In 2022, a stamp costs 60 cents. It's safe to say that the price of everything is going up. That's why EDDM can be such a lifesaver.

What is EDDM? As an acronym for Every Door Direct Mail, this program can revolutionize your marketing. 

In today's day and age, marketing is all about TikToks, Instagram reels, and viral soundbites. If you aren't used to marketing in a ten-second attention span, you may feel challenged. 

Producing a viral moment isn't easy. And it won't work for some demographics. After all, if you are trying to advertise your senior living facility, TikTok dances might not be the appropriate medium. 

That's where the Every Door Direct Mail program comes in. Run by the United States Postal Service, EDDM marketing allows you to advertise your company to every address in a given neighborhood. 

Unlike direct mail marketing, you don't even need a mailing list. If you're looking for the most bang for your marketing bucks, EDDM might be the way to go. 

That's why we've assembled a guide to Every Door Direct Mail. Let's get started!

How Does EDDM Work? 

EDDM is a relatively new program that takes the guesswork out of your market research. Instead, you'll be able to map and target entire neighborhoods based on demographic. 

Take our earlier example about trying to market your senior living facility. In that scenario, you may want to target middle-aged individuals with a reasonable income bracket. 

This is the demographic that may be looking for living solutions for their aging parents. It's also wise to target seniors themselves, with enough disposable income to consider a senior living facility. 

The Every Door Direct Mail program allows you to leverage information gathered by the U.S. census. This data allows you to filter your targets by age, income, and similar data points.

You'll be able to send these potential prospects a wide variety of mailed items. Everything from postcards to maps to calendars is fair game. 

When leveraging this program, there are two options. These are EEDM Retail or EDDM Business Mail Entry Unit. 

EDDM Retail 

If you're a small business, this is a great option for you. As long as your scope is relatively small (under 5,000 pieces), this works. This is where many small political campaigns, realtors, restaurants, boutiques, and small businesses get their start. 

If you send between 200 and 5,000 of mail per day, per zip code, you'll be able to send mail without a special permit. You'll be able to drop your mailing off at the post offices. 

You have the option of paying online or at the post office, depending on which is most convenient for you. 

EDDM Business Mail Entry Unit 

If your business has expanded to require the EDDM BMEU, congratulations! That means your reach is growing. This is the best choice if you have a large volume of mail that you're going to send out.

In this situation, a large volume is anything above 5,000 pieces. When you're using the Business Mail Entry Unit option, there is no volume limit for the number of pieces that you are able to send. 

You also aren't limited to one zip code like you are with the retail option. Instead, you can select multiple zip codes. This expands your reach and potential rate of return. 

For this option, you can use a Business Customer Gateway account. For easy mailing, you'll be able to drop it off at postal service processing centers. 

Payment is easy with a bulk mailing permit. If you've expanded your reach and want to target multiple zip codes with thousands of pieces of mail, this is the right option for you.

What Are the Benefits of EDDM?

Don't want to purchase mailing lists? No problem. Often, companies have to purchase lists depending on which neighborhoods they want to target. 

This often annoys customers, who feel that companies are indiscriminately buying and selling their information. Since you'll be accessing EDDM information through the U.S. Census and the U.S. Postal Service, everything is above-board.

You'll also be able to save money and focus your efforts on marketing. Delivery isn't your concern, since it'll be handled by the post office. 

Your mail carrier will have it covered. For many companies, that alone is enough to convert them to the Every Door Direct Mail program!

Another benefit is the cost. Direct mail adds up fast! And if you aren't able to effectively target lists and demographics, you won't have a high rate of return on your investment. 

If you put in the time to design eye-catching physical marketing materials, and filter by the appropriate data, you'll likely have a great experience. It's a cheaper experiment than most other marketing techniques, which is perfect for small businesses. When you target your campaign to a small local area, you'll also save on mailing costs since you aren't shipping long-distance. 

You'll also be able to cover a lot of ground. Say that you max out the program's limits. That's still 35,000 pieces of mail in a given week. 

Depending on the population of the zip code you're targeting, you could be sending a piece of mail to every single household on a mail carrier's route. That's a lot of potential new business for you!

Adding EDDM to Your Marketing Strategy

If you want to add EDDM to your marketing strategy, now is the time. Everyone is experiencing a little bit of nostalgia. Going back to old-school marketing techniques is just the ticket. 

That's why it's important to design eye-catching graphics. When you pair great imagery with a high-quality print job, you'll be able to score new customers. Remember the mailers you send are representative of your company's quality.

If your free mailer is poorly designed and cheap, what will your paid products look like? If you're looking for the perfect partner to design and create your mailers, contact us today!