Driving Retail Sales with Every Door Direct Mail: A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on driving retail sales with Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). If you’re a small business owner looking to connect with the right customers at the right time, you’re in the right place.

EDDM is a powerful direct mail marketing tool that allows you to target specific neighborhoods, ensuring your message reaches the right people. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of EDDM, from understanding how it works to designing your mail piece, selecting your target areas, and maximizing the impact of your campaign.

We’ll also share best practices and common mistakes to avoid, helping you make the most of this effective marketing channel. Whether you’re new to direct mail marketing or looking to refine your approach, this guide is packed with valuable insights to help you boost foot traffic and drive sales.

So, let’s dive in and explore how you can leverage Every Door Direct Mail to grow your business.

Understanding Every Door Direct Mail

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a powerful tool that allows businesses to effectively reach their target audience. This section will delve into the intricacies of EDDM, helping you understand its workings and benefits. Let’s get started.

What is Every Door Direct Mail?

Every Door Direct Mail, often called EDDM, is a service provided by the United States Postal Service. It’s a unique form of direct mail marketing that allows businesses, particularly small ones, to reach out to potential customers in specific neighborhoods without needing their addresses.

Unlike traditional bulk mail campaigns, EDDM operates on a broader scale. Instead of targeting individual addresses, businesses use EDDM to target entire postal routes, ensuring their message reaches the right people in the right areas. This approach makes it an effective tool for local retail marketing.

Benefits of Using Every Door Direct Mail

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a cost-effective advertising option, especially beneficial for small businesses. It allows reaching a large audience without incurring heavy expenses like TV or radio ads.

EDDM offers the freedom to be creative and customizable with direct mail pieces. Unlike traditional direct mail campaigns, there are no strict requirements for the size or format of direct mailers. This flexibility allows businesses to design a format that best showcases their brand and message.

EDDM marketing enables businesses to target the right people in specific ZIP Code areas. By choosing residences along specific postal routes and refining based on demographics such as age and income, businesses can focus on customers and prospects most likely to engage with their brand.

EDDM is a powerful tool for retail marketing. It allows businesses to connect with customers at the right time, making it easy for customers to support local businesses. This is particularly important as surveys show a growing trend of consumers preferring to shop local.

How Every Door Direct Mail Works

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a unique approach to direct mail marketing that allows businesses to reach the right people in specific regions. It works by selecting residences along specific postal routes within certain ZIP Code areas. This selection can be further refined based on various demographics such as age and income, ensuring that your mail campaign is targeted towards the customers most likely to engage with your brand.

The process of setting up an EDDM campaign is straightforward. You start by selecting your routes and filtering for demographics on the post office’s website. This allows you to zero in on the customers and prospects most likely to engage with your brand, making EDDM an effective tool for retail marketing.

How to Print Your Mailpiece for Every Door Direct Mail

In this section, we’ll delve into the process of printing your mailpiece for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). This is a critical step in your direct mail marketing strategy, as the quality of your print can significantly impact your campaign’s success.

We’ll guide you through the process, from finding a local printer to understanding the basics of direct mail. Let’s get started.

Designing Your Mailpiece

Designing your mailpiece for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a crucial step in your direct mail marketing strategy. It’s not just about creating a visually appealing piece but also ensuring it meets the specific requirements for marketing mail. Your design should incorporate elements that make it personal and relevant to the recipient, such as their name or information about their location.

Choosing the Right Size

In addition, consider the size of your mail piece. Unique sizes can make your mailer stand out among the rest. Remember, the design of your mailpiece plays a significant role in motivating your target audience and generating customer responses. So, invest time in creating a phenomenal design that truly represents your brand and message.

Printing Your Mailpiece

Your mailpiece is a crucial part of your direct mail marketing strategy. It’s not just about sending out a piece of paper but about creating a tangible connection with your potential customers. So, make sure it’s printed in high quality to reflect your brand’s professionalism and commitment to excellence.

Formatting Addresses and Postage for Every Door Direct Mail

From selecting the right routes using the EDDM Online Tool to understanding the postage rates, we’ll provide a comprehensive user guide to help you navigate this marketing channel effectively.

How to Format Addresses for EDDM

When it comes to formatting addresses for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), the process is quite straightforward. Unlike traditional direct mail marketing, EDDM does not require you to have a specific list of addresses. Instead, your mail pieces are simply addressed to “Postal Customer.” This means that your marketing mail will be delivered to every address on your selected routes, ensuring a broad reach for your retail direct mail campaign.

The EDDM Online Tool is a valuable resource in this process. It allows you to choose the neighborhoods where your customers live and target them based on specific demographics such as age, household size, and income. You can search for a full address, city/state, or ZIP Code™ and select multiple routes for a single mailing. The tool also provides a detailed view of the neighborhood routes, helping you to narrow and filter your targeted audience effectively.

Understanding Postage Rates for EDDM

When it comes to understanding postage rates for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), it’s crucial to know that EDDM flyers, postcards, and other flats are categorized as USPS Marketing Mail® products. This classification directly impacts the cost per piece.

Currently, EDDM Retail® USPS Marketing Flats are priced at $0.223 per piece. However, if you opt for EDDM BMEU USPS Marketing Mail Flats, the cost can be as low as $0.219 per piece. These rates are subject to change, so it’s always a good idea to check with the USPS National Customer Support Center or use their online tool for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Preparing Mailing Bundles for Every Door Direct Mail

This process involves a keen attention to detail and adherence to specific guidelines. It’s about making sure your marketing materials reach the right doors, maximizing the impact of your retail direct mail campaign.

How to Prepare Your Mailing Bundles

Preparing your mailing bundles for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a crucial step in your direct mail marketing campaign. The process begins with bundling your mailpieces in stacks of 50-100, ensuring that each bundle does not exceed a height of 6 inches. Each bundle should then be topped with an EDDM-facing slip, which serves as a clear identifier for your mail bundle.

On this slip, you’ll need to write the number of pieces in the bundle. If a customer has requested to be removed from your mailing list, their address should be included in the “Do Not Deliver Address” column on the facing slip. This ensures that your mail marketing respects the preferences of your recipients, enhancing the effectiveness of your retail direct mail campaign.

What to Include in Your Mailing Bundles

Here’s what you should include in your mailing bundles for Every Door Direct Mail:

• Mailpieces: Bundle your mail in stacks of 50-100 pieces. Ensure that the bundles are not higher than 6 inches.
• EDDM Facing Slip: Attach an EDDM facing slip to the top of every bundle. Write the number of pieces in the bundle on the slip.
• Do Not Deliver Address: If a customer has requested to be removed from your mailing list, include their address in the “Do Not Deliver Address” column on the facing slip.
• Personalization: Make your direct mail piece personal and relevant to the recipient. Use their name, previous purchases, or location information to make the piece more appealing.
• Unique Design: Consider making your mailer a unique size or incorporating a phenomenal design to stand out and motivate your target audience.

How to Target Specific Areas with Every Door Direct Mail

In the world of retail, location is everything. The same principle applies to your direct mail marketing efforts. With Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), you can target specific areas, ensuring your message reaches the right audience.

This section will guide you on how to effectively use EDDM to select the right neighborhoods and routes, maximizing your reach and driving retail sales.

Choosing Your Target Areas

When it comes to driving retail sales, the ability to target specific areas is a game-changer. This is where Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) comes into play. EDDM is a potent tool in your direct mail marketing arsenal, allowing you to reach the right people in the right places.

The first step in this process is choosing your target areas. This involves identifying the neighborhoods where your potential customers reside. It’s not just about geographical proximity; it’s about understanding the demographics of these areas. Factors such as age, household size, and income play a crucial role in shaping your neighborhood audience. By selecting the right neighborhoods, you can ensure your retail direct mail resonates with the audience, driving them towards your store.

Using the EDDM Online Tool to Select Neighborhoods

The EDDM Online Tool is a powerful resource for businesses looking to target specific areas with their direct mail marketing. This tool allows you to search for a full address, city/state, or ZIP Code™ and provides detailed information on neighborhood routes. This data can be used to narrow and filter your targeted audience, allowing you to select the neighborhood(s) that best align with your customer demographics.

Once you’ve identified your target areas, you can review your selections under your Order Summary. This tool allows for flexibility, enabling you to select multiple routes for a single mailing. By leveraging the EDDM Online Tool, you can ensure your retail direct mail reaches the right people in the right places, maximizing your marketing efforts.

Maximizing the Impact of Your Every Door Direct Mail Campaign

To truly harness the power of Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) campaigns, it’s essential to understand how to maximize their impact. This involves more than just reaching the right people; it’s about creating a compelling message that resonates with your target audience.

In the following sections, we’ll delve into the best practices for EDDM campaigns and common mistakes to avoid, ensuring your direct mail marketing efforts yield the best possible results.

Ideal Practices for EDDM Campaigns

Define Your Target Audience: Before launching an Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) campaign, it’s crucial to identify your target audience. Analyze demographic data such as age, gender, income, and interests to select the most suitable geographic area for your campaign.

Design Eye-Catching Mail Pieces: The centerpiece of your EDDM campaign is the mail piece. Make it visually appealing and attention-grabbing to stand out from the rest of the mail. Reflect your brand’s personality and message in your design.

Include a Clear Call to Action: Drive traffic to your physical store or website by including a straightforward and easy-to-understand call to action in your mailers. This could be a promotional offer, discount coupon, or a request for customers to visit your store.

Track and Analyze Results: Measure the effectiveness of your EDDM campaign by tracking and analyzing the results. Pay attention to the response rate, conversion rate, and other metrics to assess the campaign’s success and make necessary adjustments for future campaigns.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in EDDM Campaigns

Ignoring the importance of demographic data: One common mistake is not utilizing demographic data to target the right people. This can lead to wasted resources and a lower return on investment for your direct mail campaign.

Poor design choices: Another mistake is neglecting the design of your mail piece. An unappealing or confusing design can deter potential customers from engaging with your brand.

Lack of a clear call to action: Failing to include a clear and compelling call to action in your mailer can result in missed opportunities to drive traffic to your store or website.

Not tracking results: Not measuring the effectiveness of your EDDM campaign is a critical error. Without tracking and analyzing results, you can’t assess the success of your campaign or make necessary adjustments for future ones.

Overlooking postage requirements: Lastly, not adhering to the post office’s postage requirements can lead to delays or even rejection of your bulk mail. Always ensure your mail meets the necessary criteria.

Leveraging Every Door Direct Mail for Retail Success

In conclusion, leveraging Every Door Direct Mail for retail success is a strategic move that can yield significant results. By targeting the right people in the right neighborhoods, you can drive foot traffic to your store and boost your sales.

The beauty of EDDM is that it allows you to reach out to potential customers in a personal, tangible way that digital marketing channels can’t match.

Moreover, the flexibility of EDDM means you can tailor your campaigns to suit your specific needs. Whether you’re a small business looking to establish a local presence or a larger retailer aiming to expand your customer base, EDDM can be a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

Remember, the key to a successful direct mail strategy lies in understanding your audience, crafting a compelling message, and delivering it at the right time. With careful planning and execution, you can make the most of Every Door Direct Mail and take your retail marketing to the next level.