Who Should Use Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) in 2024?

EDDM (every door direct mail) has gained popularity. EDDM as defined by the USPS is designed to help you reach every home, every address, every time. You can map out a target area, use demographic data (e.g. age, household income, and size) to select a delivery route, choose a mailing drop-off date, and pay online — all from your computer.

You can create your mailings up to 30 days before you plan to mail them. Simply enter an address, ZIP code, or city and state for your target area to get started. Sounds great right? So how do you know if EDDM is right for you?

EDDM is right when:

1. Your business can appeal to a large number of people: In other words, since you are selecting a geographic area that has a wide variety of people in it, you will need to be offering a product or service that most of them want or need. A few examples of broad appeal are dry cleaners, restaurants, general stores, lawyers, and other small business in local neighborhoods.
2. Small business: The reason that this works better for small businesses is because they do not have marketing departments or people who can handle more complex direct mail campaigns, nor do they have the budgets for them. Small businesses benefit from the ease of use and low cost of postage with EDDM.

So, if EDDM is right for you, you have a couple of choices. EDDM Retail is designed for the small business to do it all themselves, while EDDM for BMEU is for a commercial mail service provider to do it for the small business. The benefit of having a mail service provider is that you can mail more than 5,000 pieces per day and they can help you avoid problems with design, paper stock, and any other issues you encounter. If you need help finding a provider, you can contact a USPS sale rep to help you find one.

One of the key benefits of EDDM is all the space you have on the mailer to put your compelling message, add coupons and drum up interest in your business. You only need to leave enough room to fit the Postal Customer info and the indicia. This means on an 8.5x11 inch sheet you get to use almost all of the 11 inches. Take full advantage of the space with great graphic design.

Make sure that your offer is clear and concise so that it is effective. Coupons are a great way to introduce people to your business and an easy way to track your responses. Even with EDDM you need to know what is working, so finding ways to track who is responding and with what coupons is very important. The only way to continue to improve your response rates is to know what works and what does not.

EDDM can be a great way to get into direct mail for small businesses. It is not cost prohibitive, can be done by the business if they wish to without too much trouble, and allows for more room to advertise. Take advantage of EDDM and find a cost-effective way to market your small business to potential customers near you. If you need any help with design, copy, or have questions about EDDM, a mail service provider near you can help.