Do you want to get the word out about your business to the people who matter the most in your market? Are you interested in introducing your small business to a large audience in your local area? Are you seeking a simple, affordable, and proven solution for mailing to entire neighborhoods or reaching every mailbox within a ZIP code? Then EDDM is the perfect mailing service for you.

What is EDDM?

EDDM stands for Every Door Direct Mail, and it is a mailing program developed by the USPS designed to help businesses reach every address in a specific area without the need for a mailing list. EDDM allows you to distribute promotional materials, flyers, menus, or other direct mailer types to a targeted audience by selecting specific ZIP codes or carrier routes. It is an ideal marketing strategy for businesses to increase their local presence and customer base.

Unlike traditional direct mail, EDDM does not require you to provide individual mailing addresses. Instead, you choose the delivery routes based on demographic data like age, income, or household size, and the USPS delivers your mail piece to every address on those routes. This approach simplifies the process and can significantly reduce costs, as it eliminates the need for purchasing or renting mailing lists and decreases postage expenses through lower, flat-rate postage fees.

EDDM is particularly beneficial for small businesses, realtors, restaurants, and local service providers who want to boost local awareness and traffic. It's an effective way to announce grand openings, special sales, or events or to distribute coupons and special offers directly to the homes and businesses in the community you serve.

Is EDDM The Right Bulk Mailing Option for You?

There are several bulk mailing options offered by the USPS, including Marketing Mail, First Class Mail, and EDDM, which you can take advantage of by going through a print and direct mail provider.

Determining your direct mail marketing goals will help you decide which option is right for your business.

Some questions to ask yourself when deciding if EDDM is right for you are:

Can your products or services benefit everyone on a chosen postal carrier route?

It's important to consider what exactly you're marketing and who you should be marketing to. Because EDDM delivers to every address on the EDDM mailing route, it is essential to note that if your product or service isn't beneficial to most people, you may generate better results using a custom, targeted mailing list for your direct mail campaign.

For example, a lawncare company looking to target suburban neighborhoods would benefit from EDDM, while a childcare organization would gain better results by using a mailing list that targets homes with children present.

When choosing Every Door Direct Mail routes, consider the neighborhoods you're targeting and that it's a viable area to market your product or service. For example, if you're promoting your pool and spa business, you don't want to target an area predominantly apartment complexes.

Do you want to mail to a list of specific addresses?

With Every Door Direct Mail, your EDDM postcards, EDDM flyers, and other EDDM mail pieces will be sent to every household on your selected EDDM mailing route. You can choose mailing routes based on census demographics like average age range, household income, and average household size to better target potential customers. However, your EDDM mailers will still be delivered to every house on your chosen carrier route.

So, if you have a specific audience in mind, including wine drinkers, dog owners, married couples, boat owners, or people born in a specific year, a more targeted direct mail solution will help you accomplish your goals.

Are you a Business-to-Business (B2B) retailer?

If your target audience is businesses, then EDDM isn't the right option for you. With EDDM, you can mail to residences on a carrier route or businesses and residences on a carrier route, but you cannot mail only to businesses on a carrier route.

Suppose you are promoting your B2B services through proven direct mail or need to mail to just the businesses in a certain geographic area. In that case, you can easily achieve this by using our direct mail list-building tool for businesses.

What is your expected EDDM delivery time?

While mail delivery varies by location, the average EDDM delivery time for standard EDDM mailers is between 3-14 days.

If you need your direct mailers to be delivered faster, creating a mailing list and mailing First Class would guarantee that your mailers are delivered within 1-5 days. However, First-Class mail is more expensive and requires a mailing list.

If you're trying to save the most money using EDDM, you need to plan ahead to ensure your EDDM mailers are delivered on time. In most cases, you're safe if you order your EDDM printing and mailing at least three to four weeks before you want them to arrive in your audience's mailboxes. Instances that fall towards the 14-day or later EDDM delivery time tend to be EDDM mailers that are either mailed to physically remote mail routes or mailers sent during peak mail volume, such as around the holidays.

Can I benefit from EDDM?

Every Door Direct Mail was originally created for small businesses to promote their brand affordably and easily in their local area. However, because of how affordable and easy it is to use and the results EDDM generates, larger businesses and even franchises also began taking advantage of EDDM.

If you have a product or service that is ideal for most people in a selected area, you can benefit from EDDM. EDDM is especially beneficial for grand openings, big sales or promotions, and anything else that includes a message from which most people in an area could benefit.

How Does EDDM Work?

Every Door Direct Mail marketing was designed to work in the easiest and most affordable way. So, putting together your EDDM mailing campaign is simple.

Plus, if you go through an EDDM printer and mailer, like Kingston Printing, they'll do all the mail sorting and packaging for you so that you can save time. This also cuts costs compared to other bulk mailing options because, with EDDM, your EDDM provider (or you if you don't use an EDDM provider) handles the sorting and bundling that the USPS would otherwise have to take time to do.

Step 1: Establish Your Direct Mail Marketing Goals

Before doing anything, you must decide what you want to gain from your direct mail marketing campaign. Are you looking to acquire a residential mailing list, send direct mail postcards to neighborhoods promoting a sale, or saturate an area with your brand?

Once you have set a goal like generating more leads, engaging with an underexposed local market, or promoting a sale, you can then decide if EDDM is right for your business.

Step 2: Design Your EDDM Mailers & Have Them Printed in Accordance with USPS Guidelines 

When creating your EDDM mail pieces, you must follow the USPS printing guidelines. The USPS has strict EDDM direct mail size requirements which means you need to follow the EDDM requirements very closely to allow the USPS to process your EDDM order quickly and successfully.

The USPS EDDM printing regulations require that mail pieces be at least 10.5" long, 6.125" tall, or 0.25" thick. And the maximum size for EDDM mailers is 15" long, 12" tall, and 0.75" thick. For help choosing the right EDDM mailer size, you can find the USPS EDDM dimension requirements here, or ask us for one of our preapproved EDDM mail templates.

The USPS also has specific guidelines for what areas of your mail pieces need to remain blank for the EDDM Indicia and address label. For example, the mailing label and EDDM indicia must be on the same side of the mailer design. It's recommended to leave a white space for this mailing info that is at least 4" x 2.25".

Once you have created the artwork for your EDDM mailers, you will need to have them printed. When choosing a printer consider choosing one that is a full-service EDDM provider so they can handle the entire mailing process as well as work with you to ensure you’re meeting your goals and getting the best deal possible.

Step 3: Choose Your Every Door Direct Mail Routes

When selecting your EDDM mailing routes, it's a good idea to do your research. The USPS's EDDM Mail Carrier Route Map is a powerful tool to help you choose the best carrier routes for your EDDM marketing goals and budget.

You can see target census demographics when hovering over each mail route within the EDDM mapping tool. This will help you narrow down potential customers and save money by weeding out routes you feel may not be as interested in your business. For more help planning and selecting your EDDM mail routes, click here.

Does EDDM Work?

EDDM is effective in certain circumstances, and if it's the right circumstance, then yes, EDDM absolutely works! EDDM is simple and affordable, making it that much better.

Some of the most effective uses of EDDM are to reach a location without a mailing list and to get the word out about your brand to a large audience in a specific area. Suppose you have identified an area that could benefit from your products or services but have little to no exposure to your business. In that case, EDDM is an ideal solution to reach those potential customers and increase brand awareness.

EDDM Examples & EDDM Mailers

EDDM flyers and EDDM Postcards are popular EDDM pieces—known as "flat EDDM mailers"—and brochures—known as "folded EDDM mailers"—that can help grow your business exponentially. Each type of EDDM mailer can boost traffic to your business by providing your audience with helpful information about your brand or a big sale while giving potential and returning customers an incentive to visit your store or website.

Check out some EDDM examples throughout the blog for inspiration on how your EDDM mailers could look.

Can EDDM Be Folded?

Yes, EDDM mailers can be folded. You can choose from many types of EDDM direct mailers, including postcards and flyers, which are considered "EDDM flats," or newsletters and folded brochures, which are considered "EDDM folded mailers." Each mail piece has its own purpose, so you must become familiar with the different EDDM direct mail sizes.

Does EDDM Need a Return Address?

Yes, EDDM mailers need either a P.O. Box or physical address present for the return address. With Every Door Direct Mail, it's required that the return address be placed in the top left corner. However, how you display your return address is up to you. You can put it on one small line or have it accompanied by your logo in large font to make it stand out.

EDDM Retail vs EDDM BMEU

For EDDM Retail and BMEU, rates are much lower than other bulk mail options, no mailing list is required, and both take advantage of the USPS EDDM mapping tool.

However, there are some key differences between EDDM Retail and BMEU. For example, for EDDM BMEU, if you do not go through an EDDM provider, you will need a mailing permit, while for EDDM Retail, you do not. There is also a limit to how many EDDM mailers you can send using EDDM Retail, which is 5,000 mail pieces per ZIP code per day. For EDDM BMEU, there is no limit to how many pieces you can send.

For a complete overview of the differences between EDDM Retail and EDDM BMEU, check out our blog “The Difference Between EDDM Retail and EDDM BMEU.”

It's ideal to go through a print and direct mail provider who offers EDDM, as they can mail your EDDM mailers the best way that meets your goals and budget.

At Kingston Printing, we offer a wide range of direct mail services, including Every Door Direct Mail, and our team of experts is here to help you every step of the way. From helping you decide which mailing routes are best for your goals to printing and mailing your EDDM mail pieces for you, we have everything you need to launch the perfect EDDM campaign.

To get started on your EDDM campaign, head over to our EDDM service page today!