Is USPS Informed Delivery in your Marketing Toolkit?

If you’re a direct mail marketer, USPS Informed Delivery should be on your radar. This free service allows consumers to digitally preview their incoming mail each morning through an email that includes a grayscale scan (Mailpiece Image) of the front of their physical mail. It’s a convenient way for users to keep track of their mail, even when they’re away from home, with the added ability to report missing items through their dashboard.

For marketers, USPS Informed Delivery offers a powerful opportunity to enhance traditional mail campaigns. By adding color images and custom Calls-To-Action (CTAs) to the generic mailpiece image, you can transform a simple preview into an interactive digital experience. This allows your brand to make multiple impressions, first through email and again when the physical mail arrives, maximizing the impact of your direct mail efforts. We’ll show you how this works with a few examples.

Example #1 from Chase shows a mailpiece image that has not been customized. This is what a Mailpiece Image looks like in the Daily Digest without any modifications from the mailer.

Example #2 from Leaf Filter includes a custom CTA and an offer that links to their website.

Example #3 for a BroadBased client illustrates how we optimized their Mailpiece Image with color art, a custom CTA button that links to a landing page and share buttons.

“In a recent group of mailings tested by BroadBased, the percentage of recipients on our mailing list who viewed the offer via Informed Delivery ranged from 29% to 55%, with click through rates as high as 2.3%. We firmly believe that these additional interactions are beneficial brand awareness and a very stealth tool that will increase conversions.”

Chris Ramaglia, CEO, BroadBased

Increased Exposure with Dual Touchpoints

This combination of physical and digital touchpoints provides mailers with a unique opportunity to reach their audience twice: once when they check their email, and again when they receive the physical mailpiece. Additionally, enrolled consumers have access to a dashboard where mailpiece images are stored for a week.

With a small time investment, marketers can add a digitally interactive component to mailing campaigns. The mailings and the digital supplement are both sent based on the mailing list provided by the marketer for the direct mail campaign, but the email itself is handled and sent by USPS. Email addresses for an Informed Delivery campaign are gathered by the USPS from consumers who have voluntarily signed up for the service. Marketers do NOT have direct access to these email addresses (nor can you provide a list).

Another feature to like about Informed Delivery is the detailed performance metrics provided by the USPS post-mailing. These analytics allow marketers to track email open rates, click-through rates, and delivery status giving brands valuable insight into the effectiveness of their campaigns and opportunities to optimize future messaging.

Carrie Turnasky, Director of Corporate Marketing & Communications for Complete Health, had this to say about the Informed Delivery campaign we partnered with them to launch.

“At Complete Health, we look to BroadBased to help us find innovative new tactics for us to increase our awareness and get our brand in front of our target audience. The Informed Delivery campaign is a great example of that and is such a cost-effective way to expand our reach in the areas we serve patients.”

Who’s using Informed Delivery?

Overall, Informed Delivery attracts a diverse, yet slightly older and more affluent user base. According to the USPS:

• The service is popular among a wide age range, but it tends to attract middle-aged consumers. A significant portion of users fall within the 25–54 age group.
  A large portion of Informed Delivery users are homeowners, which is linked to higher engagement with mail services related to home maintenance, mortgage services, and home-related purchases.
• Older adults (55+) also make up a growing portion of the user base, likely due to their regular use of mail services.
• Users are generally comfortable with technology, as the service requires signing up online and managing email notifications. This skews the user base toward individuals who are more engaged with digital platforms and devices.
• Most users regularly check emails and interact with digital content, making them a prime audience for digital marketing.

All said, we believe that USPS Informed Delivery is more than just a mail preview service—it’s a valuable tool for building brand awareness. By providing multiple touchpoints and an easy way to interact with your audience, it ensures that your brand message resonates and sticks. For businesses who perform direct mail and are seeking to enhance campaign strategy, we think this service is a real game-changer.

If you’re ready to try an Informed Delivery campaign, email CEO Chris Ramaglia and we’ll get the ball rolling!