How to target prospects by mail...
if you don’t have their data
Partially Addressed Mail
Research shows marketing campaigns that include print are 67% more effective at delivering new customers.
And it's not surprising...
✅ Print is tangible and can get straight into the hands of your target audience
✅ Mail is remembered 35% more than social media and 49% more than email
✅ The average lifespan of a direct mail piece is 7.75 days compared to 2 seconds for email
✅ Social media advertising is 44% greater when the audience had seen mail first
And, with more people now at home when the mail lands on their doormats, there’s never been a better time for using printed marketing. Its physical and tactile nature grabs customers’ attention, putting your brand directly into their hands, and offline channels are consistently seen as more trustworthy.
But how can I target new customers without their data?
But there is a service from Royal Mail that allows you to reach new customers without having to buy marketing lists. It's proven to drive engagement and, because of the discounted postage rates, is cost effective too.
Partially Addressed Mail...
Partially Addressed Mail is a highly targeted and responsible way to reach new customers.
Taking your existing database, specific households are identified to contact in two ways:
- ‘Topping up’ – targetting people in postcode areas where you already have customers.
- ‘Lookalikes’ – identifying similar contacts to those where your current customers live.
All data is based on households rather than named individuals. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative in how you address your mail piece. If you’re a mail order horticulture company, you could use ‘Dear Gardener’ a company selling mail order coffee may use ‘Coffee lover’ or a car dealership may use ‘Car Owner’. A generic salutation can still make the mailing targetted and relevant to your campaign and ensure you quickly get your audience’s attention.
What are the benefits of Partially addressed mail?
- It allows you to target prospects in areas you know already work for your business.
- Items are delivered with addressed mail, and because it is personalised with the address, is more likely to be taken seriously and be trusted.
- Postage is heavily discounted, making it very cost-effective.
Another option for using print to get your brand message inside homes is Door Drops.
Door drops
Door drops are a flexible and cost-effective way to get leaflets, flyers and brochures into customers’ hands, either locally or nationally. Unlike direct mail or partially addressed mail, they do not have any address details or personalisation and are delivered to all households within the postcard areas you select.
Their versatility is what makes them so appealing. Whether you want to achieve a broad reach across a specific area, or nationally across multiple areas, door drops are a targeted way to find the right people at scale. They’re perfect for things like new store openings, events, or promoting services in your local area.
What are the benefits of door drop?
- Door drops are cost effective as you can achieve a high reach without postage costs
- You select the postcode areas you wish to target
- Your door drop piece doesn’t have to be a standard A5 flyer! It could be a die cut postcard or a letter into an envelope… even a brightly coloured envelope for maximum impact.
Whether you’re looking to raise brand awareness, drive traffic to a website, launch a new product/service or promote a special offer , print marketing really can be the way to fall into the hands of your next customer.