How is Saturation Mailing Different From Targeted Direct Mail and EDDM?

It can be overwhelming sorting through all of the different options available for mailing your audience. But failing to understand all of your mailing options could be costly. So developing an accurate understanding of what you can accomplish with things like saturation mailing, targeted direct mail and EDDM can help you achieve multiple goals. The first is keeping your campaign costs low. Second, and arguably more importantly, understanding all of your options for sending direct mail also makes choosing the most effective method for sending your campaign easier.

When Should You Use EDDM Instead of Targeted or Saturated Mailing?

Let’s say you have a message that you want to deliver to everyone within a specific geographic location. Since this message is going to everyone within the area you choose, and you may not have a relationship with recipients, personalization likely isn’t a priority. But with personalization being one of the main reasons people pay for targeted direct mail campaigns, there’s no need to spare the additional costs unless you personalize your mailers. And that’s where EDDM (every door direct mailing) enters the picture. What separates EDDM from both targeted direct mail and saturated mailing is that these types of mailers are meant for a general audience. Unlike targeted direct mail, you can’t personalize EDDM mailers. That’s because they get sent to each address within a particular USPS mailing route. Other aspects of EDDM that separate it from targeted direct mail and saturated mailing include:

• No List Involved:

Since EDDM campaigns get delivered to each address on a particular mailing route, there’s no need to purchase a list. All you have to do is determine which mailing route you’d like to send to.

• Lower Response Rates:

The fact that EDDM mailers don’t involve any targeting makes it unlikely for these mailers to yield the same responses as a Targeted Direct Mail campaign.

• Lower Cost Per Piece:

EDDM is sent in bulk, which provides lower prices for marketers. Another reason why EDDM prices are lower is because of the lack of targeting involved. And with the EDDM size guidelines, you can mail a bigger mail piece to an audience for the same price as a normal postcard.

• No Personalization:

Since EDDM mailers are meant for a general audience, you can’t personally address recipients. This means you’ll need a stellar design to help your campaign stand out. Browse through our library of free direct mail templates or contact our design team so you can begin designing an EDDM campaign that delivers the awareness you’re hoping for.

Maybe you’re hoping to spread the word about your new landscaping or HVAC service. Until you have an established book of business, you may be more likely to get more bang for your buck by sending EDDM campaigns to service areas where you’d like to begin working. When you combine the EDDM mailers with your additional marketing assets like vehicle wraps, yard signs and door hangers, it can reinforce your brand recognition. This helps your brand remain at the top of mind once a need for your services arises.

Defining Saturation Mailing

Saturation mailing provides marketers with the ability to strategically get messages across in a manner similar to EDDM. You can saturate up to 100% of any chosen mailing route with your message. And with GrowMail’s Saturation Mapping tool, you can view a breakdown of the demographics of your selected mailing route. Saturation Mail’s targeting capabilities combined with lower postage rates provides users with the best of both worlds: Targeted Mail and EDDM. All types of businesses benefit from executing saturated mailing campaigns, too.

A new dental practice that’s opening up could benefit from saturated mailing by sending postcards to a list of addresses with families that have at least two school age children. By announcing their opening to families in the area by listing the services you offer, you could successfully remind them to schedule a tooth cleaning soon. Local car dealerships or retailers hoping to increase sales can use saturation mailings to send product updates to their ideal audiences with custom mailing lists for just $0.19 per postcard. These capabilities, combined with this pricing allow businesses of all sizes to run highly sophisticated campaigns that deliver undeniable results.

Explaining the Difference Between Targeted Direct Mail and Saturation Mailing

Initially, targeted direct mail and saturation mailing may sound like carbon copies of one another. But once you scratch beneath the surface, the subtle differences between the two reveal themselves. Targeted direct mail allows users to leverage customer data to create more personalized campaigns. While providing marketers with valuable targeting capabilities, saturation mailings stop short of providing high-level personalization. 

Using targeted direct mail allows you to send mail based on a variety of different categories including:

• Geographic location
• Age
• Marriage status
• Income
• Home Ownership Status

With targeted direct mail, you can maximize your marketing dollars by focusing on an audience that would be most interested in your message.

When Should You Use Targeted Mail Instead of Saturation Mailing?

Defining your goals for your upcoming campaign is a must. Doing so will help you choose between a targeted direct mail campaign or saturated mailing. For instance, if your goal is to provide awareness about a new service you’re offering, or about another change your business has on the horizon, your money might be better spent doing a saturation mailing. But if your goal is to re-engage lost customers or to reach a particular segment of shoppers, targeted direct mail is probably the better option. Here’s why:

• Personalization:

In a sea of generic mailers, Targeted Direct Mail allows you to easily capture the attention of audiences. That’s because you can include a recipient’s details like name, birthdates, anniversaries or their hometowns.

• Mailing Lists:

With Targeted Direct Mail, marketers have multiple options regarding mailing lists. You have the ability to send mailers to recipients within your database, or you can purchase a mailing list with recipients that fit a certain criteria.

• Better Response Rate:

Since Targeted Direct Mail allows marketers to connect with users based on specific criteria, it’s easier to tailor your message to your audience. The combination of personalization with messaging geared specifically toward a recipient leads to higher response rates for campaigns.

• Higher Cost Per Piece:
  

Because you can use Targeted Direct Mail to provide specific offers and messaging to recipients, the cost per piece is higher than saturation mailing.

Outlining the goals of your campaign is just as important as understanding all of the mailing options you have. Failure to do so may result in you pouring your precious marketing dollars down the drain. 

What You Need to Know About Deciding Between EDDM and a Saturation Mailing Campaign

Basically, saturation mailings serve as a happy medium between EDDM and targeted direct mail. Still, there might be situations where your campaign goals might be better served by an EDDM campaign rather than a saturation mailing. Let’s say you’re marketing for a local restaurant, and you’re hoping to share menu items in your next campaign. In this case, an EDDM campaign would be preferable to saturation mailing since the size requirements allow you to send a bigger mail piece. And that oversized mailer will be the same price as a standard postcard.

The EDDM size requirements allow users to send mailers as big as 12”x15”. The biggest mailer you can send under a saturation mailing campaign is 6”x11”. EDDM Pricing provides more size variety at a slightly cheaper price per piece than saturation mailings. But saturation mailing offers the ability to send mail to specific target audiences at a lower price per piece than targeted direct mail. No matter what goal you’re aiming for, GrowMail provides the solution to help you achieve it without breaking the bank.

Let GrowMail Guide You to Direct Mail Success!

Targeted Direct Mail allows marketers to deliver tailored messages to specific audiences with a variety of personal details. EDDM and saturation mail, allow marketers to provide a specific geographic area with a general message about what their business has to offer. Choosing the right solution depends primarily on your budget, along with your campaign goals. If you’re hoping to make the most of your marketing dollars when it comes to your next campaign, get in touch with the friendly, knowledgeable marketing specialists at GrowMail today. Businesses of all kinds have been relying on us for their marketing for the past 25 years. To understand why, book a free consultation below!