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Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)

Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM®) makes it easier to advertise your local small business. Whether you want to call attention to a sale, offer coupons, or open a new location, EDDM can help ensure you reach the right consumers. EDDM is available for sending flyers, menus, postcards, and more! 

What is Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)?  

Every Door Direct Mail, better known as EDDM, is a service offered by the USPS. By using the postal service’s EDDM Online Tool, you’ll have the ability to choose specific features for your intended audience. This includes their age, income, neighborhood, and even whether they’re a residential or commercial property. Revolutionize your direct mail! 

How Every Door Direct Mail works

With typical direct mail, it’s necessary to know the names and addresses of every receiver. However, EDDM provides an easier system. By making it possible to reach out to every residential and commercial address that meets your chosen criteria, EDDM can significantly reduce your expenses. For instance, using this method provides flat-rate postage fees, which offer a reduction on the cost of postage. 

Benefits of EDDM for Businesses 

There are a wide range of benefits involved with choosing EDDM to advertise your company. One thing to note, though, is that EDDM is not right for B2B companies. That’s because EDDM can be sent in two different ways: To residential consumers only or to residential and commercial properties. At the current time, there is no way to select only commercial properties. 

1. Increase Brand Recognition and Visibility 

Approximately 26% of U.S.-based consumers recognize direct mail as an important, non-digital advertising touchpoint. Furthermore, 72% of people read direct mail on a regular basis, 60% say that digital mail is more memorable than digital ads, and 58% indicated that they trust direct mail. By contrast, only 48% of people trust TV advertising. These numbers make it clear that sending out direct mail via EDDM will definitely increase your company’s local visibility and brand recognition. 

2. Makes Advertising More Cost-Effective 

Traditionally, it’s necessary to purchase postage permits or a targeted mailing list. Fortunately, EDDM allows you to skip this purchase! Instead, you’ll pay a flat rate mailing price. This brings your costs down, plus you’ll be able to take advantage of EDDM’s streamlined distribution process, which makes it even more affordable. 

3. Targeted Local Marketing 

Let’s say that your goal is to connect with homeowners to teach them about your lawn-cutting services. By carefully selecting specific neighborhoods, you can avoid wasting money on apartment dwellers. Alternatively, perhaps you want to advertise your pizza business to consumers within one mile of your business. This is also possible by harnessing EDDM’s local targeting tools. 

4. Highly Rated Service 

Why should you rely on EDDM? According to Every Door Direct Mail reviews, the USPS has an excellent track record. In fact, 92% of business owners reported to Trustpilot that they received 5- or 4-star service. Out of their current 599 reviews, EDDM has a 4.7-star average. 

Types of businesses EDDM works best for  

Any local company that wants to attract more business should consider trying EDDM. Some examples include: 

  • Restaurants 
  • Auto Repair 
  • Spas
  • Realtors 
  • Car Washes 

EDDM is also a fantastic way for political campaigns to connect with local voters. If you’ve ever received several local political postcards before an election, then you’ve received mail via EDDM. 

What to include in your EDDM mailer template

There are two specific things to include in any EDDM mailer template: ‘Local Postal Customer’ where the address usually goes, and the EDDM Retail Indicia postage mark. 

The EDDM Retail Indicia needs to be placed in the above right area from your Local Postage Customer mark. Make sure it is larger than 0.5” x 0.5” and uses all caps, along with a font size of four or more. Leave a buffer of 1/8” of blank space by the top and right edge. Finally, ensure it fits into the area that’s 1.375” from the top edge and 1.625” from the right edge. 

EDDM Size Requirements

Fortunately, Every Door Direct Mail size requirements provide a lot of wiggle room. The three most popular sizes are: 

  • Oversized Postcards – 8.5” x 11”
  • Postcards – 6.5” x 9” 
  • Tri-Fold Menus – 4.25” x 14”

Having said that, though, you can make your mailer up to 15” long, 12” high, and .75” thick. The smallest size you can use is .25” thick, along with either 10.5” long or 6.125” high. Finally, the total weight of each direct mail piece needs to be 3.3 ounces or less.  

Tips for completing the EDDM facing slip 

After selecting your route with the EDDM Online Tool, you or your direct mail marketing and printing service will need to complete an EDDM facing slip. These slips require the following information: 

  • 5-digit zip code 
  • Route number
  • Delivery types
  • Drop off date 
  • Total number of mail pieces per bundle 
  • Total number of bundles 

By providing this info, the USPS will be able to better assess their mail schedule to help ensure your mailers are received on time. They generally deliver to local addresses within two to five days. If you want to use EDDM on a national level, it can take between two and four weeks. Always plan accordingly! 

Direct Mail Marketing Company to coordinate EDDM efforts 

Even though the USPS has endeavored to make EDDM relatively simple to use, it still takes time and specialized knowledge to get it right. For most small business owners, time is at a premium. The good news is that you can easily turn to a direct mail marketing company to coordinate your EDDM efforts. 

Century Direct provides EDDM services to make your life much easier! Additionally, we also offer addressing and inserting services, direct mail processing, digital printing, bindery, and data management, omnichannel marketing campaigns, targeted mailing lists, and postal optimization and logistics. We’ve been offering our services to businesses like yours since 1932, and we’re aware that using a cookie-cutter solution is not the answer. Instead, we tailor each campaign to your specific company! 

Ready to learn more? Contact us today! 

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This post was written by Eric Seid