Track Direct Mail with Informed Visibility® | USPS Delivers (2024)

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Take a deep dive into Informed Visibility®, and learn how it can boost your campaign efforts by coordinating direct mail with digital campaigns.

Track Direct Mail with Informed Visibility® | USPS Delivers (1)

For years, direct mail has been an effective communications tool for marketers. But as online campaigns have grown in effectiveness and trackability, marketers have searched for something that could connect the physical and digital, increasing the impact of each medium.

That’s why the United States Postal Service® (USPS) created the Informed Visibility® service, which brings near real-time tracking data to deliveries of mail pieces like flats and letters. Keep reading to learn how this tool works, and what it can do to improve your direct mail marketing campaigns.

What is Informed Visibility?

This tool lets marketers know when mail has been delivered, allowing for quick and coordinated activation of complementary marketing campaigns.

How It Works

1

Once sent, a direct mail piece is scanned by the Post Office facility and entered into a tracking system. Senders can then track pieces using the Informed Visibility tool, which shows when a mail piece has entered different stages in the delivery cycle.

2

When mail reaches its destination, a final scan from the postal carrier alerts the sender that their piece is being delivered to a customer.

3

With this near real-time delivery information, the sender can launch complementary campaigns like emails or social media ads that target the same customers, maximizing the impact of each piece.

Do you think Informed Visibility® would be beneficial to your marketing campaign?

A. Yes B. No C. Still not sure

% A. Yes

% B. No

% C. Still not sure

A USPS representative can help you learn more and set up Informed Visibility. Get in touch to get started.

What data does Informed Visibility provide?

With this feature, mailers gain rich insights into the stages of the USPS® mail stream. They can learn when their letters move from sorting machines to trucks, and when they are ultimately delivered to customers’ mailboxes. Senders can view each piece by delivery-progress scans (such as “being sorted,” “en route” or “delivered”), delivery area or Zip Code destination, campaign name and more. Once a piece is delivered, marketers can then kick off digital campaigns on other channels to magnify the influence of the direct mailpiece.

Sorting
Facility

EnRoute

Delivered

Track Direct Mail with Informed Visibility® | USPS Delivers (2)

How does Informed Visibility impact communication?

The service makes it easier for marketers to run multichannel campaigns involving direct mail touchpoints. Knowing the stages your mail has entered and when it has reached your customer in near real-time makes marketing communications easier.

Marketing campaigns—from direct mail to broadcast TV to social media—can work together to boost impact rather than functioning in silos. A politician’s team, for example, could arrange a call to confirm a vote upon seeing that a direct mailpiece has reached a citizen. Or a retailer could send an email with more offers and direct links to increase the impact of a mailed coupon.

With Informed Visibility, you can plan out and manage your campaigns, present and future, more effectively.

Key Takeaway

Adding Informed Visibility to your next direct mail campaign is a powerful way to build on your marketing messages. By knowing when your piece has arrived in a customer’s mailbox, you can more effectively plan and manage which complementary marketing they see, and when.

Coordinating efforts between your mail and digital campaigns will increase impact on, and value for, your customers. At the same time, Informed Visibility can streamline campaigns internally, bringing you more powerful, measurable results.

Ready to set up Informed Visibility for your next campaign? Talk to a USPS representative to learn more.

Get In Touch

Informed VisibilityROITechnology

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Track Direct Mail with Informed Visibility® | USPS Delivers (2024)

FAQs

Track Direct Mail with Informed Visibility® | USPS Delivers? ›

Once sent, a direct mail piece

mail piece
mailpiece (plural mailpieces) An item sent through the mail.
https://en.wiktionary.org › wiki › mailpiece
is scanned by the Post Office facility and entered into a tracking system. Senders can then track pieces using the Informed Visibility tool, which shows when a mail piece has entered different stages in the delivery cycle.

What is USPS informed visibility mail tracking? ›

Informed Visibility Mail Tracking & Reporting (IV-MTR) is a near real-time, single source for all domestic-bound mail and mail aggregate tracking information.

Can I track Informed Delivery? ›

Now that you can automatically see the status of your packages in one place, it's easier to manage deliveries from your Informed Delivery dashboard. You can: See your package details and tracking history.

Does Informed Delivery show incoming mail? ›

Informed Delivery provides eligible residential customers with a digital preview of their household's incoming mail scheduled to arrive soon. Users can view greyscale images of the exterior, address side of incoming letter-sized mail pieces (not the inside contents) via email or an online dashboard.

Why do I not receive some mail that I see on Informed Delivery? ›

What if I did not receive a mailpiece that was in today's alert? Informed Delivery® provides notifications for mailpieces arriving soon - not necessarily mailpieces arriving that same day. Pieces can be delayed in getting to your mail carrier. Or, unfortunately, a mailpiece could be misdelivered.

Does all mail show up on Informed Delivery? ›

Only mail processed on USPS automated equipment is included in the Informed Delivery Notification. Not all mail (e.g., magazines and catalogues) is processed this way, so they cannot appear in the notifications.

Is USPS eliminating Informed Delivery? ›

Although the Informed Delivery app, top, will be discontinued soon, customers will still be able to access Informed Delivery notifications through the regular USPS Mobile app.

Can I track exactly where my USPS package is? ›

Whether you are the sender or recipient, you can track your item: Online: Use USPS Tracking® on the United States Postal Service® website. By text: Send a text to 28777 (2USPS) with your tracking number as the content of the message.

How do I check where my mail is going? ›

Informed Delivery is a free service from USPS that shows you preview images of incoming mail, as well as status updates about your incoming and outbound packages. You can see those notifications in a morning Daily Digest email, or at any time via the dashboard from your phone, computer, or the USPS Mobile® app.

What is the Informed Delivery dashboard? ›

The Informed Delivery® dashboard displays mail images for a seven-day period, and package information displays for 15 days after each package has been delivered. Users can opt-in to receive separate email or text notifications with status updates for incoming packages, too.

Is there a way to track incoming mail? ›

USPS Informed delivery is a service offered by the United States postal service that allows customers to preview their incoming mail and manage package delivery online.

Can someone else see my Informed Delivery? ›

“Informed Delivery may be accessed by any adult member of a household,” the USPS wrote in response to questions. “Each member of the household must be able to complete the identity proofing process implemented by the Postal Service.”

What time does mail get scanned for Informed Delivery? ›

Informed delivery sends one update per day, in most cases around 9 a.m. If you have mail due, it sends updates each day. It does not update on federal holidays or Sundays. Updates are sent to your email address. You can also check your dashboard however you need to remember that there is only one update daily.

Who scans the mail for Informed Delivery? ›

Once sent, a direct mail piece is scanned by the Post Office facility and entered into a tracking system. Senders can then track pieces using the Informed Visibility tool, which shows when a mail piece has entered different stages in the delivery cycle.

Do IRS checks show on Informed Delivery? ›

The US Postal Service has a tracking tool that lets you know when you can expect your tax refund to land in your mailbox. It's called Informed Delivery, and the free service sends you alerts for all new mail -- and transmits images of the front of letters so you know exactly what's arriving.

How do I contact Informed Delivery? ›

Email us (USPSInformedDeliveryCampaigns@USPS.gov) or call us (1-877-329-7206). Hours of operation are Monday–Friday from 7 AM–5 PM CT with the exception of federal holidays observed by USPS.

What are the three stages of USPS tracking? ›

  • Shipping label creation /w barcode.
  • Scanned Induction into the system scan barcode system.
  • scanned either out for delivery or sent to the next step in the packages journey.
  • signed for by recipient (if req) at delivery, or next bar code scan into transport for next leg of journey.
Mar 6, 2017

How much does informed visibility cost? ›

How much does Informed Delivery cost? Nothing: Informed Delivery is free to customers.

What is USPS surface visibility? ›

Surface Visibility describes the integration of multiple systems used to track mail transported within the postal network.

Can you see certified mail on Informed Delivery? ›

For any item with USPS Tracking®, including items such as Certified Mail® and Registered Mail®, users are able to view the delivery status in Informed Delivery notifications. Users may also: provide USPS Delivery Instructions®

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