Mailing List Geography, Part 2 – Want to Reach the Neighborhood Market?

For many marketers even the zip code is not granular or precise enough as they want to target their direct mail campaign to a specific neighborhood, for instance, around a store or restaurant location. Since each zip code is sub divided into postal carrier routes, this unit of geography can be used to more tightly target their direct mailing. The postal carrier route represents those deliveries made by a US Postal Service letter carrier. A typical route contains approximately 500 deliveries on average.

At an even more finite level, a mailing list can be targeted to the Zip+4 level. The finest sub division of the zip code is the Zip+4. This unit of geography typically represents one side of one city block in an urban area and contains approximately 5 households on average. Real estate agents and home improvement contractors often select their mailing lists using the Zip+4 to reach a very specific and tightly targeted group of households.

Take a look at maps of carrier route boundaries or download Resident List counts by carrier route.

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Mailing List Geography, Part 1 – What Are Some Common Selections?

The use of geography is one of the primary selections used to filter or target a mailing list. At the highest level a national marketer could plan to send a mailing to the entire United States. This is rarely done, however, as most marketers want to more precisely target their direct mail campaign. Below the national level a marketer could choose to mail to an entire state or could select certain counties within a state. The most common geographic select is at the zip code level. A typical zip code in an urban area might contain 8,000 to 10,000 households.

Take a look at mailing list counts by zip code by downloading free count reports.

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What is a Resident/Occupant List?

A resident/occupant list is a list of all the addresses that the US Postal Service delivers mail to in the United States. The list contains nearly 150,000,000 addresses. It includes the address of the physical structure of homes and businesses as well as Post Office Box addresses. Some consumers and businesses rent Post Office Boxes and receive mail at their PO Box.

For direct mail marketing the resident/occupant list with resident addresses is a powerful tool that is used by savvy companies to get their message to potential and prospective customers.

The list can be filtered and targeted so that the direct mail message reaches the most desirable audience. Selections are available by geography, dwelling type, and demographics.

Examine a resident/occupant list data card to see more details about this exciting list.