How to Use Every Door Direct Mail to Target Specific Neighborhoods

When it comes to direct marketing, nothing quite beats the tangible, personal touch of a well-crafted mailer.

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) allows businesses to send mailers to specific neighborhoods without needing individual addresses. This powerful tool is great for targeting specific demographics and maximizing your marketing impact.

It's particularly useful for local businesses like restaurants, retail stores, and service providers who want to promote their products or services to nearby households.

But how do you use EDDM to target specific neighborhoods? Here are a few tips and best practices.

Determine Your Target Area

Unlocking the potential of your marketing campaigns is a thrilling adventure, especially when you have the power to place your message directly into the hands of your ideal audience.

But how can you ensure your message reaches those most likely to respond? The answer lies in carefully selecting your EDDM route.

Here's how to go about it.

Identify Your Target Audience

Before you can choose the right EDDM routes, you need to have a clear understanding of your target audience. Think about the demographics, interests, and needs of your ideal customers. Are they young families, busy professionals, or retirees?

Defining your target audience will help you zero in on the neighborhoods most likely to respond to your marketing efforts.

Example: Imagine owning a boutique pet store specializing in premium, all-natural pet food, and supplies. Your target audience may be pet owners with a higher income level who value quality products and are willing to invest in their pet's well-being.

Explore Demographic Data

To better understand the neighborhoods you're considering, delve into demographic data such as age, income, household size, and education levels. These insights can help you identify areas with a high concentration of your target audience.

Local government websites, census data, and market research reports are excellent sources of demographic information.

Use an EDDM Online Tool

The EDDM Online Tool, provided by USPS, is an invaluable resource for selecting carrier routes. This tool allows you to search for neighborhoods by zip code, city, or state. You can also use filters to narrow your search by household income, age, and household size.

When identifying potential neighborhoods, it is important to consider factors such as proximity to your business. For example, if you own a local restaurant, you may want to choose a neighborhood that is within a 10-mile radius of your location.

Additionally, you may want to consider the age, income level, and average household size of the residents in the neighborhood. This information can be found using the EDDM mapping tool or by conducting additional research.

Choose and Design Your Mail Piece

When selecting your mail piece, consider your target audience. What would they find interesting and relevant? What type of message would resonate with them?

For example, if you're targeting a younger audience, you may want to use bright colors and bold graphics to catch their attention. On the other hand, if you're targeting an older audience, a more traditional design may be more effective.

Another important factor to consider when selecting your mail piece is your message. What do you want to say to your target audience? Your message should be clear, concise, and persuasive.

In addition to the design and message, consider the format of your mail piece. Do you want to use a postcard, flyer, or brochure? Each format has its own advantages, depending on the type of message you want to convey. For example, a postcard is great for a quick message or offer, while a brochure is better for more detailed information.

And finally, don't forget to include a call-to-action (CTA) in your mail piece. Your CTA should encourage recipients to take the next step, whether that's visiting your website, calling your business, or making a purchase. Make sure your CTA is clear and easy to follow, and consider including a time-limited offer to create a sense of urgency.

Print and Prepare Your Mail Pieces

When it comes to printing your mail pieces, it's important to ensure that they meet USPS guidelines for size, weight, and format. You can find these guidelines on the USPS website or consult with a printing company that is familiar with EDDM.

It's also important to make sure that your mail pieces are printed on high-quality paper with a professional design to make them stand out to your target audience.

Once you've printed your mail pieces, you'll need to prepare them for delivery. This involves bundling your mail pieces according to USPS guidelines, which require that each bundle contains no more than 50 mail pieces. You'll also need to label each bundle with the carrier route number, the total number of mail pieces in the bundle, and the weight of the bundle.

It's important to note that the labeling requirements for EDDM are different from traditional mailing. Instead of using individual recipient addresses, you'll need to use "Local Postal Customer" or "Postal Customer" as the recipient address. This ensures that your mail pieces are delivered to every household on the carrier route you've selected.

Schedule Your Delivery

Once your mail pieces are bundled and labeled, you can bring them to your local post office for delivery. You can use the USPS online tool to schedule your delivery date and select the carrier routes you want to target.

Keep in mind that when scheduling your delivery, timing is everything. Consider the time of year, day of the week, and even the time of day that is most likely to resonate with your target audience. For example, if you're promoting a summer sale, you may want to schedule your delivery for early summer when people are starting to plan their vacations.

Also, when scheduling your delivery, consider your production timeline. Make sure you allow enough time for printing, bundling, and preparing your mail pieces for delivery. You'll also need to account for any delays or unexpected issues that may arise during the process.

It's important to note that EDDM does not provide tracking information for your delivery. However, you can track the success of your campaign by monitoring website traffic, phone calls, and other metrics that can be attributed to your EDDM campaign.

Monitor and Measure Your EDDM Campaign

Once your Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) campaign is in full swing, it's important to keep a close eye on how it's performing. By tracking response rates and conversion rates, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your campaign and make adjustments as needed.

Here are some key steps for monitoring and measuring your EDDM campaign:

Track Response Rates

One of the simplest ways to track the success of your EDDM campaign is to monitor response rates. This means keeping track of how many people are responding to your call-to-action, whether that's visiting your website, making a purchase, or contacting you for more information.

To track response rates, make sure you have a way to measure the specific actions people are taking in response to your EDDM campaign. This could involve using unique URLs or promo codes or simply tracking the number of inquiries or sales you receive during the campaign period.

Analyze Conversion Rates

In addition to tracking response rates; it's important to analyze conversion rates. This means looking at how many of the people who responded to your campaign actually took the desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

To analyze conversion rates, you'll need to track the specific actions people are taking and compare them to the number of people who responded to your campaign. This can give you a better understanding of how effective your campaign is at driving the desired behavior.

Use Data to Make Adjustments

Once you have a good sense of how your EDDM campaign is performing, you can use that data to make adjustments and refine your strategy. For example, if you notice that response rates are low, you might try tweaking your design or call-to-action to make it more compelling.

Similarly, if you notice that conversion rates are low, you might try adjusting your targeting or messaging to better resonate with your audience.

By using data to inform your decisions, you can continually improve the effectiveness of your EDDM campaigns over time.

Parting Thoughts

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) offers businesses an incredible opportunity to connect with a specific target audience and achieve their marketing goals. By following the tips we have outlined in this article, businesses can effectively identify the demographics and neighborhoods that fit their ideal customer profile, create compelling designs that resonate with their audience, and track their campaign's performance to continually improve future efforts.

Through EDDM, businesses can broaden their reach, increase brand awareness, and ultimately drive more sales or leads. The best part is that EDDM is a cost-effective solution that doesn't break the bank, making it a great option for small and medium-sized businesses looking to grow and expand their customer base.

So if you are ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level, consider using EDDM to target specific neighborhoods in your area. With its proven track record of success and powerful targeting capabilities, EDDM is a powerful tool that can help businesses achieve their goals and connect with their ideal customers.