And Alternative Direct Mail Options
It’s not always cut and dry what types of marketing will work best for your shop. Even if you know you want to send out some direct mail, it can be difficult to choose what type of direct mail to send. Today, we’re walking you through what EDDM is, its pros and cons, and when and why you should choose it or opt for a more targeted approach.
What is EDDM?
EDDM stands for Every Door Direct Mail. It’s a blanketed mailing approach provided by USPS to help reach potential customers close to your business. EDDM primarily helps promote small businesses by facilitating the sending of postcards, flyers, menus, and more to an area of (hopefully) potential customers.
How it Works
USPS provides a mapping tool where users can select a geographic area to send direct mail. They also provide some demographic data, such as age range, household size, and income. Based around this data, the user can choose what mail routes they’d like to deliver to. Delivery can be scheduled for whenever (as long as it’s within the parameters of the postal office). Once you schedule your every door direct mail, it’s out of sight out of mind (which may seem great, but doesn’t always provide the most ROI).
Despite its lack of reporting and responses, EDDM can be an effective tool, and is very user-friendly and easy. You can either create the design yourself, or work with a marketing company or graphic designer. It’s important to keep in mind that there are two options for EDDM; EDDM Retail & EDDM BMEU, which we’ll get into a bit further, below.
EDDM Retail
EDDM Retail can be a good choice for small businesses like restaurants and pizza shops. At only $0.20 per piece, it’s a low-cost way to send pieces of mail to those in your local community. It’s simple – you can create an account and send 200-5,000 pieces per day, per zip code. The best part about this option is that no permit’s needed. You either pay online or in store, and you’re good to go.
EDDM BMEU
EDDM BMEU’s a good option for larger businesses that want to reach a bigger audience. There’s no volume limit, and you can send your mail pieces to multiple different zip codes. Keep in mind that, compared to Retail, BMEU requires more effort and involvement. To make it happen, you’ll have to create a Business Customer Gateway account, acquire a bulk mailing permit, and drop off your mailers to a BMEU (a large USPS mail processing center). The current cost for EDDM BMEU can be “as low as $0.168 per piece”.
The Pros of EDDM
There are many positives to using EDDM. If you want to keep your marketing budget low and are not super worried about tracking results and improving your campaign over time, this might be your choice. With EDDM, you can avoid high postage rates, especially if your mailing is small and you’re not overly concerned about a wide geographic area.
EDDM also works well for general awareness campaigns. Some examples of general awareness campaigns include showcasing a grand opening, hosting a special event, and opening a new location. If you need the public to know what’s going on with your business, EDDM can help you accomplish that. To make sure the public remembers you, use consistent imagery, logos, colors, and fonts that will help you stand out among competitors.
The Cons of EDDM
While the low-cost and ease of EDDM can be very appealing, it does have its negatives. When using EDDM, it can be nearly impossible to target a specific, niche audience. While there are ways to find some people in an area that meet some of your criteria, you will still be wasting a bit of mail on people who aren’t interested in your offerings, or aren’t in your target audience. For example, there’s no way to eliminate people based on a specific demographic, so if your campaign is mostly targeting 25-40-year old’s, you can’t control how many people, 41 and older, receive your campaign. Due to this, you’re bound to be wasting paper, production, and money on people who don’t have any interest or desire for your menu items. Your campaigns could be getting sent to people who fail to check their mail, throw it out, or have no general interest.
While your mailer may capture your audience’s attention, sometimes you run the risk that your EDDM campaign is too large. With this, you risk offsetting postage cost savings with extra production processing. With the ever-changing costs of paper due to supply and demand, printing and mailing to every door could potentially cost you more than the response is worth.
Lastly, EDDM doesn’t allow you to personalize your mailers. Since personalization is such a large part of direct mail success, if you’re lacking a name, interest, favorite product, specialized offer, or personalized URL and QR code, your response rate’s likely to suffer. If there’s no end point for your mailer campaign, it will be less enticing and less effective. So, if high ROI and response is what you’re going for, maybe look into an alternate, more targeted direct mail option.
Now that you have all the information you need about EDDM (as well as its pros and cons), it’ll be easier to make the decision that’s right for your shop. If you decide that a more targeted approach, like ZaHub, is the right path, and you’re ready to get started on your next direct mail campaign, we’re here to help. Give it a try.