Local businesses looking for an inexpensive way to increase sales should consider "saturating" their market. A saturation mailing—also known as an occupant list—is any mailing campaign that mails to at least 90% of the residential addresses within a postal carrier route. Many mailers erroneously think that a saturation mailing must be conducted by ZIP Code™ but the actual definitions from the USPS® for the maximum saturation discount uses the carrier route as the defining region

The U.S. Postal Service® offers saturation mailing rates as low as 0.179 cents per piece for businesses, as an incentive to presort the mailing before bringing it to the Post Office™. Compare that 18 cents to the Standard Basic Letter rate of $0.234 cents and you’ll see the large savings. Nonprofits can reap even greater monetary benefits, with postage as low as $0.108 cents per piece.

A saturation mailing can mesh perfectly with customer growth initiatives or retention efforts. Any local company, from boutique retailers to restaurants, to medical and dental offices; even auto dealerships and repair garages, can benefit from saturations mailings.

Offers like "50 percent off an entrée" or "$5 off an oil change" can be magnets for new customers – and can also bring back lapsed ones. Most important, the unique business proposition that your business offers will be reinforced in the minds of vital neighborhood shoppers.

This is where location comes into play. The customers of a local business generally live within two to five miles of the business. Imagine potential customers receiving a new restaurant’s saturation mailing piece and, later that day, driving by the restaurant. They think, "Oh, yes, I know that place..." That restaurant has kicked it up a notch and is now on the mental map of newfound local residents.

Saturation mailings also offer local businesses greater value per name/address purchased, because the price of a saturation mailing list is minimal and its effectiveness per piece can be substantial. List costs are considerably lower for saturation mailings, so you can send out more pieces. For example, you could send out 10,000 pieces in a saturation mailing for the same price of 1,000 pieces with names on a residents list.

It’s easy to create a saturation mailing list—just buy a saturation list from your list provider; it will come in walk sequence order which is the major requirement to receive maximum saturation discounts.

Saturation mailings have countless benefits. The key is to be ready to capitalize on the three L’s: Location of the business, Location of the all-important neighborhood customers, and Location of the Post Office. It’s really that simple.

The rewards will deliver themselves.