The USPS is launching a new program called Informed Delivery, where all mail going to your mailbox is scanned and sent to your email or available to view on the USPS online portal. This is a great services which allows people to view their mail on the go and also is helpful for travelers and people who live in areas where mail theft is common.

Informed Delivery is also a great tool for advertisers. Not only will your mail piece be visible online you also have the opportunity to design a digital piece with hyperlinks that can be included in the email or online portal. This allows you to provide direct call to action that are easy for consumers to act on. This services also allows for analytics demonstrating how many people have viewed the images of you direct mail piece and how many have clicked on your link.

How much does this service cost? It is actually free of charge for both the consumer and advertiser. It is currently only available in certain markets but the USPS is ramping up its advertising of the product and hopes to vastly increase the availability and use. The only additional cost for advertisers is the design and uploading of the ride along piece.

To evaluate if it is worth implementing informed delivery add-ons to your mail piece it is best to have your list analyzed by the USPS to evaluate how many of the addresses have signed up for informed delivery.