Category: Direct Mail Marketing

What is EDDM Postcard Printing & How Does it Work?

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a service provided by the USPS designed to help businesses send promotional material to a targeted audience without the need for specific addresses. The service is particularly beneficial for small businesses looking to market their services locally with minimal expense and effort.

EDDM allows you to reach every household or business within a specific area:

  • Identify Your Target Area: Using the USPS’s EDDM Online Tool, businesses can select specific mail routes or zip codes to target, ensuring their promotional materials land in the mailboxes of potential local customers.
  • Select the Size of Your Postcard: EDDM has specific size requirements for mailpieces to qualify for the service. Generally, postcards must be more significant than a standard letter but smaller than a giant flat, essentially making them “flat” mail.
  • Design Your Postcard: Businesses can then design their postcards, ensuring that they meet the USPS EDDM requirements for size and layout. It’s essential to include a compelling message and call-to-action to maximize response rates.
  • Bundle and Prepare Your Mailing: Once designed and printed, the postcards need to be bundled in stacks with facing slips that show the postal carrier the route for each bundle. This step is crucial for the local post office to organize and deliver your mail efficiently.
  • Complete the Required Paperwork: The USPS requires an EDDM Retail Form or an EDDM BMEU Form, depending on how you’re sending the mail. This paperwork accompanies your postcard bundles to the post office.
  • Drop Off at the Post Office: With your postcards bundled correctly and paperwork completed, you can then drop off your entire mailing at the designated post office that serves the routes you’ve selected. After paying the postage due, your postcards will be delivered within the time frame specified.

The overall process of EDDM postcard printing and mailing is streamlined to help businesses reach out to a broader audience while bypassing much of the complexity of traditional direct mail. Even with minimal marketing expertise, a business owner can launch a local campaign that could lead to increased foot traffic and sales.

An excellent advantage of EDDM is cost-effectiveness. Because EDDM uses a standard “flat” rate and doesn’t require purchasing mailing lists or printing specific addresses on each mailpiece, businesses can save money while still making a significant local impact.

Additionally, while EDDM does have specific requirements, the USPS offers flexibility within these guidelines, allowing businesses to create custom-sized postcards that stand out in the mail and grab the audience’s attention more effectively. Combining this with a well-crafted message and attractive design can lead to a successful marketing effort. Woohoo!

Ultimately, EDDM postcard printing is an efficient way to conduct a marketing campaign on a local scale. By following the USPS guidelines and preparing the mailpieces according to the requirements, businesses can leverage a system that simplifies the delivery of marketing materials directly to the doors of their potential customers. EDDM thus serves as a powerful tool in a local business’s marketing arsenal, providing a tangible and direct way to communicate their offerings to the community.

Direct Mail Marketing : Does it work and is it worth trying?

Did you know Google is America’s BIGGEST direct mail marketing customer? Would you believe that? A digital marketing firm being the biggest client in print marketing for USPS. Now that’s something for you to wrap your head around.

direct mail marketing company

Contrary to the rumors you might have heard, direct mailers are not the dodo bird of the advertising world, destined for extinction. Far from it! In fact, it’s a bit more like a phoenix, continually reborn from the ashes of its own shredded junk mail. And believe it or not, there are enough statistics to back this up that you’d think we were running a census on postcards. So, let’s dive in and explore whether direct mail marketing really works, shall we?

Send It And They Will Come

First off, let’s chat about response rates. Would you believe that the response rate for direct mail is actually 4.4%? That’s right. It’s not 0.004%. It’s a whopping 4.4%! Now, I know what you’re thinking – those numbers are so big they practically need their own zip code. But wait, it gets better.

Size Matters, But So Does The Mailbox

Now, I know in the world of advertising, size often matters. But here’s a fun fact for you – oversized envelopes have a response rate as high as 5%! Sounds unbelievable, right? But it’s the absolute truth.

  • Tip 1: Suppose you’re planning to send mail, consider giving it a little extra size – think junk mail meets the jolly green giant.
  • Tip 2: The bigger your mail, the bigger the chance it won’t get lost among the bills and letters. It’s all about standing out, people!
USPS direct mail marketing

What About The Digital Realm?

Alright, let’s talk about the elephant in the room – or should I say the email in the inbox? You might think email would have direct mail beat, right? Wrong! Direct mail actually outperforms digital by a landslide. The response rate for email is only 0.12%. Yes, you read that right. It’s not 12%. It’s 0.12%! That’s less than the amount of sugar in your diet soda!

  • Tip 3: If you want to win the response rate game, stick with direct mail.
  • Tip 4: Though digital may be quicker and cheaper, it can’t compete with the response rates of good old-fashioned mail.

Making it Personal

Another fascinating aspect? Personalization increases the response rate even more. According to statistics, personalized color direct mail pulls a 6.6% response rate. That’s higher than your chances of finding a four-leaf clover!

  • Tip 5: Don’t underestimate the power of a personal touch. It could make all the difference in your direct mail campaign.

The Young and the Direct Mailed

What about age, you ask? Well, here’s a shocker: 18-34-year-olds are more likely to read and respond to direct mail. I guess the novelty of getting a physical piece of mail in a digital world is like finding a Charizard in a deck of Pokémon cards.

  • Tip 6: Don’t assume direct mail is only for the older generation. The youngsters love it too!
direct mail marketing service

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, direct mail is alive and kicking, my friends. It’s not just surviving; it’s thriving, outperforming its digital counterparts and packing a punch that could rival a heavyweight champ. So, the next time you hear someone say that direct mail is dead, you have my permission to laugh heartily and tell them they’re living in the past. Because the future, my friends, is in your mailbox.

  • Tip 7: Embrace the power of direct mail. It’s got the statistics to back it up.
  • Tip 8: Remember, bigger is often better when it comes to mail.
  • Tip 9: Make it personal and colorful. It could just increase your response rate.
  • Tip 10: Don’t forget the younger generation. They’re more likely to respond to direct mail than you’d think.

And there you have it – the truth about direct mail marketing in a neat, ten-bullet-point package. So, the next time you’re planning a marketing campaign, remember: direct mail isn’t just surviving – it’s thriving. Reach out to BlockbusterPrint.com for help on your direct mail marketing campaign!