# One-time campaigns or triggered sends?

## One-time campaigns

A common approach to sending direct mail is to send a single, large campaign to a target audience. 

**At Lob,** **a "one-time" campaign is a one-to-many method of mail distribution to a broad audience using a single set of mailing instructions.** 

{% hint style="success" %}
Popular use cases for one-time campaigns include sending acquisition or cross-sell mailers, retail promotions, annual policy updates, end-of-life notices for a sunsetting product, referral campaigns, etc. 
{% endhint %}

Traditionally, sending a campaign meant negotiating RFPs for every project, long lead times with lots of back-and-forth with the printer, imperfect audience lists, and use of generic creatives that lacked personalization, if any. 

With Lob, you can create campaigns using our flexible settings and guidance, choose from various delivery options, and apply dynamic personalization at unprecedented granular levels. 

One-time campaign execution is easy in the Lob Dashboard via [Campaigns](https://help.lob.com/print-and-mail/send-mail/launch-your-first-campaign), or programmatically via our [Campaigns API](https://help.lob.com/print-and-mail/send-mail/send-campaigns-via-the-campaigns-api).   

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Send via the Lob Dashboard</strong></mark></td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="../send-mail/launch-your-first-campaign">launch-your-first-campaign</a></td><td><a href="https://1775164782-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FiXDYGxBp6aAwhpEhTMNC%2Fuploads%2FQXS1kUWxq8QQ99VpP7FQ%2FScreenshot%202023-02-08%20at%204.00.50%20PM.png?alt=media&#x26;token=060498d2-8008-47f7-a843-23c8a7748c57">Screenshot 2023-02-08 at 4.00.50 PM.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><mark style="color:blue;"><strong>Send via Campaigns API</strong></mark></td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="../send-mail/send-campaigns-via-the-campaigns-api">send-campaigns-via-the-campaigns-api</a></td><td><a href="https://1775164782-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FiXDYGxBp6aAwhpEhTMNC%2Fuploads%2F6ETFF3amovfuR5dvIz8e%2F0_ljyW1QItACx67HVd.jpeg?alt=media&#x26;token=0e1d2058-f6df-4880-9b77-4f8eef756fdb">0_ljyW1QItACx67HVd.jpeg</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

<details>

<summary>Campaign FYIs</summary>

* Some advanced campaign features or mail formats are only available to Enterprise-tier customers, and may have mail piece minimums to qualify for a campaign send.&#x20;
  * Letter add-ons (envelopes, cards, buckslips) must be ordered in advance and be fully stocked in your inventory in order for your campaign to be successfully sent
  * Target Delivery, cards or buckslips have different campaign send minimums&#x20;
* Some campaign-specific settings may override your account-level settings, such as merge variable strictness or cancellation windows
* You can send most domestic mail formats offered by Lob in Campaigns, except checks and extra service mailers (Certified & Registered Mail). No campaigns can be sent abroad.

</details>

## Automated campaigns (trigger-based)

Another common way to send direct mail is to individually dispatch mail, usually initiated by pre-programmed logic or event within an orchestration workflow.&#x20;

**"Triggered" mail is an automated process that sends mail to a single recipient when they meet a pre-set condition or take a defined set of actions within a certain timeline.**&#x20;

Lob refers to these event- or trigger-based campaigns as automated campaigns. &#x20;

{% hint style="success" %}
Popular triggered use cases include post-signup onboarding mail, abandoned cart recovery, order notices or monthly statements, product retargeting, and follow-up confirmations. &#x20;
{% endhint %}

Using Lob's single endpoint APIs, you can create a custom trigger automation from scratch, or take advantage of popular pre-built [API integrations](https://help.lob.com/print-and-mail/integrations/api-integrations) to connect to a platform you already use for your digital channels. Or for a less technical lift, you can automate your sends [directly from the Lob dashboard](https://help.lob.com/print-and-mail/integrations/no-code-integrations).

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>API integrations</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="https://1775164782-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FiXDYGxBp6aAwhpEhTMNC%2Fuploads%2FUeQNvafIfcVfC2wH2Iyw%2Fexternal_integrations.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2596a320-258b-4e2e-80f9-f73048512633">external_integrations.png</a></td><td><a href="../integrations/api-integrations">api-integrations</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>No-code integrations</strong></td><td></td><td></td><td><a href="https://1775164782-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FiXDYGxBp6aAwhpEhTMNC%2Fuploads%2FFFo6XLWbdOR8BSGPndxq%2Finternal_integrations.png?alt=media&#x26;token=bb8dc3bd-3efc-4e80-9230-9c24f0e4fd4b">internal_integrations.png</a></td><td><a href="../integrations/no-code-integrations">no-code-integrations</a></td></tr></tbody></table>