How to Create an Informed Delivery® Interactive Campaign
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how easy it is to manually enter and submit an Informed Delivery® interactive campaign using the Mailer Campaign Portal (MCP).
Start the Tutorial
Things to know before you create a campaign:
The BCG supports many other USPS® business functions and provides access to the Mailer Campaign Portal.
Jump to Business Customer Gateway Step in TutorialOnce you have access, the MCP is where you will create your Informed Delivery interactive campaign
Jump to Mailer Campaign Portal Step in TutorialThis optional report enables mailers to evaluate how many people within your list are Informed Delivery subscribers at a given point in time.
Jump to Pre-Campaign Analysis Report Step in TutorialThe MID identifies the owner or sender of the mail. It’s also used to activate an interactive campaign. Ask your Mail Service Provider (MSP) which MID they used on your mailing.
Jump to Mailer Identifier Step in TutorialThe IMb® Serial Number range is commonly used to activate a campaign. The MID is embedded within this barcode. You should work with your MSP to get your IMb Serial Number range.
Jump to Intelligent Mail® Barcode Step in TutorialRepresentative Images must be no more than 780px wide x 500px high and a maximum of 200KB. Ride-Along Images must be no more than 300px wide x 200px high and no more than 200KB. See tutorial Step 3 for more information.
Jump to Image Specifications Step in TutorialDuring the Informed Delivery Promotion, more specific campaign requirements will apply.
Jump to 2022 Informed Delivery Guidebook Requirements ↗Consider using PostalOne!® as your entry method.
Learn more about PostalOne!® ↗We’ll take you through the process in five steps: Get Started, Describe, Build, Review, and Submit.
Step 1: Get Started
In this step, we’ll show you where to create a Business Customer Gateway (BCG) account and run a Pre-Campaign Analysis Report.
Create a Business Customer Gateway (BCG) Account
The USPS Business Customer Gateway provides business customers like you with access to an entire suite of tools and services, including the Mailer Campaign Portal (MCP)–which is where you’ll create your campaign. Sign up for a Business Customer Gateway account or log in to your existing account to begin.
See Tips to find the Mailer Campaign Portal.
Video Animation (text description follows): The Business Customer Gateway website loads. A cursor clicks on the Username form field and enters masked text. The cursor clicks on the Password form field and enters masked text. The cursor clicks on the Sign In button. The Account page loads. The cursor selects the Additional Services tab from the top menu. The Additional Services page loads. The cursor locates the Informed Delivery Mailer Campaign Portal item and clicks on the Go to Service button.
Run a Pre-Campaign Analysis Report
While not required, the USPS offers an optional Pre-Campaign Analysis report. The Pre-Campaign Analysis report tells you how many people on your mailing list are also Informed Delivery® subscribers.
See Tips for Run a Pre-Campaign Analysis Report.
Video Animation (text description follows): The Informed Delivery Campaign Portal loads. A cursor clicks on the Pre-campaign Analysis link under the Create a Campaign button. The Pre-campaign Analysis page loads. The cursor clicks on the Run Pre-Campaign Analysis button.
Step 2: Describe
In this step, we’ll walk you through everything you need to name, schedule, activate and monitor your campaign.
Brand Display Name
Once you’re in the Mailer Campaign Portal, enter your Brand Display Name. Your Brand Display Name will appear next to the Ride-Along Image of your Informed Delivery® interactive campaign.
See Tips for Brand Display Name.
Video Animation (text description follows): The Mailer Campaign Portal loads. A cursor enters “Winter Coats” in the Brand Display Name form field. A preview of the Ride-Along Image pops up. It shows a sample image for the Winter Coats Catalog.
Campaign Title and Campaign Code
The Campaign Title is used largely as a reference for you or your Mail Service Provider (MSP) to easily review or manage your campaign. The Campaign Title can be reused indefinitely.
The Campaign Code is used by the USPS to consolidate campaign results. This Code must be unique for each campaign conducted. Neither the Campaign Title nor the Campaign Code will be visible to customers who receive your mail piece.
See Tips for Campaign Title and Campaign Code.
Video Animation (text description follows): A cursor highlights the Campaign Title “Winter 2019 Mailer Campaign”. The cursor highlights the Campaign Code 10210.
Campaign Start and End Dates
Select the dates that your Informed Delivery® interactive campaign will begin and end. We recommend a timeframe with an allowance of 3 days before and after your expected delivery dates.
See FAQ and Tips for Campaign Start and End Dates.
Video Animation (text description follows): A cursor highlights the Select Date range form field and clicks on the calendar icon. Calendar drops down. The cursor selects March 8 as the Start Date. The cursor highlights the second Select Date range form field and clicks on the calendar icon. Calendar drops down. The cursor selects March 22 as the End Date.
Mailer ID
The Mailer ID (MID) is a field within the Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMb®) that is used to identify either the owner of the mail–you–or your Mail Service Provider (MSP). MIDs are assigned to mail owners, mailing agents, and other mail service providers who create business accounts through the Business Customer Gateway (BCG). The MID is either six or nine digits long.
Enter your campaign MID here. The MID you enter here must match the MID on your printed mail pieces for the campaign to activate.
See FAQ and Tips for Mailer ID.
Video Animation (text description follows): A cursor enters 000000 into the Mailer ID form field. The cursor highlights it. A window pops up. “Work with your MSP or mailing agent to determine the MID used in the IMb on your printed mailpieces.” Below this is an Intelligent Mail barcode.
Intelligent Mail Barcode Serial Number Range
The Intelligent Mail® barcode (IMb®) is used to sort and track letters, postcards, and flats. It also allows us to apply the correct campaign to the right mailpiece when using shared MID’s or providing campaigns to groups of customers for the same mailing.
The IMb serial number range must be unique to each specific campaign treatment. The serial number will be a six or nine digit number, depending on the length of the MID.
If you are running multiple campaigns at the same time or if you are using a shared MID, you must include an IMb Start and End Serial Number range in your campaign.
See FAQ and Tips for Intelligent Mail Barcode Serial Number Range.
Video Animation (text description follows): A cursor enters 000000 into the Mailer ID form field. The cursor highlights the Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) Serial Number Range form field “Enter 6 to 9 digit start number”. A window pops up. Work with your MSP or mailing agent to determine the MID used in the IMb on your printed mailpieces. Below this is an Intelligent Mail barcode.
Mailpiece Shape
Informed Delivery® interactive campaigns can be applied to letters, postcards, or flats. At this step of the Describe process, select which type of mailpiece you’re sending, then select Save and Continue.
See FAQ and Tips for Mailpiece Shape.
Video Animation (text description follows): A cursor highlights two options for Mailpiece Shape. Letter slash Postcard or Flat. A window pops up. What shape of mail is your campaign mailing? It shows icons for letters slash postcards or flat mailings.
Step 3: Build
In this step, we’ll walk you through how to upload your campaign’s supplemental content, link content to a website and send a test email to preview your Informed Delivery® campaign.
Representative Image
You can add a full-color Representative Image of your mailpiece to replace the grayscale scanned image of your mailpiece. This image is not clickable. A Representative Image is required for campaigns corresponding to flats.
See FAQ and Tips for Representative Image.
Video Animation (text description follows): Instructions: Insert Representative Image. Replace grayscale mailpiece image with an optional color representative image. Recommended Sizing: seven hundred eighty pixels by five hundred pixels for landscape orientation. Three hundred fifty pixels by five hundred pixels for portrait orientation. Sample image loads on an Informed Delivery Ride-Along preview.
Ride-Along Image
You are required to include a Ride-Along Image, which is presented below the grayscale scanned image or Representative Image.
This clickable image should be full-color, include a Call-To-Action (CTA) and an offer if applicable. The Ride-Along Image, when clicked, links your customer to the user experience on the corresponding website.
See FAQ and Tips for Ride-Along Image.
Video Animation (text description follows): Cursor clicks on box to insert a Ride-Along Image. Insert a Ride-Along Image. Recommended sizing is three hundred pixels by two hundred pixels. This is a required field. Sample image loads. Winter coats. Fall issue. Read it now link. Sample image loads on an Informed Delivery Ride-Along preview.
Link Image
Decide what site you want your Informed Delivery® interactive campaign to direct users to, such your business’ main website or a specific page within a website. All campaigns require a URL, which is linked both the Ride-Along Image and the “Learn More” link in the campaign.
Using a unique URL—one that isn’t used on other marketing materials or on the mailpiece itself—allows you to best measure results
See FAQ and Tips for Link Image.
Video Animation (text description follows): The cursor enters www.website.com into the Link Image form field. The cursor clicks the link to Test Link. Pop-up of the sample website.
Preview Campaign
After entering all of your campaign elements, you can send a sample Informed Delivery® email digest to up to five email addresses. In the sample email, recipients can verify that images are displaying correctly and they can test the link to ensure it works properly and it goes to the right website.
See Tips for Preview Campaign.
Video Animation (text description follows): The cursor clicks the Campaign Preview button. Sample preview pops up. The cursor clicks Send Preview. Send Digest Email preview window pops up. Enter up to five email addresses. Cursor enters sample email addresses into form field and clicks Send Preview.
Campaign URL Parameters
By checking the box to disable adding tracking parameters to the target URL, you are choosing not to add the MID and Serial Number to the target URL in your campaign. Therefore, the URL parameters will remain the same as the URL that you shared.
NextStep 4: Review
In this step, we’ll walk you through everything you need to review your campaign.
Review Campaign
Be sure to review all fields and elements to ensure that everything looks correct before submitting your campaign in the next step.
Video Animation (text description follows): Review the following: Brand Display Name. Mailer ID. Campaign Title. Campaign Code. Intelligent Mail Barcode Serial Number Range. Campaign Start and End Dates. Mailpiece Shape. Representative Image. Ride-Along Image.
Step 5: Submit
In this step, we’ll walk you through everything you need to submit, finalize and monitor the progress of your campaign.
Submit Campaign
If you’re not quite ready to submit your campaign, you can save a draft to finish later. Once you’ve completed and reviewed your campaign, it’s time to submit. Your campaign must be submitted by 11:59 a.m. EST the day before your Campaign Start Date. You can check the MCP to monitor the status of your campaign.
See FAQ and Tips for Submit Campaign.
Video Animation (text description follows): Submit Page loads. Your campaign is ready to submit! Submit Winter 2019 Mailpiece Campaign and it will activate on March eight twenty nineteen. Cursor clicks Save As Draft button. Cursor clicks Send Campaign button. Recent Campaign Activity page loads.