Targeted, EDDM® and Saturation Mail—Key Differences Explained!
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EDDM® and Saturation Mail
In the marketing world, there’s a lot of focus on pinpointing the audience for an ad down to the individual, making it as specific as possible, and scheduling it to pop up at the exact right moment on someone’s digital screen. As flashy and tech-forward as hyper-targeted ads can be, as consumers, haven’t we all experienced receiving an ad that knows just a little too much about us? It can be a major turnoff for potential customers to receive marketing that’s too on the nose.
So, what’s the alternative? Enter bulk, saturation, and targeted direct mail marketing.
Although it has an outdated reputation, mass marketing with direct mail is an unintrusive, budget-friendly method to get your message into potential customers’ hands without the creep-factor. Here are three different strategies to do it right.
What are Bulk Mailings, Saturation Mail, and Targeted Direct Mail?
These direct mail marketing strategies are ranked from least-specific reach (maximum area) to most specific reach (maximum targeting). Whether you choose bulk mailing, saturation mailing, or targeted mailing, these methods are cost-effective and don’t cross any legal boundaries (All the customer information needed to send direct mail is available publicly.)
Bulk Mailings
Bulk mailing programs like EDDM®, (Every Door Direct Mail), are an advertising strategy where you simply blast your marketing materials, in bulk, to almost every mailbox within a specific area or postal route. This no-nonsense approach goes out to everyone in the area you choose without requiring you to painstakingly curate a mailing list. This strategy has the maximum reach, and it’s particularly effective for businesses looking to dominate their local scene.
Saturation Mailings
Saturation mailing programs like NDM™, (Neighborhood Direct Mail), offer a more targeted approach that doesn’t require hitting every door within a route or ZIP code. Unlike bulk mailing programs, they allow you to include the addressee’s name, which can boost response rates by up to 50%. Advanced saturation programs like NDM™ also provide tracking for campaign delivery status, performance, and lead capture opportunities, giving you the precision of a targeted campaign while still enjoying the cost benefits of bulk mailing.
Targeted Mailings
Targeted mailing campaigns are typically smaller, self-directed efforts that use a targeted list of customers or purchased lists based on demographics or geographic areas that match your ideal customer profile. These campaigns can be personalized and include more specific messaging. With a targeted campaign, you have the flexibility to experiment with different mail pieces, coatings, and finishes—options that may be restricted in EDDM and NDM to keep costs down. Targeted campaigns can also include tracking options and performance analytics if a QR code is used.
What is EDDM?
Now that you’ve been introduced to different direct mail marketing methods, let’s dig a little deeper into Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM). It’s a bulk marketing service the United States Postal Service (USPS) offers. It’s designed to be a cost-effective way to reach mass audiences within a chosen zip code or city.
How Does EDDM Work?
An effective EDDM campaign takes five steps to set up:
- Design Your Mailpiece: You start by designing the marketing materials you want to send. These can be postcards, flyers, or brochures, and they must meet the size and format requirements set by the USPS for EDDM.
- Choose Your Target Area: Once you’ve designed your mail piece, you select the geographic area you want to target. This can be as specific as a ZIP code or an entire city.
- Prepare and Bundle Your Mail: After designing your mailpiece and choosing an area to target, you print and bundle them according to USPS guidelines. Each bundle must contain a specific number of pieces and be labeled correctly with the route information.
- Submit Your Mail: You then take your bundles to the local Post Office that serves your targeted area. The USPS handles the distribution, ensuring your mailpiece is delivered to every address on the selected routes.
- Reach Every Door: Your mail is delivered to every residential and/or business address within your chosen area.
EDDM can be highly effective, but making a campaign and performing the entire bundling and mailing process by yourself can be a lot of work. That’s where vendors like Xpressdocs step in, offering services that take care of the entire process from creating the designs to mailing your campaigns.
Are EDDM and Saturation Mail Still Effective Marketing Tools?
Absolutely! EDDM and other advanced saturation mail marketing services like NDM™ have proven highly successful in reaching local customers and driving response rates—they’re insanely good at getting your brand in front of as many potential customers as possible.
In the digital world, we are drowning in a relentless flood of information. With the average person encountering thousands of online ads daily, it’s no surprise that “banner blindness” has become a reality marketers have to deal with—where people just scroll right past digital ads, treating them like background noise.
And it’s not just the web where we’re overloaded with marketing messages. Our virtual inboxes are being bombarded with marketing emails every day. The average worker receives 170 emails weekly but only 7 pieces of direct mail each week (Statista). Because of the lower volume, getting messaging in the mailbox can be seen as a welcome break. Potential customers tend to view direct mail as unintrusive and even fun to receive. It also has a high engagement rate, high return on investment, and is more memorable than digital media. Despite most of us spending an average of 6 hours a day in the digitalverse, direct mail continues to be a high-performing marketing channel and has seen a resurgence lately as big brands seek better ways to stand out against the digital clutter.
Xpressdocs, Your Direct Mail Marketing Experts
Now that you’ve had an overview of mass direct mail marketing strategies, it’s time to try one out. Let Xpressdocs be your guide. We have more than 20 years of expertise in helping marketers make the most of their direct mail campaigns. We offer tools for bulk, saturation, and targeted direct mail campaigns that take care of the process from start to finish. Want to learn more? Reach out to speak to a representative today.