Partially Addressed Mail - Everything You Need To Know

Partially addressed mail is GDPR friendly, as no personal information is used - instead of being directed to an individual, the mail is addressed to a household.

Partially addressed mail makes it a highly attractive option for targeting potential customers similar to your audience.

Partially Addressed Mail Explained

The strength of partially addressed mail is, among other things, its tangibility. Like door drops or personalised fully addressed mail, a physical message is harder to ignore.

In order to qualify as partially addressed mail, there are specific criteria that must be met:

1. The mail must be delivered to every home in a given postcode.
   
   

2. It is important to ensure that the mailing list excludes existing customers and those customers who have opted out.
   
   

3. Partially addressed mail needs to indicate that personal data is not being utilised.

When done well, partially addressed mail can stand out and be tremendously impactful. It’s also far more likely to be seen by multiple people in a house (as opposed to the modus operandi of hyper-individualised digital marketing).

How Does Targeting Work?

With partially addressed mail, you can target specific groups of households in a given postcode by matching your customer data with the Postcode Address File (PAF).

Never heard of the PAF? The Postcode Address File allows access to nearly two million postcodes and over thirty million residential and business addresses.

By matching your customer data, you ensure that existing customers are removed and you don’t waste time and money sending acquisition communications to them.

There are two methods of targeting: topping up targeting and lookalike targeting. Both can (and ideally should) be used. 

Topping up involves targeting new potential customers in postcodes that already have a high number of existing customers.

The lookalike method involves using geo-demographic targeting to identify new postcodes that are similar to the ones you already have.

By combining these methods, you maximise your chances of uncovering potential customers.

Which Industries Can Benefit From Partially Addressed Mail? 

Any B2C industry that has a generalised offering can benefit from partially addressed mail. It is a great option for businesses without a mailing list who want to save on their direct mail costs.

Compared to door-to-door drops without any visible address, addressed mail has a higher read rate, resulting in a higher response rate. This is even more noticeable when targeting is taken into consideration.

Partially addressed mail is an ideal tactic for small to medium-sized businesses looking to acquire new customers, or places such as schools with a large catchment area, or franchisees that require mass marketing for multiple branches - to name just a few.

The Benefits of Partially Addressed Mail

Aside from helping businesses reach more customers for less, partially addressed mail is also:

• Actionable - 28% of partially addressed mail drives action (such as going online or visiting a store)
  
  

• Reviewed numerous times - on average, partially addressed mail is kept in households for around one week
  
  

• Shareable and highly engaging

Get Your Partially Addressed Mail Needs Sorted

Choose Sorted Direct Mail for all your partially addressed mail needs, including insights, execution, printing, packaging, and postage.

With over 20 years of experience serving industries such as housing, charity, automotive, and more, we are a reliable and knowledgeable partner for all your print marketing requirements.

Success: sorted. Get in touch with the experts today.