Partially addressed mail refers to a style of direct mail marketing used by companies to send promotional materials to targeted households. Sometimes people refer to this service as door-to-door marketing. The Royal Mail implements the final part of any partially address mail campaign, regardless of the postal provider you use.
With a high engagement rate of 77%, partially addressed mail is a powerful tool for targeting potential customers. Partially addressed mail finds a middle ground between fully addressed advertising mail and unaddressed mail. This method tends to be cheaper as you save money on data collection costs by not targeting the recipient by name.
You can still customise the letter or marketing material to make it more personal based on your product or service offering. For example, a bakery may use the strapline "dear cake lover" to encourage a higher engagement rate for the campaign. Other more generic salutations could be phrases such as "the resident" or "the occupier".
There are various targeting options available for your mail campaign. By using your existing data you can segment by geographic location, demographics and purchase history. You can then make informed decisions on areas you’d like to target. You can also target areas that are already customer-rich, excluding existing customers to keep costs down.
Bulk mail rates on large mailouts offer a significantly lower cost compared to standard postage rates. Partially addressed mail takes advantage of these lower rates by sending multiple communications to households within the same geographic area. You also save money on the data acquisition costs associated with traditional fully personalised direct mail campaigns.
Since the implementation of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) marketers have had to change their methods to ensure compliance. Since the restrictions on sharing personal data came into force, this form of marketing provides a great solution. With this method, you can send marketing material to a specific location without handling any new data. This makes it a great solution for reaching prospective customers whilst ensuring you comply with strict data laws and restrictions.
According to JIC Mail stats in 2022, 77% of people engage with partially addressed mail. This is a much higher engagement rate compared to modern digital marketing techniques. 29% of recipients perform online searches that increase brand visibility, such as visiting the sender’s website. Whilst the average purchase rate varies from industry to industry, the average campaign conversion rate is around 5%.
A key feature of Partially addressed mail is that it allows allows for easy testing of variable mail pack types. You can test different messaging, designs and content for specific target audiences, and monitor the response from each version. By using different QR codes or a unique identifier, you closely monitor the performance of each version. You can then use these findings to further optimise future partially addressed marketing campaigns.
For businesses with a strong local presence, the localised marketing of partially addressed mail can be particularly effective. By connecting with nearby communities, you increase community engagement and improve local relationships. Your business can reinforce its local identity by including elements that celebrate the local community. This could include local events, landmarks, traditions or dialects.
Creating a robust partially addressed mail strategy requires careful planning and consideration. Here are three key steps to help you develop an effective approach:
1. Define Your Target Audience: Begin by clearly identifying the target audience for your mail campaign. Consider factors such as demographics, location, interests, and purchasing behaviour. This segmentation allows you to group households together effectively, ensuring that your marketing materials are highly relevant to each group. Whether you're targeting specific neighbourhoods, age groups, or other demographics, a well-defined audience is the foundation of your strategy.
2. Tailor Your Message: Once you've identified your target audience groups, customise your marketing message to resonate with each group's unique interests. Typically you'll target around 15 households per postcode used, and by targeting small groups you can tailor your message more effectively.
Craft compelling content that speaks directly to the needs or desires of the recipients within each segment. Whether you're promoting special offers, local events, or products and services, personalise your message. This makes it more relevant and increases the overall engagement rate for your campaign.
3. Tracking & Measurement:A crucial part of any marketing campaign is ensuring you have a way to monitor and analyse its success. Implement features such as a QR code or a unique discount code that you can track back to each individual campaign. This way you can monitor the performance of each targeted group separately. Analyse response rates, conversion rates and return on investment and use the insights to refine your marketing strategy.
Continual improvement based on data-driven decisions will allow for ongoing optimisation. Future partially addressed mail efforts can be refined to ensure maximum effectiveness in reaching and engaging your target audience.
For more impactful communications get in touch with our team and explore our Bespoke Software Development offering.
Partially addressed mail is a direct mail marketing strategy where promotional materials, such as brochures, catalogues, or flyers, are sent to a group of recipients without addressing each piece of mail to a specific individual by name. Instead, it often uses more generic salutations like “Resident” or “Neighbor.”
Partially addressed mail differs from fully addressed mail in that it does not include the recipient’s name and address on each piece of mail. Instead, it targets groups of recipients based on geographic location, demographics, or other shared characteristics. This makes it a cost-effective alternative to fully personalized direct mail campaigns.
Some benefits of partially addressed mail include cost-effectiveness, targeted marketing to specific geographic or demographic groups, reduced privacy concerns, higher response rates compared to unaddressed mail, and scalability for businesses of various sizes.
To create an effective partially addressed mail campaign, start by defining your target audience, tailoring your message to their needs and interests, implementing tracking mechanisms to measure performance, and continuously analysing data to refine your strategy. Additionally, consider local relevance and the specific preferences of your audience to maximize engagement.
