Do you use QR Codes on your mail promotions? If so, you have until the end of the month to get a 3% rate discount from the U.S. Postal Service.

(Don’t know what a QR Code is? Read this.)

The Postal Service wants marketers to see the value of using QR Codes for their campaigns, which is the reason for the discount. The discount began in July and runs through August 31, 2011.

A USPS newsletter quoted Tom Foti, manager of Marketing Mail, as saying, “We recognize that the online world will continue to grow and thrive. So we want to make customers aware that mail can be an integral part of that communication and that online campaigns that use direct mail are more effective.”

The discount applies to Standard Mail and First-Class Mail letters and flats.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have clients who have asked about using QR Codes on their mail campaigns and we’ve recommended the use to others. Just be certain the scanned code leads to a useful Web page that continues the prospect along the path toward the goal of opening a new account with your bank or credit union.