This blog has been updated to include information regarding the recent 2025 USPS postal rate increases.
On July 13th, 2025, the USPS will implement a price increase that impacts mailers across the board. These increases affect products such as Forever stamps, domestic postcards, and international letters and postcards. This is the fifth time that the Forever Stamp’s price has been raised in the last three years. Since 2021, the cost has increased by 34%.
The USPS has cited that these increases are part of Delivering for America, their 10-year plan for financial sustainability. Despite these changes, there are promotions for large mailers that businesses can take advantage of.
Brands with direct mail heavily embedded in their customer journey can easily reap the benefits of this update. However, businesses newer to direct mail or interested in expanding reach and loyalty also have an opportunity at their feet, as direct mail can increase responses by an average of 20%.
See if you’re eligible for this promotion and discover how you can maximize it within your 2025 multichannel strategy.
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USPS’s 2025 promotions are technology & innovation focused
USPS promotions are specifically designed to encourage mailers to incorporate technology and innovative print techniques into their mailings. These promotions offer postage discounts for mailers that utilize certain features in their campaigns.
Here’s a breakdown of the USPS 2025 promotions:
- Integrated Technology Promotion: Encourages the use of advanced technology like QR codes and personalized URLs to link physical mail to digital experiences.
- Tactile Sensory Promotion: Promotes the use of unique textures or interactive elements that make mail pieces stand out through physical interaction.
- Continuous Contact Promotion: Rewards mailers who consistently engage customers through ongoing mailings.
- Reply Mail IMBa Promotion: Encourages mailers to use Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB) for better tracking and response handling.
- First-Class Advertising Promotion: Gives incentives to businesses that use direct mail in a manner that integrates well with their broader advertising efforts.
Additionally, USPS offers two add-on promotions:
- Informed Delivery Promotion: Allows mailers to engage customers with digital previews of their physical mail.
- Sustainability Promotion: Recognizes the efforts of businesses that are committed to environmental sustainability.
Postage Discounts for Promotions:
- Main promotions offer a 3% or 4% postage discount
- Add-on promotions offer an extra 1%
These discounts are applied when businesses integrate the specified technologies and techniques into their mailings volume thresholds. What does this opportunity mean for marketers who rely on or are new to direct mail?
What are the key benefits of the 2025 USPS promotions?
It’s easy to scan through the details and wonder: What does this truly mean for my marketing strategy and bottom line? This promotion can help you:
Stand out from the crowd: Overall, mail volume decreased this past year. Fewer competitors in the mailbox mean a higher chance for your message to shine.
Speak to a younger generation: A common misconception is that digital channels exclusively attract younger demographics. In reality, these age groups are responsive to direct mail.
Enhance your multichannel strategy: Despite misconceptions, direct mail isn’t dead. It’s a medium ripe for innovation and growth.
Whether you’re just getting started with direct mail, interested in exploring new channels or have been connecting with customers through this 1:1 medium for decades, many different kinds of businesses can benefit from this update.
Direct mail use is key in multichannel marketing
According to the latest Winterberry Group report, in 2024, U.S. 52% of marketers are working toward a greater overall integration of direct mail into their multichannel marketing mix. Additionally, 43% of marketers believe that they need to increase internal education on direct mail and its benefits to improve its use in their strategy.
Amid the buzz of the USPS 2025 postal promotions, brands are presented with a unique window to heighten their multichannel and direct mail marketing strategies through experimentation. This period offers a prime opportunity to expand and innovate.
Build a sustainably smarter strategy by evaluating your current frameworks for:
- Segmentation
- Testing
- Remailing
- Retargeting
Adding an additional segment can tailor campaigns more precisely while introducing a new test might provide insights into campaign resonance. Moreover, with the postal promotion in play, scheduling a remail becomes a cost-effective method to reinforce a brand’s message. Simultaneously, running retargeting campaigns can seamlessly integrate both digital and direct mail efforts, making the most of this postal incentive. Embracing these strategies not only deepens understanding of customer behavior but also optimizes the potential savings and reach offered by the promotion.
In this evolving marketing climate, leveraging this postal promotion through experimental tactics can be a game-changer for brands.
How to supercharge your multichannel marketing strategy with direct mail
Consumer-based brands that aren’t yet utilizing direct mail within their multichannel strategy could be missing out. In today’s competitive marketing landscape, direct mail stands out as a potent tactic for businesses that are defining their strategies around specific offerings or services. If your enterprise is promoting products or services with a compelling call to action, direct mail can significantly enhance your campaign’s impact.
Moreover, for businesses catering to high-value products and services—like financial services, healthcare, education, and other specialized sectors—the tangible aspect of direct mail can heighten engagement and conversion rates. Incorporating this medium into your strategy can yield transformative results, converting potential leads into loyal customers.
Integrating direct mail into a multichannel strategy can be incredibly effective, but it requires careful consideration to ensure that all channels work cohesively. When you’re thinking of adding direct mail to your mix, it’s crucial to consider how it complements your existing channels, how it can be personalized for your target audience, and how you’ll measure its effectiveness.
Also, the timing and coordination between direct mail and other channels, such as email or social media, should be meticulously planned so that your audience receives a consistent and complementary message across all touchpoints. Here’s an overview of top considerations when integrating direct mail into a multichannel campaign.
Channel Cohesiveness: Ensure that the messaging and design of your direct mail align with your other marketing channels.
Audience Segmentation: Consider segmenting your audience based on behaviors, preferences, or previous interactions to send the most relevant mail content.
Personalization: Tailor your direct mail content to cater to the specific preferences and needs of your target audience.
Timing and Coordination: Schedule your direct mail campaigns to coincide or follow up with other channel campaigns, creating a seamless brand experience.
Clear Calls to Action (CTAs): Every piece of direct mail should have a clear and compelling CTA, directing the recipient to the next step.
Integration with Digital: Consider using QR codes, personalized URLs, or AR features to bridge the gap between your direct mail and digital channels.
Measurement and Tracking: Establish methods to track the response rates, engagement, and ROI of your direct mail campaigns.
Next steps: your direct mail springboard in 2025
A significant decrease in costs, such as a 30% reduction in postage, doesn’t merely translate into direct savings. It’s a game-changer that can refine your marketing approach.
Efficiently Scale with Savings
Direct mail optimization is ongoing, from refining mailing lists to enhancing campaign design. A 30% savings in postage offers a safety net, enabling businesses to expand their campaigns confidently. The reduced costs permit more frequent mailing, potentially boosting response rates by around 20%.
Revive + Revisit Campaign Idea
The notable postage discount lets brands resurrect previously sidelined ideas due to budget constraints. This flexibility fosters creativity, paving the way for standout direct mail campaigns in a competitive space.
Integrate Direct Mail with Digital Channels
Merging direct mail’s tangibility with digital’s reach can be transformative. The postage savings can fund this blend. Features like QR codes or AR link the physical mail to a digital experience, such as leading users to personalized landing pages. The additional budget can support better tracking tools for both direct mail and digital, refining customer insights and strategy. Saved funds also enhance retargeting efforts on platforms like social media, emphasizing consistent messaging across channels.
Whether you’re a veteran mailer or considering direct mail for the first time, the potential savings and amplified results are well worth the investment. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to elevate your direct mail marketing.
Optimizing your direct mail strategy is only one part of a data-centric, performance-driven strategy, giving you the power to know and do more. Discover how to integrate emerging technologies into direct mail campaigns, or let’s talk about how to achieve more for your marketing – and your business.
