Informed Delivery Opportunities for Mailers

Posted on by Tom Russo

Informed Delivery reaches a new milestone for sign-ups opening new opportunities for mailers

The United States Postal Service recently announced that Informed Delivery has reached the milestone of 15 million subscribers.  Informed Delivery is a free service allowing consumers to receive a daily email preview of their incoming mail and manage their packages.  Consumers can sign up for the free service at the USPS Informed Delivery website.

What does this mean for marketers using direct mail?

Mailers can now deploy an Interactive Campaign that will integrate their mailpiece with the Informed Delivery email being sent to consumers.  The interactive campaign includes custom images and a targeted URL, giving consumers the ability to click through to a landing page or website.  The Informed Delivery Interactive Campaign gives mailers an easy pathway to marry their direct mail campaign with a digital component creating an omni-channel option.

The USPS is also offering a 2% discount off postage for mailings incorporating the interactive campaigns.  The promotional period runs from September 1st through November 30th.  Eligible mail includes Marketing Mail letters and flats, Nonprofit Marketing Mail letters and flats, and First-Class presort & automation letters, cards and flats.

NFocus is here to help you succeed with your Informed Delivery Interactive Campaign.

NFocus can help mailers with every step of creating and deploying interactive campaigns.  The NFocus NFormed Delivery full service option includes formatting pre-campaign data and reports, and uploading required elements into USPS Business Customer Gateway for deployment.

We also offer a self-serve option to mailers who would like to manage their campaigns.  NFocus can provide the required data elements needed to marry the interactive campaign to the direct mail campaign.

Contact NFocus today to learn how you can take advantage of these opportunities.

Mail.dat Version Requirements for 2019

Posted on by Tom Russo

USPS have updated mail.dat requirements for the new year.

The United State Postal Service recently announced that they will only accept mail.dat versions 18.1 or higher in 2019.  Versions 17.1 and 17.2 will no longer be supported.  As such, NFocus will move to providing mail.dat version 18.1 for all processed jobs by January 1st.

Please contact your Account Manager or Support with any questions or concerns.

NControl Report Helps Publishers Stay on Track

Posted on by Tom Russo

Delivery Point Validation, Address Element Change Service, Coding Accuracy Support System, National Change of Address…it is difficult to keep it all straight.  But for publishers it can be a costly mistake to not pay attention to the details.  NFocus is here to help you keep track of all the details and improve your bottom line.

NFocus developed the NControl Report to give publishers a tool to navigate the confusing and ever changing postal landscape.  The NControl Report provides  a quick snapshot of the current mailing, year to date mailing information, mail split information, CASS®, DPV®, SuiteLink®, NCOALink® and LACSLink® details.

The report is an invaluable resource for publishers helping them identify areas to fix errors, improve delivery and lower expenses.  The report provides detailed information on potential issues with your mailing list and highlights specific action items publishers can take to improve their delivery.

The NControl Report is one component of the comprehensive solutions NFocus has developed while working with publishers over the last 30 years.

Contact us today for more information on how we can help you keep track of all the details and improve your publication’s bottom line.

NFocus at the National Postal Forum

Posted on by Tom Russo

Knowledgeable people are a big part of what makes NFocus the data company our customers partner with to reach their target audiences. That’s why NFocus sends its employees to national industry conferences to strengthen its knowledge base.

Mike Murphy, NFocus Lead Data Analyst, attended the National Postal Forum in San Antonio completing the Certified Direct Mail Professionals (CDMP) continuing education course.  The CDMP certification further solidifies NFocus’ position as a market leader and trusted partner for direct marketing database management, data processing and postage optimization.

The CDMP certification course is sponsored by the United States Postal Service and was developed by a committee of USPS and mailing industry experts.  The multi-day extensive curriculum included topics in key areas including:

  • Omni-Marketing Mailing
  • List and Database Management
  • Response Rates
  • Technology
  • Testing
  • Media Attribution

About the NPF: The National Postal Forum is the shipping and mailing industry’s premier educational venue, trade show and networking event. The four-day conference is the only event that works directly with the USPS to provide the most comprehensive educational platform possible.

Contact NFocus for more information on direct mail data and processing services.

Local Advertising Expected to Grow in 2018

Posted on by Tom Russo

Traditional advertising expected to nearly double digital advertising spend in 2018.

Local advertising spend is predicted to reach $151.2 billion in 2018, a 5.2% increase over 2017, according to a recent report by research group BIA/Kelsey.  Digital ad spend is expected to take 35.3% of the overall share while traditional channels represent 64.7%.

The main driver of local ad spend is direct mail, responsible for $39.5 billion (25.4%) with local TV (13.8%) and mobile (12.6%) filling out the top 3 channels.

NFocus is your direct mail data partner.  We are here to help guide you through the process from selecting the right targeted list, maximizing your postage savings, and analyzing your results to improve your next campaign.

The Listcounts data portal and ResQue software platform are NFocus developed solutions that give you 24/7 access to the top direct mail databases along with extensive reporting and mapping functionality.  Our team of Account Managers are also here to help you select the right list to meet your target audience.

The NFocus Data Processing department is on-site and provides complete mail data processing services.  From list hygiene to complex presort processing, the Data Processing team is your experienced resource to help you minimize waste and maximize postage savings.

NFocus also gives you access to powerful resources that help you measure the success of your direct mail campaign and improve future campaigns.  The Data Processing team can provide match-back reporting to give you an accurate look at what campaigns are driving engagement.  The proprietary NSight report identifies the demographic profile of your best customer helping you make better targeting options.

For nearly 30 years NFocus has been helping our customers navigate their complex direct mail data options.  Contact us today for more information on how we can help your next campaign.