The summer postage discount offered by the USPS is back. This year they are promoting mobile commerce and personalization. The mobile barcode (aka QR code) must lead the recipient directly to either A or B as described below:
A mobile optimized and personalized web page/URL that is tailored to an individual recipient. The web address and content of the web page must be unique to each recipient. CPC Solutions does this practically everyday. If you need to create thousands of personalized mobile barcodes, we can do it.
A mobile optimized web page that allows the recipient to purchase an advertised product or service on the mobile device. The entire purchase and checkout experience must be mobile optimized.
- Registration Begins: May 1, 2012 (Mail service providers will be able to register after the June 10, 2012 PostalOne!® Release.)
- Program Period: July 1 - August 31, 2012*
- Discount Amount: 2% of eligible postage
- Eligible Mail Classes: Standard Mail letters and flats, Nonprofit Standard Mail letters and flats, First-Class Mail Presort and Automation letters, cards, and flats
- Download Program Requirements
- Download Mobile Commerce & Personalization FAQs
We are here to help.
One of our trusted partners, Convertible Solutions, offers a variety of products which truly enhance the direct mail experience. Convertible Solutions specializes in pre-converted stock, meaning that the sheets come prepared with perforations, glue, laminations and scores, eliminating the need for post-press converting.
Pre-converted sheets work well when utilized with personalized direct mail and variable data printing, since it eliminates the waste and time that a typical post-converted process can take. Once the piece is printed, it’s simply trimmed, folded and it’s ready to mail. The image to the right leads to a 24 page PDF catalog of all their products. Because the bindery on the back end is minimal, these pieces are perfect for weekly or daily campaigns.
Several of our clients are already using these solutions; make it a part of your next campaign!
This past year the United States Postal Service (USPS) delivered 167.6 billion pieces of mail to mailboxes across this country. We take for granted the complex machine that enables a letter from one area to be personally delivered to another, no matter how remote. Despite the legacy issues the USPS faces, the fact that this happens day in and day out is actually pretty remarkable; all for a reasonable rate.
Digital communication is a great tool, which we all use, but when you need to deliver a letter or promotional direct marketing piece in the “real” world, the USPS can get it done. To help us get it done, we rely on our mailing professionals at CPC Solutions and a handy website managed by the USPS, the Postal Explorer. The link to the right has more than you ever wanted to understand about mailing, most of which you may not want to know!
Once on the Postal Explorer website, you will find the Quick Service Guides to be the most useful, which are located under Domestic Mail. We are here to help you navigate these regulations, so feel free to touch base. Thank you for thinking of CPC Solutions for your next direct mail campaign.
In case you did not notice, the United States Postal Service raised their rates on us again. Don’t worry; the USPS will have a difficult time collecting the postage due in this particular post.*
In the meantime, as our gift to you, we thought you may like our brand new Postal Rates Quick Guide. The two page PDF below is filled with valuable information distilled from the hundreds of pages of USPS regulations. It is intended to be a quick summary, but it should cover 80% of your needs (that old 80/20 rule is always working). If you have questions regarding the other 20%, feel free to contact us!
*Production Notes: The image above was created using our personalization software employing the Image Character Photoshop technique. A special stamp was created for each capital letter of the alphabet and we used its corresponding ASCII number, and then divided by three, to assign a “postage value” to it. That number was then added to the other letters in your name (using a value of 1¢ for each letter) and then subtracted from the new retail first class postage rate of 45¢, to come up with your postage due. These same techniques can be used in any variable data printed project as well!
Do you remember the slogan; M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand? M&Ms may not melt in your hand, but they sure do get sticky if held too long.
Part three in our series about personalization tricks revolves around the “fill randomly” technique. The sample shown in this post is a good example of how it can be utilized. The trick is making it look real and legible. Baseballs, golf balls, popcorn or jelly beans are all objects that would work well. Imagine a postcard targeting golfers with their name, message or offer written in golf balls. Send a marketing piece that the recipient will want to keep for awhile (aka sticky) and your chances of a response increase.
Picking up from our last post, we’re going to touch on the first “trick,” which is purchasing one of the hundreds of templates that already exist. Imagine what your clients will think when they see their name or company name in a festive ornament. Their first reaction will be, “How did they do that?”
