A Quick EDDM® Overview
There are many direct mail options and services available to advertisers -- just think about the stuff you see in your mailbox every day.
From coupon-stuffed envelopes, to catalogs and magazines, the formats and mailing methods are endless. But, when it comes to direct mail advertising, nothing delivers a better value than the Every Door Direct Mail® service from the USPS®.
With EDDM®, advertisers can eliminate the costs (and hassles) associated with mailing lists, deliver larger-sized offers, reduce postage costs, and target local areas using postal route demographics such as household income, age, home ownership, gender, presence of children, and also geographic metrics such as distance and drive-time.
In short, Every Door Direct Mail® is a low-cost and targeted direct mail solution that often delivers more visibility and higher returns. If you need to target every home in a specific neighborhood, you will not find a better or more cost-effective option than EDDM®.
If There's No Mailing List? How Does the Mail Deliver?
The USPS® delivers mail not only by address, but also by postal carrier routes. A postal carrier route is a group of streets (similar to neighborhoods) that are used to deliver mail. For example, a ZIP Code may contain five, ten, or even more postal routes. Each business day, your mail letter carrier (the mailman) delivers mail based on his or her assigned carrier routes. With EDDM®, the "mail man" simply delivers your offers to "every door" in the postal routes that you target.
OK, I Get It... But How Do I Choose the Postal Routes and Start Mailing?
It's easy! With just a few clicks you can target and launch your own Every Door Direct Mail® campaign via the website www.EveryDoorDirectMail.com.
Here's How to Start in 10 Minutes or Less:
- Register an account at EveryDoorDirectMail.com
- Click Target to access U-Select, the online mapping tool
- Enter your address to view local mailing options
- "Point & Click" on the map to select mailing areas
- Click "Save and Continue" when you are done targeting
- Choose from multiple design and print options and submit your order online
[caption id="attachment_880" align="alignright" width="218"]
Example of carrier route map and demographic heatmap tool.[/caption]
More On Targeting Using Demographics
When targeting postal routes online, you will see a red-colored Demographics button in the navigation panel. If you click on this button, you can choose to target postal routes using demographic indicators such as age, household income, gender, presence of children, and home ownership.
You can also select geographic targeting options such as distance by radius or drive-time. Once you make your demographic selections, your local mailing options will become "heat mapped" (see image on right) so that you can easily target the hottest prospects with your mailing.
The best mailing routes (according to your selections) will appear as dark red or orange postal routes and the lesser matches will appear as yellow or light-colored routes. All you have to do is "point and click" on the best routes based on your selections, and you're done.
How Long Does it Take? After I Order, When Do My Offers Deliver to Mailboxes?
The turnaround time for EDDM® campaigns varies with creative and production processes, but it usually takes 2 to 4 weeks for delivery to the mailboxes once your order is submitted.
Usually, it's the creative (design process) that takes up most of the time, and it's a much faster process if you have print-ready artwork ready to go. Generally speaking, it's a good idea to plan about 30 days in advance for any type of marketing campaign. This ensures that you are not rushed, allows for better strategic planning, and provides wiggle-room for any unforeseen hiccups in the creative or production processes.
What Size Are EDDM® Postcard and Flyers?
The EDDM® program requires that you mail pieces which qualify as commercial flats. A commercial flat must be more than 6.125" tall OR longer than 11.5" wide. The largest size the mail piece can be is 12" x 15" to qualify. The mailers must also be equal to or greater than 0.007 thick.
But forget about all of that technical stuff... Play it safe and choose from one of the four most-popular and best-selling formats. You can see the best EDDM product formats and watch actual product demo videos at this very helpful link http://www.everydoordirectmail.com/Print.
How Much Does EDDM® Cost?
Your total costs will depend on the quantity of pieces you mail, the size of the flyer or postcard, and your design and deliver options. The easiest way to determine your "total cost" is to reference the pricing guide. Since EveryDoorDirectMail.com is a "one stop, all inclusive" service, you get simple flat rate pricing. The rates seen at the official pricing page are 100% all-inclusive if you provide your own artwork or choose a FREE design template online.
For example:
Mail 5,000 4.25" x 11" EDDM® Postcards for only 30¢ per home -- including a free design template, full-color printing, all USPS postage, and deliver to homes!
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For more information call the toll free number -or- visit the HELP/FAQ page using the information provided below:
Toll Free Phone Number: 1-800-481-1656
Help/FAQ: http://www.everydoordirectmail.com/help