketer. Sending digital impressions of mail, along with direct links to buy or donate online combined with direct mail may prove to be a breakthrough for multi-channel campaigns.
Informed Delivery is still a new frontier, and the USPS is working hard to educate marketers on the possibilities now and in the future, especially as new services are added.
As we noted in our previous post, the USPS is holding a series of Informed Delivery webinars for marketers throughout July. Be sure to attend to learn more about this exciting new service.
