What is Saturation Mail?

It's localized.

If you own a local business or plan to expand your business to a new market - you may want to consider saturation mailing.  A saturation mailing list can target entire neighborhoods or localized areas by including selected postal carrier routes.  To generate a mailing list, a preliminary report is produced either by zip code or by a radius from a given point and a summary of each carrier route is listed. 

It costs less.

Saturation mail can save you 20-25% off the cost of standard (bulk) mail.  Because saturation mail makes it easy for the Post Office to process, they pass the savings on to you by discounting the postage. A standard letter can mail for as little as 14¢. Your savings can be maximized by having your mail drop shipped to the postal facility handling the delivery.  That savings, however, must be greater than the cost of the drop shipment to make it worthwhile. 

It meets postal requirements.

To qualify for saturation rates your mail must meet two requirements:

1. Your mailing list must follow the 90/75 rule. This means that you must mail to at least 90% of the residential addresses or at least 75% of the total number of business and residential addresses in a given carrier route.  

2. The mail must be in "walk sequence" order which is the actual sequence that the mail is delivered in by the postal carrier. 

A sorted and certified occupant mailing list can be purchased from a list provider. Pricing is per 1000 addresses and there is usually a minimum charge.  A purchased list is good for 90 days.  Your provider can guide you when  selecting from the summarized list of carrier routes. Your selection must meet the 90/75 rule and add up to the number of addresses you wish to mail to.

What types of businesses use saturation mail?

Businesses looking to establish their brand locally and gain name recognition can benefit.  Automobile dealers, restaurants, boutique owners, real estate professionals, doctor offices, pizza parlors, landscapers... these are all potential users of saturation mail. Announce a grand opening or a special event or send a printed coupon with your mailing.

How much can you save with saturation mail?

A 5000 piece, 8.5" x 5.5" postcard mailing at standard bulk mail rates will have an estimated postage cost of $1325 (26.5¢ per piece).  Using a saturation list and delivering the mail to the local SCF can reduce that cost to around $820 (price includes postage and SCF drop shipping), saving you around $500!