What is a Saturation Mailing and How Does It Work for Your Businesses?
Are you a marketer or business owner who wants to run a direct mail campaign? Is the high direct mail cost holding you back from direct mail marketing? Are you seeking the most affordable way to implement a direct mail campaign?
A saturation mail list could be the answer to all your problems. It enables businesses to send snail mail to their customers while ensuring the lowest postage rates. However, getting this lowest postage rate is easier said than done.
The article explains how saturation mailing lists can help small and medium businesses implement direct mail campaigns affordably. It also explains when to use saturation lists and get the lowest saturation mail rates. Finally, we will also discuss how you can optimize your saturation mail campaigns with advanced direct mail tools.
What is a Saturation Mailing?
Saturation mail lists consist of at least 90% of the addresses on a specific mail carrier route. Some may assume a carrier route includes all the addresses in a particular ZIP code. But that is not the case because saturation mails are generally not based on specific ZIP codes.
Carrier Route
Saturation mail lists target customers instead of ZIP codes using specific carrier routes. The carrier routes breakdowns of a ZIP code into smaller parts. Saturation mailing lists don't always include every address in a carrier route. However, it always includes most of the postal addresses from a specific carrier route.
Walk Sequence
The carrier routes are sorted based on the walk sequence. It means the exact path a USPS delivery person takes (walk or drive) for the mail delivery. Walk sequencing enables USPS to deliver marketing mail to your target audience efficiently.
Hence, the sender can get the lowest bulk postage rates for direct mail using saturation lists. It means that businesses of all sizes and capitals can use direct mail marketing without shelling out a lot of money. However, sending large mailpieces can lead to higher final postage costs.
Check out our blog “USPS Bulk Mail Costs and Requirements” to learn more about sending bulk mail for your business.
Every Door Direct Mail or EDDM
Every door direct mail or EDDM is a unique service from the USPS that helps small businesses to implement direct mail campaigns. It enables the local companies to know about a sale, opening a new branch, offering, and many more.
You can use the EDDM service for sending postcards, menus, and flyers to the right audience. USPS even offers an EDDM online tool that enables businesses to map specific neighborhoods or ZIP codes. The tool even lets you filter your target based on factors like
- Age
- Income
- Household Size
The EDDM system uses US census data for providing accurate information to USPS customers. However, the most efficient way to use EDDM services is by employing a direct mail service provider like PostGrid. Some of the benefits of combining EDDM services with a direct mail service provider like PostGrid are as follows.
- Cost-effective printing
- Bypass logistic challenges in storing and transporting bulk mail
- No limitations on the quantity of mail you can print and mail per day
- Solutions like PostGrid allow full direct mail automation saving valuable time
When to Use Every Door Direct Mail or EDDM?
Generally, targeted direct mail campaigns are preferred over mass targeting. Basing your direct mail campaigns on targeted lists enables you to minimize waste and enhance the net result. It ultimately leads to a significantly higher ROI for your direct mail campaigns.
Tools like PostGrid enable you to run highly targeted direct mail campaigns for your business with its advanced direct mail management system. However, using saturation mailing is the best option for your business in certain situations.
Cost Considerations
Suppose your business can not allocate much money for direct mail campaigns. In that case, saturation mail rates can be of great help to you.
On average, saturation mail costs about 9 cents cheaper than highly targeted direct mail. As a result, businesses can save a whole lot of money for bulk mail campaigns.
Potential for High ROI
The “investment” part heavily influences ROI or Return On Investment. If you can spend less money to get a higher net result, the ROI rate goes up naturally. Hence, as long as a significant percentage of addresses in the carrier route falls within your target market, you can get a high ROI rate.
However, you would still have a lower ROI than targeted mail campaigns. Unless, of course, the savings of saturation mail postage is greater than the loss caused by sending undeliverable mail. If that's not the case, then your best choice is to use a targeted mailing list.
Also Read: Doctors Direct Mailing ListsBusiness Verticals Best Suited for Saturation Mailing
As mentioned above, saturation mailing or EDDM is not suitable for every marketing requirement. Furthermore, different business verticals are better suited for EDDM or saturation mailing. Some of the business verticals that frequently use saturation mail for their marketing needs include the following:
- Dry cleaners
- Salons
- Restaurants
- Automotive shops
- Tax accountants
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Dentists
- Insurance providers
- Banks
- Real estate
How to Get the Lowest Saturation Mail Rates for Your Business?
Using a saturation mail list doesn't guarantee the lowest postage charges for your business mail. You can take several steps to ensure that you get the lowest saturation mail rate for your direct mail campaign.
90/75 Rule
According to the 90/75 rule, businesses must target 90% of all residential addresses for their saturation mail campaigns. Similarly, you can also target 75% of all business and residential addresses for every carrier route. Falling below the 90/75 rule typically means that a company's direct mail campaign is no longer qualified for the lowest saturation rates.
Direct Mail Automation
With advanced direct mail automation systems like PostGrid, you can fully automate your direct mail campaigns. It includes personalizing your mailers, printing them, and delivering them via USPS. As a result, you can minimize errors and ensure that your campaigns run at their optimal standard. Hence, you can cost-effectively send your mailers.
Conclusion
Saturation mail and EDDM are the perfect choice for small and medium businesses that want to minimize their investment in direct mail campaigns. It enables you to implement direct mail campaigns for your business at the lowest cost possible.
However, you need to consider incorporating advanced solutions like direct mail automation to optimize your direct mail campaign. You can use a direct mail automation tool like PostGrid to optimize your direct mail campaigns.
Direct mail automation enables you to minimize your spending on direct mail campaigns by reducing errors and ensuring maximum productivity. Furthermore, PostGrid lets you run highly targeted marketing campaigns with a higher ROI than EDDM.
You can use PostGrid's system for optimizing all aspects of your direct mail campaigns. It enables you to personalize, print, and deliver your mailers with the click of a button. Businesses can even incorporate an address verification capability and ensure a minimum return rate for direct mail campaigns.
