Presenter Notes: This deck should be provided to customers in a PDF format., without talking points The talking notes on these slides are intended for use by PCC presenters only. Welcome and thank you for attending our Postal Customer Council event. Today s topic is Informed Delivery. Before we get started, can I see a show of hands of how many of your are already signed up to receive daily Informed Delivery email notifications? That s great. This will give you a better understanding of how it works for mailer campaigns which will be the main focus of our conversation today. Optional if you have material on hand: If you haven t signed up yet as a consumer receiver, we have material here today that will help you do so. 1
Informed Delivery is a consumer-facing feature offered by USPS. It allows us to tie hardcopy mail to daily digital lives. It provides eligible residential consumers with the ability to see digital previews of their household s mail that will be arriving soon. These previews are available via email notification or an online dashboard. This enhanced delivery feature, provided at no additional cost, offers consumers access to their mail anytime, anywhere even while traveling. On a day to day basis, users will see the grayscale images of the exterior, address side of an incoming letter or postcard-sized mailpieces that are processed through our automated equipment as shown in the image here. These are provided as a general rule of thumb to all Informed Delivery users. Now, let s talk about mailer campaigns. For mailers that conduct an Informed Delivery interactive campaign and provide supplemental content, such as the Ride-along image shown here, the user will see both the grayscale mailpiece and a color image. This image is clickable based on the URL you provide as is the View Website link next to it. The Mail Owner name is also displayed. This URL most often links to a website, however, it can link to Facebook, Twitter, or even a video that is hosted on your website. If mailers choose to conduct Informed Delivery campaigns, they can provide full-color, interactive content that accompanies, replaces, or is provided in lieu of the grayscale image. We ll talk about that in more detail later. 2
First, let s address why we are doing this. Customer response during our 3 years of testing has been very positive. The statistics you see here were gathered from over 6,000 pilot users. User Satisfaction: The feature has a 91% satisfaction rate, which is a 10% increase from early 2016. 9 out of 10 people would recommend Informed Delivery. People love the feature because it offers convenience, early action opportunities, and access while away. Success Rates: 85% of people use Informed Delivery to anticipate what to look for or be more aware of incoming mail. 88% of respondents check their notifications every day. 96% of respondents regularly review Informed Delivery via email notifications (as opposed to the dashboard view online). 3
Following successful pilots in Northern Virginia and the New York Metro areas, the Postal Service expanded Informed Delivery to the majority of ZIP Codes across the country in April 2017; the feature now has more than 2 million users. This map shows user density by ZIP Code across the United States as of late May. This user base, which will continue to grow to an estimated 20M subscribers by next summer, provides mailers with an opportunity to conduct interactive campaigns to engage target audiences and expand campaign reach. 4
Informed Delivery allows users to take action before important items reach their mailbox, while offering mailers an unprecedented opportunity to engage users through synchronized direct mail and digital marketing campaigns. Let s talk a bit more about how it all works 5
At this time, Informed Delivery images are provided for letter and postcard-sized mailpieces that are processed through automated equipment. There are five stages in the Informed Delivery process: 1. Consumer signs up and passes an identity verification process to prove they live at the address in their account 2. Mail is imaged during processing as it has been for over 20 years 3. Mailpiece images are matched to delivery points using the barcode on the mailpiece 4. Then the images are posted to dashboards and, when applicable, an email is sent to user 5. Later in the day, the user receives physical mailpiece. In some cases, due to mail processing operations, mailpieces may be delivered the next day hence the Arriving Soon notation. Note that Mailer campaigns are applied in Step 3, prior to the images being provided to the user. We ll go into this in more detail in the next slide. Another important note is that this feature is provided at the household level, meaning that anyone who gets mail at that physical mailbox can have access to Informed Delivery (e.g., spouses, roommates, etc.). 6
Each campaign is initially triggered by and mapped to the Mailer ID, referred to as a MID, that is included on the individual mailpieces. The MID resides in the Intelligent Mail Barcode, which I ll refer to as the IMb. So, no IMb, no campaign. Campaigns are customized by the mail owner or mail service provider to be active during a defined date range, generally from a few days to a few weeks. Mailers often also use the Serial Number range within the IMb to make a unique campaign, providing greater levels of personalization and the ability to use a shared MID, such as one that might be used in large businesses with multiple business units or one provided by a Mail Service Provider. Over 95% of mailer tests conducted to-date have been done using both the MID and a Serial Number range. In the future, we will be able to offer campaigns at the mailpiece level, however, we are not there yet. All campaign are either at the MID level only or based on unique and sequential IMb serial number ranges. 7
The lifecycle of an Informed Delivery campaign involves five steps for mailers: 1. Plan your campaign Determine the type of Informed Delivery campaign, or campaigns, you want to conduct and create your separate mailing lists. Remember that Campaigns that are applied at the MID and IMb Serial Number level must have a unique and sequential Serial Number range for each campaign treatment you want to provide. 2. Prepare the mailing Prepare your hardcopy mailing as you would regularly. You may want to use a separate URL on your mailpiece than you use in your Informed Delivery campaign so you can accurately track responses. 3. Provide campaign details Before you induct your mail, you need to provide the necessary campaign elements to us. A full listing of campaign elements is available online at our Mailer website. 4. Induct your mailing No additional steps are required here for an Informed Delivery campaign just enter your mail like you normally do. 5. Analyze and gather insights you will be able to view the results of your campaign in our Post-Campaign Reports, including email open rates and number of click-throughs. So, as a reminder, to conduct an Informed Delivery campaign: Your mailpieces must be automation compatible and have a valid IMb. You need to follow USPS guidelines for size and weight requirements and placing of aspects such as the window or barcode on the mailpieces. There are currently no fees associated with Informed Delivery campaigns. Our goal is to reinforce the power of mail and win back a portion of spend that has gone to other digital advertising mediums. We are looking at monetization opportunities for additional mailer features. 8
Let s talk about the two types of campaigns we offer a bit more. At a minimum, the Ride-along image and URL, shown on the left in the image here, must be provided to conduct a campaign for letter or postcard-sized mail. This image is generally full-color and offers a direct link to a mailer-provided URL, reinforcing the customer call to action. USPS puts this supplemental content below the grayscale image in the daily email digest as shown here. It is presented to the right of the image in the user s dashboard. In all cases, the Ride-along image is clickable (interactive), as is the additional View Website link. The From name needs to be Mail owner, often referred to as the Brand. These templates are not adjustable at this time. The Representative image, depicted on the right, provides an opportunity for mailers to replace the letter or postcard-sized grayscale image with a full-color image that relates to the physical mailpiece. If a mailer conducts a campaign with a Representative image, when the Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) on the hardcopy mailpiece is scanned, we remove the grayscale image and put the Representative image in its place. Representative images are not clickable. The image must be directly related to the mailing. We recommend that it represents the address side of the mailpiece. For postcards, many mailers use the non-address side of the mailpiece, however. A Representative image is not required to conduct an Informed Delivery campaign for lettersized mail or postcards. It is mandatory, however, for flat campaigns. Let s look at another illustration of this 9
As depicted in this top swim lane, if a consumer is signed up for Informed Delivery, they will see a digital preview of their automated mailpieces whether or not you conduct a campaign. You get an additional impression for all subscribers via email or dashboard whether the person is receiving the mailpiece or not Consumers get the convenience of digital preview of their physical mail. When a consumer receives a letter or postcard-sized mailpiece from a mailer that is conducting an Informed Delivery campaign, they will receive the mailer-provided image(s) and supplemental content. Benefits to the mailer are shown here on the RH side. They include additional impressions, color content, a new digital channel, and measurable data insights. We ll talk more about benefits too. Before we do that, let s talk about flat-sized mail, like publications and catalogues. 10
Consumes are not provided grayscale images of flat-sized mailpieces, even if they are processed on automated equipment. If there is no campaign, an Informed Delivery user will receive a notification that says A mailpiece for which we do not currently have an image is included in today s mail. Some of you may have seen this in your daily digests already. When a consumer receives a flat-sized mailpiece from a mailer conducting an Informed Delivery campaign, he/she will receive a Representative image along with the Ride-along image. Benefits to the mailer are the same as we discussed on the prior slide. As some of you may know, many mailers use Carrier Route bundles for their flats to get the best postage prices. Since these bundles are not broken down and processed as individual mailpieces, we have limited visibility into flats in Carrier Route bundles. We are working on solving this, however! We ll begin testing the ingestion of Carrier Route bundle scan events from the Informed Visibility system very soon. 11
So let s discuss how campaigns are submitted, focusing on the right-hand side of this slide first. The goal today is to get you prepared so you will be able to enter your campaigns yourself either via our Campaign Portal or via PostalOne! when these tools are fully functional later this year. To date, we have been working with mailers individually. To conduct a campaign today, mailers must receive approval from and work directly with our Informed Delivery Program Office (IDPO). This is due to the fact that all campaign entries have a manual component to them today. Again, our goal right now is to provide you information so you can plan for the near future and be ready to conduct your own interactive campaigns this upcoming holiday season! 12
So, let s wrap up this section with talking about the reports that you ll have access to for your campaigns. Our optional Pre-Campaign Saturation Report provides mailers with the opportunity to evaluate their campaign reach and see how many Informed Delivery users there are within a particular mailing list at a given point in time. The illustration here shows what the report looks like. Details of the file format and information required are provided on our Mailer website in our Informed Delivery Interactive Campaign Guide. We also provide Post-Campaign information. Our High-Level Summary Report provides general results as shown in the bottom image here, including email open rates and click-through rates. We also are working to provide 5-Digit line level detail that shows exactly when emails were opened or when click-throughs were actually made. You can use this information to pinpoint consumer behavior related to your campaigns. Due to privacy regulations and policies, we cannot provide IMb or 9-digit level detail. All of these reports will be supported in our Campaign Portal, so you ll have easy access to the reports when you need them! I have to throw in one additional note here. As you may have heard, Informed Delivery campaigns are allowed as an option in the 2017 Mobile Shopping Promotion. You ll need to visit the Promotions website to get more information. 13
So, now let s take a look at what types of mailers have been using Informed Delivery and the benefits they have experienced. 14
Informed Delivery is not a niche feature designed for one particular industry vertical. Mailers in all industries and of all sizes can find interesting an innovative ways to use this feature and to help USPS continue to evolve it as new needs and uses arise. 15
30+ mailers have used Informed Delivery campaigns to date resulting in hundreds of unique campaigns. The results have been very positive so far. For example, the average email open rates for these campaigns is 70% -- compared to an industry average of 20-25%. We ve had some amazing click-through results as well as long as there is a compelling call to action and a good offer. It s Marketing 101 you need to compel the customer to act! Presenter Note: if needed: Source: (See Email Marketing Benchmarks. Mailchimp, Feb. 1, 2017.) *Note: these metrics are accurate as of June 2017. 16
We ve talked a bit about benefits already, but this slide really sums it up. Informed Delivery offers mailers an opportunity to bring unique value to their organization, such as: An email open rate that is more than twice that of industry average. Multi-channel campaigns generating multiple impressions: o Traditionally, Direct Mail reaches whomever opens the mail the Household Mail CEO. With Informed Delivery, that individual is getting a double impression (email and physical mail). o Additionally, individuals who do not typically sort the mail (and who may not have been on your mailing list) will receive a digital impression. Enhanced customer call to action with interactive content: o Users will be able to respond to a call to action immediately using the new digital channel. o Informed Delivery gives mailers an opportunity to create engaging digital content, strengthening their brand, and driving user action. Ability to reach consumers digitally by merely knowing their physical address. 17
So I m sure you are anxious to learn more. Our Informed Delivery for Business Mailers website is shown on the bottom of this slide. If you have this deck as a PDF, you can just click on the Mailer Website link shown here. Alternately, you can type in the path shown below the image. Resources available on the site include our Informed Delivery Overview, an Interactive Campaign Guide, a Campaign Elements Guide, and Mailer FAQs. We also have a customer testimonial on this site too. And don t forget to check out our Informed Delivery interactive video experience! 18
I know we ve covered a lot of material today that allows you to create a mailpiece once, but connect everywhere. I want to thank you for taking the time to attend this presentation on Informed Delivery and our exciting new digital channel. I urge you to visit the website to learn more about what is needed to conduct a campaign. Also watch for announcements related to our self-serve Campaign Portal launch and for enhancements to PostalOne! Presenter Notes: open for final questions as needed. 19