MaxiMizing the Value of Your Mail with the latest usPs ProMotions

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1.0 IntroductIonAs it does each year, the United States Postal Service® (USPS) is implementing a number of changes to its rates and services for 2013. Alongside these changes, it has introduced a new set of promotions for the coming year.

These promotions provide opportunities for organizations to get more value out of their mail and partially offset cost increases resulting from the USPS rate changes. To help you take advantage of these opportunities, this guide provides an overview of the 2013 promotions, along with some best practices to ensure your success.

contEntS 1.0 Introduction

2.0 Overview of the 2013 USPS Promotions

2.1 Direct Mail Mobile Coupon and Click-To-Call Promotion

2.2 Earned Value Reply Mail Promotion

2.3 Emerging Technologies Promotion

2.4 Picture Permit Promotion

2.5 Product Samples Promotion

2.6 Mobile Buy-It-Now Promotion

3.0 Best Practices for Taking Advantage of USPS Promotions

3.1 Read the Fine Print

3.2 Register Early

3.3 Plan Ahead

4.0 Pitney Bowes Can Help

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2.0 ovErvIEw of thE 2013 uSPS PromotIonSThis year, the USPS is offering its widest range of promotions to date, which will allow more organizations to take advantage of the promotions than in previous years.

The promotional programs not only provide opportunities to offset cost increases from the rate changes, but they also provide incentives to drive more value from mail and to test innovative new mail programs.

Following similar promotions in the past two years, the 2013 promotions include several that are designed to generate interest in the use of mobile barcodes and other emerging technologies with direct mail. Others, such as the product samples promotion, focus on more traditional elements of integrated

marketing campaigns – which helps open up the promotions to more mailers.

To save you time assessing which programs are right for you, here are the key points to know about the 2013 USPS promotions, and how your organization might benefit from them1.

2.1 Direct Mail Mobile Coupon and Click-to-Call Promotion

registration PerioD: January 15 through april 30, 2013PrograM PerioD: March 1 through april 30, 2013This promotion is designed to encourage more mailers to integrate mobile technologies into direct mail campaigns. It offers a 2% postage discount on eligible direct mail that leads the recipient to one of two incentives: a digital coupon or a

1The USPS website offers full details and eligibility requirements for each promotion.

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one-touch calling facility for mobile devices (a.k.a. click-to-call).

In addition to the postage discount, the opportunity for mailers is the ability to drive measurable online responses to direct mail. By adding a 2-D barcode to direct mail pieces, marketers can offer recipients a chance to easily redeem a coupon, or call you without having to remember your number. Another scenario eligible under this promotion is to offer a short phone number on the mail piece, which interested recipients can use to trigger an SMS (text) message that contains a coupon code. One of the exciting benefits of this promotion is the increased ability to measure responses and ROI via the mobile elements.

2.2 earned Value reply Mail Promotion

registration PerioD: January 15 through March 31, 2013PrograM PerioD: april 1 through June 30, 2013This promotion is designed to show the value of including reply envelopes – both Business Reply Mail (BRM) and Courtesy Reply Mail (CRM) – in marketing and transactional mail programs. Mailers that use First-Class Mail BRM or CRM envelopes will receive a 2-cent postage credit for each piece of reply mail scanned during the program period.

If you already offer reply mail envelopes as part of your normal mailing practices, this promotion offers the potential for sizeable savings via the postage credits. If you don’t currently use reply mail envelopes, the discount offers an incentive to experiment and see how they can benefit your organization in terms of increased responses, and potentially, improved cash flow through faster collection of payments.

2.3 emerging technologies Promotion

registration PerioD: June 15 through september 30, 2013PrograM PerioD: august 1 through september 30, 2013This promotion is designed to encourage the use of the latest digital technologies in combination with direct mail marketing. It

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offers a 2% postage discount on eligible direct mail that incorporates one of the following emerging technologies:

• Near-Field Communication (NFC): The direct mail piece must include a NFC smart tag or RFID chip that allows information to be transmitted from the mailer to a mobile device.

• Augmented Reality: The direct mail piece must include an element such as a QR code barcode that allows the recipient to engage in an augmented reality experience using a mobile device or computer. To qualify, the augmented reality experience must combine the physical and the “virtual”, be interactive in real time, and be delivered in 3-D.

• Authentication: The direct mail piece must offer the opportunity for recipients to complete digital authentication processes. To be eligible, mailers will need to get prior approval from the USPS program office on their intended authentication scheme.

This promotion offers the chance to save on postage costs while employing technologies rich in creative and practical business potential. For example, an augmented reality campaign could incorporate a product demonstration that is overlaid onto the content of your direct mail piece, bringing it to life with color and video. Or, you could add a NFC smart tag to

your mail in order to upload a coupon to the mobile devices of recipients.

2.4 Picture Permit Promotion

enrollMent Begins: June 1, 2013PrograM PerioD: august 1 through september 30, 2013The Picture Permit Promotion offers mailers a chance to add a business-related image to the permit indicia space on First-Class Mail and Standard Mail envelopes at no cost. This allows mailers to add a company logo or a color image to mail pieces in order to improve their impact or to serve as a promotional tool. The usual fees for picture permits (1 cent for First-Class Mail and 2 cents for Standard Mail) will be waived during the promotional period.

While adding your company logo via picture permit offers a chance for increased brand exposure, the opportunities for this

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promotion don’t stop there. By incorporating text into the graphic you can use the picture permit space as a way to further encourage recipients to open the mail piece. Or, with a QR code, you could take recipients to a website with more information about a new promotion or product.

2.5 Product samples Promotion

registration PerioD: May 1 through september 30, 2013PrograM PerioD: august 1 through september 30, 2013With this promotion, the USPS is hoping to encourage more mailers to experiment with product sampling as a way to drive

responses and sales. During the promotional period, mail pieces that include a product sample will be eligible for an up-front postage discount of 5%.

The USPS provides a wide scope for what constitutes a product sample, which opens the door for many creative uses for this promotion. Generally, as long as the mailed item is a trial-sized version sent with the intent to drive action or purchase, it should qualify for this promotion.

2.6 Mobile Buy-it-now Promotion

registration PerioD: september 15 through December 31, 2013PrograM PerioD: november 1 through December 31, 2013

For the duration of the holiday season, the USPS is offering mailers a postage discount of 2% for eligible mail that encourages shopping on mobile devices. The mail piece must contain some kind of print-to-mobile technology (like a QR code) that takes recipients to a mobile webpage where they can purchase a product directly from their mobile device.

For retailers who have been considering a mobile commerce campaign, this promotion offers a great opportunity to save on postage costs in the process.

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3.0 BESt PractIcES for takIng advantagE of uSPS PromotIonS If you are interested in taking advantage of these promotions, there are several important steps you should take to make sure your campaigns are successful. Here are the key best practices for getting the most value from the 2013 USPS promotions:

3.1 read the fine PrintEach of the promotions has strict eligibility requirements that you should investigate carefully to ensure that your mail pieces and promotions qualify.

3.2 register earlyMost of the promotions have a fixed registration window prior to the actual promotion period and, in some cases, you must also seek approval from the USPS on the exact details of your program. To avoid possible disappointment and misspent budgets, be sure to register early and, where required, get approval from the USPS about your program particulars.

3.3 Plan aheadIn most cases, the promotions will require advanced preparations before you are ready to take advantage of the discounts or credits. In addition to the work on the

specific mail piece involved, you may need to develop a mobile website (with or without e-commerce functionality), a QR code program, or reply mail envelopes. Each of these can take several months or more to plan, develop and test before your campaign goes live. As a best practice, be sure you carefully investigate the time and resources that will be required to ensure that all elements of your campaign are ready in time.

4.0 PItnEy BowES can hElPTaking full advantage of the USPS promotions requires the right know-how, experience and equipment. Pitney Bowes can help.

• To help you prepare mail for the USPS promotions, we offer a number of printers and mail machines, including our RISO ComColor® and Connect+™ series.

• Our pbSmart™ Codes software can help you create a QR barcode and mobile-optimized website for use in your promotional materials.

• If you need in-depth support for a mailing program to save on mailing costs and take advantage of the USPS promotions, contact our consulting team for assistance.

For more information please vist: http://www.pb.com