What Is EDDM and Is It Right for Your Marketing Needs?

Last Updated on January 24, 2023 by Carlos Alonso

Over time, direct mail marketing strategies have evolved, and businesses can now reach out to prospects with little effort. The United States Postal Service helps individuals and enterprises to deliver their brand messages to potential customers in their locality through EDDM. 

What Is EDDM?

EDDM refers to Every Door Direct Mail. It is a bulk mailing service offered by the United States Postal Service (USPS). EDDM enables mailing customers to reach clients without having to create leads with mailing addresses.

Is EDDM Right for Your Marketing Needs?

It is an uphill task for small businesses and startups to generate a list of mailing addresses. However, EDDM service permits mailing customers to reach leads based on USPS mailing routes. You do not need to buy or generate a mailing list. It is a good marketing strategy for individuals who have a limited product campaign budget.  

Why is EDDM Perfect for Your Marketing Needs?

Today, more and more businesses reach out to the local audience to help meet their sales targets through cost-effective means such as EDDM. Even individuals like dentists, politicians, and non-profit organizations such as churches use EDDM to deliver their marketing to a group of people in a specific zone or local geographical area.

What Type of Businesses Can Benefit from Using Every Door Direct Mail? 

• Realtors
• Contractors
• Retail stores
• Auto sales and services
• Restaurants
• Medical professionals
• Home Service
• Financial services
• Landscaping
• Galleries
• Dry cleaners

5 Steps to Get Started with EDDM

Step 1

Log into the USPS EDDM application to select your preferred routes. However, you must first get a postage quote before you complete the USPS route selection process.  

Step 2

Prepare and organize your schedule. Without a plan and target, you can get overwhelmed when dealing with bulk mail. Therefore, it is wise to document your production and shipping information in an organized manner. For example, know the number of pieces you must print and the location of the post offices you need to deliver your mailers off at.

Step 3

Prepare your mailers and ensure that your design and print meet the required EDDM specifications. You can always seek professional help if you have doubts or need help with your print designs and printing process.

Step 4

Drop off your EDDM printed pieces or postcards at your local post office. You must make sure that your mailers match the number of mailboxes on the predetermined USPS route.

Step 5

Follow up on your sales after you drop your mailers at a local USPS to see the effect of your EDDM campaign. You may want to repeat this process monthly, yearly, or as often as you need to reach your target audience.

7 Tips for a Perfect EDDM

One of the easiest ways you can have an EDDM campaign that stands out from the crowd is to seek professional services from a print shop to help you manage the process. Below are some of the best ideas to help you create a great Every Door Direct Mail campaign that is right for your marketing needs.

1. Large mailer format – Using large print on your mailers automatically draws attention that sets you apart from the competition. 

2. Make use of high-quality paper stock or finishing effects – How you present your message speaks volumes about your business or service. High gloss UV, foil stamping, soft-touch coating, and embossing can give your mailer a classic look. Top-quality print paper is one of the best ways to create an eye-catching experience that makes EDDM perfect for your marketing needs.

3. Attractive headline – Are you asking yourself why you have put so much energy into your EDDM marketing campaign yet didn’t you get the expected results? A dull heading is one of the top reasons no one reads your mailer to the end. So make sure you create a compelling and enticing headline that will make people interact with your mailer.

4. Interactive mailer – Find captivating ways to engage your audiences, such as scratch-offs that reveal rewards or offers.  An interactive EDDM is an effective way for your brand or service to make an impression on your leads.

5. Photos and illustrations – In the advertising industry, pictures speak louder than long paragraphs of text. Furthermore, it is easier to remember a memorable visual print than complex wording. Additionally, photos and sharp graphics help maintain the attention of your audience. 

6. An easy call to action option – Your EDDM campaign or marketing strategy aims to get your leads to get back to you. Therefore, you must ensure that you provide a convenient and easy get-back-to-you option that your prospects can use. You can either add a unique free-to-call number, online contact or include directions to your store.

7. Monitor your EDDM campaign success – You can use special coupon codes, phone numbers, URLs for each EDDM route. The response through these communication mediums can help you know how many leads called or visited your website in response to your campaign.

What Makes Every Door Direct Mail Good for Your Marketing Needs?

There are numerous reasons why EDDM is the perfect choice for any size business to get its message in the hands of the local audience. In addition, you can take advantage of some of the benefits that EDDM offers to help you stay on top of the competition and meet your marketing needs.

However, as it is with all things, there are pros and cons to Every Door Direct Mail that you should know before selecting this service as your marketing strategy.

Pros of EDDM

No need to create or purchase a mailing list – Creating a mailing list for a specific geographic area is hard work and can be frustrating. Furthermore, buying one is costly if you are working on a budget. However, you do not need to generate or buy an address list when you use EDDM. USPS delivers your mailers to every door in your selected zip code.

No postal permit required – Even though direct mail campaigns terms include a yearly postal permit which costs up to $450, you are exempted from this fee if your EDDM mailings do not exceed 5,000 pieces.

Lower postage rates – Startups and small businesses that work on a budget can benefit from the low rates offered by USPS for EDDM service. In addition, every Door Direct Mail costs less when compared to other services such as Express mail, priority mail, or first-class package service.

Easy to target your local audience – You do not need to invest heavily in market research to find your target audience. The only process you have to complete is choosing the zip codes you want to reach out to. Then, after dropping your mailers at the local post office, you can comfortably sit back and monitor the success of your EDDM campaign.

Easy to monitor your marketing campaign – You can only truck your campaign if you provide your prospects with a trackable point of contact. A perfect tracking method will automatically attribute leads or sales to your EDDM campaign in every zip code.

Cons of EDDM

Size limit – Your mail pieces must meet the allowable USPS size and weight restrictions. EDDM service does not allow extra-large postcards, letters, lumpy mail, catalogs, and other irregular shapes.

Limit on quantity – EDDM allows you to send up to 5,000 mail pieces per day. If your target is more than 5,000 mailers to a selected zip code, you need to pay more and obtain a post office permit from USPS.

A lesser targeted campaign – Every Direct Door Mail delivers your mailers to every address on the EDDM mailing route. This marketing strategy is not target-oriented and fewer individuals who are enthusiastic about your product or service may not receive your mail pieces.

No personalization – According to a survey, customers prefer personalized mail pieces. EDDM limits your personalization efforts. You do not have the names or details of the residents you are advertising to. 

Did Your EDDM Campaign Meet Your Marketing Needs?

Thankfully, there is more than one way you can see what worked well or not in your EDDM marketing strategy. First, you can know the results of your campaign by using a tracking method that traces leads back to your EDDM campaign. 

Of course, there are numerous ways you can use to access the outcome of your Every Direct Door Marketing advertising campaign. You can use one or combine any of the following direct mail tracking methods.

• Coupon codes
• Trackable phone number
• QR codes
• Trackable URL

Coupon codes

A coupon code, also known as a promo code, is a computer-generated code. It consists of numbers or letters that consumers enter into a promotional space on a website’s shopping cart to redeem a reward or a discount.

You can print coupon codes on your EDDM pieces for your prospects to claim at your store or over the phone.

Trackable phone number

You can trace phone calls generated from your campaigns by setting up a dedicated toll-free number that directs callers to your business line. By assigning unique numbers to different zip codes, you can track how many people responded to the EDDM campaign.

Small companies and new companies may prefer to use their regular business telephone numbers on the mailers. Even so, you need to ensure that your customer support staff keep track of each coupon that is redeemed and the EDDM mailer it appeared on.

Sometimes, advertising on multiple routes can be exhausting and may overwhelm you. Instead, you can outsource the services of a telemarketer or a call tracking company. These companies can playback the calls you receive and also provide you with campaign reports and analytics data. 

QR Codes

QR (Quick Response) codes are among the most effective ways marketers and advertising agencies use when tracking marketing campaigns. Today, advanced mobile technology has made it easy to scan QR codes using smartphones.

Therefore, you can print a QR code on your EDDM mail pieces that directs your leads to a unique landing page on your website.

Trackable URL

You can print a unique URL on your mailers that connect clients to a custom landing page on your website. Google offers tools that can help you create a campaign URL and also track your results. Your website’s analytics tools compute the number of leads who visit your unique landing page.

Additionally, you can create a personal experience for every direct mail recipient by setting up a personalized URL that leads to a landing page that contains customized content. You can seek help to create these settings from a professional printing service provider.

When Should You Use EDDM for Your Marketing Needs?

Every Door Direct mail is one of the most affordable targeted advertising. There is no set rule as to when you can use EDDM for your marketing needs. However, you may want to use it at convenient times in your business.

When You Are Having a Sale

Shoppers naturally tend to buy items or services that are on sale. You can take advantage of this consumer psychology and launch your EDDM campaign whenever you have a promotion.

Are You Opening a New Location?

Starting a new business is challenging, and you may find yourself short on your budget. EDDM service is an affordable and convenient way to create an awareness of your business in your local community. In addition, you can save on buying leads and purchasing a postal permit.

When Offering Coupons 

Coupons are a great way to draw traffic to your business. Send perfectly designed menus to the target zip code route and experience the joy of traffic in your pizza shop. Additionally, if you have coupons for a specific group of people, you can use EDDM tools to map ZIP codes and filter by age, household size, or income.

What to Look Out for When Using EDDM

There are various indicators to look out for in determining if your campaign is correct for your marketing needs. However, if the analytics data is not initially accurate, some of these indicators can provide misleading insights.

Response rate – a marketing agency reports that the average number of people who respond to EDDM marketing campaigns is 9%. This percentage is for individuals who respond via any of the above tracking methods is about 9%.

You may think that this rate is low, but you need to know that the response rate from a prospect list is 5%.

Conversion rate – how many respondents reacted to your mailer by taking advantage of the offer? Some businesses have prolonged sales cycles while others convert almost instantly. Even so, you can ignore the conversion rate in establishments that sell inexpensive impulse products like clothing stores and pizza outlets where response and conversion occur at the same time. 

However, businesses like law offices and dentists need to consider their conversion rate more than their response rate. 

Conclusion

Every Door Direct Mail allows small and established businesses to send their marketing messages to a specific local geographic area. Even so, the intent or purpose of EDDM campaigns varies from one enterprise to another. Some intend to raise awareness; others want to increase sales, while entrepreneurs may want to uncover new business leads.

Whatever your marketing needs, the direct mail service offered by the United States Postal Service is an effective marketing strategy. It also costs less when compared to other advertising channels like Television.

Furthermore, EDDM is easy to use, and you do not require any expertise. You can find help from a printing service provider to manage the logistics of your EDDM as you take care of the incoming leads.