Zip a dee doo dah Direct Mail

What is EDDM?

EDDM, a service offered by the USPS, helps businesses get printed mail into the hands of potential customers…without needing to have a list of names or addresses. This is because users select specific zip codes and postal routes, with all households contained within that route receiving the printed piece. Businesses can even hone in on routes within a radius of up to 5-miles from their establishment, ensuring all residential and/or business addresses receive their mailer.

What are the Benefits of EDDM?

Aside from providing a cost-effective means to reach customers and prospects (EDDM has a lower cost per piece than standard bulk mail), EDDM offers several other benefits. Firstly, EDDM provides an easy way for businesses to get started in print marketing, without having to allocate budget towards list purchasing and cleansing. The power of print is well documented and shouldn’t be underestimated. We recently documented the effectiveness of print in an article chock-full of compelling stats. EDDM is also incredibly simple to use. Up to 5,000 mailers can be sent each day, and because pieces are hand-delivered directly to your local Post Office, there is no need to worry about mailers getting beat up in USPS scanning, sorting and marking equipment.

Targeted Demographics Help Enhance ROI

One of the main benefits of traditional direct mail is the ability to tailor your messaging and get it in front of a very targeted audience (i.e. Tom, it’s time to renew your 2013 black Acura RDX lease). And while that same level of personalization isn’t quite possible with EDDM, you can still intelligently leverage demographic insights to optimize your mailing. When selecting your delivery routes, the USPS provides demographic overlays based off reports from the U.S. Census Bureau. You can choose your routes based on age ranges, average household size, average household income, and number of businesses.

This information can be critically important for certain product and service offerings, such as targeted real estate, insurance agencies, luxury vehicles, high-end restaurants, and more. For example, an upscale bistro may choose to only deliver their printed mailer to neighborhoods of smaller household sizes, aged 45 to 64 with higher incomes.

Leveraging this demographical information can help ensure your mailings get into the hands of the right prospects…which can drastically improve ROI.

Who is EDDM ideally suited for?

Despite all its advantages, EDDM is not for everyone. Because this service is intended to enable your print marketing to reach a larger audience, businesses with niche products and services or specialized customer bases may not benefit. In these instances, a direct mail campaign with a targeted mailing list may prove to have the highest impact and investment return. However, businesses whose products serve a broader population are ideal candidates to take advantage of EDDM and its lower postage rates.

Ways to stand apart!

To qualify as an EDDM piece, the USPS has specific regulations for dimensions, label placement, bundling and more (for an overview of these specifications, click here). 

Getting Started with Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)

• EDDM is a great conversation starter to open your client’s eyes to the power of print mail. Discuss the benefits of not needing to purchase list data and reduced postage costs.
• Take some time getting to know the EDDM program. The USPS offers a quick reference quide and a comprehensive user’s guide.
• Experiment with EDDM demographic overviews. Show your clients how you can enter an address or zip code and compare routes based on demographical information.