Direct Mail is the Most Efficient Way to Reach Your Local Market

The U.S. Postal Service recently implemented a new mailing program which allows small, local businesses to economically market to the residences and businesses in a small surrounding area of their location. The program is called Every Door Direct Mail or EDDM for short. Since they have introduced this program, many small, retail oriented businesses have seen dramatic increases in their volumes. New and returning customers are coming to their places of business with the coupon in hand to make their purchases.

What Specifically is EDDM?

The EDDM retail program allows a business to mail in a saturated area, namely in a USPS carrier route at 16¢ per piece for postage. Because the pieces are dropped off directly to the respective post office, these pieces will usually arrive at the mailboxes of the recipients within 24 hours. In order to qualify for these discounts, the piece has to exceed certain minimum dimensions, be between 200 and 5,000 pieces per day, have the right EDDM indicia and the right simplified address block. This program was designed so that any business could have their piece professionally designed and printed by their local print provider and then take the pieces directly to the post office in the area.

What Are the Benefits of Using EDDM?

First of all, there is no need to purchase a mailing list of the houses and businesses in the area. By using the term, “Local Postal Customer”, the piece will be handed out to every address in the carrier route. Delivery is fast. Many times, the delivery of the mail will be the next day after the pieces are dropped off at the front counter of the local post office. No postage permit is needed. You use the standard EDDM indicia which designates that the piece was mailed under the EDDM program There is no additional cost to inkjet the addresses on the pieces. All pieces are addresses exactly the same which can be applied upon the initial printing of the piece. The minimum size requirement makes your piece stand out in the crowd. The standard EDDM size is significantly bigger than the normal mail received in the mailbox, therefore giving it a better chance of being seen by the recipient. This increased size allows you to add the information you need, to make the sale. You can saturate the neighborhood at a significantly reduced postage cost.

What Kind of Businesses Would Benefit From This Program?

Retailers Auto dealerships and services Restaurants Dry Cleaners Dentists Other Medical (i.e. local health clinics and urgent care facilities) Real Estate Agents Schools HVAC Contractors Landscapers Fitness Locations Attorneys Arts Organizations

How Can You Make Your Mailing Piece Successful?

Follow the 5 “C’s” for a Successful Mailing Piece: Customer-Know who your customer is and focus the information on the piece to that audience. With the EDDM program, you will mail to individuals who are not your ideal customer. Don’t try to capture everyone’s attention. Go for your target audience. Creative-Design your piece so that it captures your target market’s attention. The unusual size of the EDDM piece allows it to stand out in the mail. Make sure the copy on the piece is relevant and stands out from the page. Clear-Does your main message stand out? If you are giving a discount for a new customer to try your business, they need to see that on the piece within the first 3 seconds of looking at your mailing piece. Coupon-Give them a reason to pick up the phone and call you or get in their car to come see you. If it is a great offer, they will save the postcard for future usage. Continuous-Several touches produce significantly more business responses than just one. If you are doing an event, then one touch may suffice. If you are trying to build business in the area, think about several touches over a period of a few months. Calendar-Plan the timing of your touches. Also think about what other things are going through the mail at the time of your mailings. If you are in the middle of the election campaign season, then you have to realize that your piece may be delayed for delivery or may be ignored by the recipients.

How Can AlphaGraphics Help You Have a Successful Mailing?

AlphaGraphics can handle the entire EDDM mailing including delivery to the post office. There are minimum paperwork requirements and the pieces do need to be delivered to the respective post office where the carrier route is located. Sometimes, if multiple carrier routes are selected, then the mailing needs to be divided and delivered to different post offices. We can help you design your piece so that it stands out in the crowd and produces the new customers that you want. If your mailer exceeds 5,000 pieces, then we can handle the extra requirements under the EDDM program so that you can comply with the program and reap the benefits of the reduced postage. Give us a call at 480-844-2222 and we will gladly walk you through how this program works. You can always contact us at the following AlphaGraphics websites: AlphaGraphics Mesa Printing and Marketing FaceBook Fan Page AlphaGraphics Tempe Printing and Marketing FaceBook Fan Page AlphaGraphics Phoenix Printing and Marketing FaceBook Fan Page Twitter: @steveadams291 LinkedIn: stepheneugeneadams