Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)

Every Door Direct Mail, often abbreviated as EDDM, is a unique service provided by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). This service is designed to help businesses and organizations reach out to every residential or commercial customer within a specific geographic area, such as a neighborhood, city, or even an entire ZIP code.

The beauty of EDDM lies in its simplicity and effectiveness. Instead of needing to gather individual addresses or purchase expensive mailing lists, businesses can use EDDM to send their marketing materials to every address within their chosen area. This makes it an excellent tool for local businesses looking to increase their visibility within their community.

What are the use-cases of using EDDM?

You can use Every Door Direct Mail® Service to:

• Help reach a location without an address list.
• Send out local mailings or national campaigns.
• Help build more traffic.
• Seek new customers.
• Potentially increase revenue.
• Help reduce mail preparation costs.

What are the benefits of EDDM?

Here are the key benefits of Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM):

No Need for a Mailing List: With EDDM, you don't need to spend time or money on building, renting, or buying a mailing list. The mailings are sent to every address in a defined geographic area, eliminating the need for specific names or addresses.

No Postage Permit Required: For retail EDDM customers, there's no need to purchase postage permits, which can come with an upfront application fee and annual fees. This can result in significant cost savings.

Flexible Mailing Options: EDDM offers a range of mailing sizes, providing flexibility in the size of your marketing materials. This flexibility allows you to control your presentation and printing costs.

Cost-Effective Marketing: EDDM allows you to reach a large number of people at reduced rates. Since you or your mail service provider do most of the upfront work, the USPS passes savings on to you. For instance, while standard postcard postage is $0.35 per piece, EDDM postage is only $0.178 per piece.

These benefits make EDDM a highly efficient and cost-effective marketing tool, especially for businesses looking to reach a broad audience within a specific geographic area.

Is EDDM right for your business?

Remember, EDDM is particularly effective for businesses whose products or services have mass appeal or are needed by everyone. However, if your product or service appeals to a narrow demographic, EDDM might not be the best choice.

A wide range of businesses and organizations can benefit from Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). Here are some examples:

1. Local Small Businesses: EDDM is a great tool for local businesses to reach out to their community. This includes retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, pharmacies, and more.
2. Service Providers: Businesses providing services such as construction, landscaping, home improvement, dry cleaning, and healthcare services can use EDDM to target potential customers in specific areas.
3. Real Estate Agencies: Realtors can use EDDM to advertise properties for sale or rent in specific neighborhoods.
4. Automotive Dealerships: Car dealers can use EDDM to announce new models, promotions, or events to a wide audience.
5. Political Campaigns: EDDM can be an effective tool for local political campaigns to reach voters in their constituency.
6. Nonprofit Organizations: Nonprofits can use EDDM to raise awareness about their cause, solicit donations, or announce events.
7. Educational Institutions: Schools, colleges, and educational institutions can use EDDM to advertise programs, events, or registration periods.
8. Professional Services: Businesses offering professional services, such as attorneys, insurance companies, and marketing services, can use EDDM to reach potential clients.
9. Retail Stores: Various types of retail stores, including department stores, clothing stores, furniture stores, discount stores, and flower shops, can benefit from EDDM.
10. Food and Beverage Businesses: Restaurants, pizzerias, coffee shops, and bakeries can use EDDM to distribute menus, coupons, or announce new offerings.

Create an EDDM retail mailing

Creating an Every Door Direct Mail-Retail® (EDDM Retail®) mailing involves several steps. Here's a detailed step-by-step guide:

• Create or Use an Existing USPS.com Account: You'll need a USPS.com account to use the EDDM Online Tool. If you don't have one, you can create it on the USPS website.
• Select Neighborhoods & Audience: Use the EDDM Online Tool to choose the neighborhoods where your customers live. You can target customers by specific demographics such as age, household size, and income.

• Design & Print Your Mailpiece: Follow direct mail design best practices to create effective EDDM advertising pieces. Your mailpiece should have a clear offer and call to action to generate customer responses. Make sure your flyer or postcard meets the requirements for marketing mail using the Mailpiece Size Checker. Your mailpieces should be addressed to "Postal Customer" and will be delivered to every address on your selected routes.
• Choose Drop-Off Date & Payment Options: Select your drop-off date and decide whether you want to pay online or at the Post Office. You can pay with a credit/debit card.

• Print Forms & Prepare Mailing Bundles: On the Order Confirmation screen, you'll view and print all necessary Postal Service™ processing forms and the right EDDM facing slip to attach to your mailing bundles. Bundle your mailing in stacks of 50-100 mailpieces, and attach an EDDM facing slip to the top of every bundle.
• Drop Off or Ship Your Mailing: You can either drop off your mailing at the Post Office locations that will deliver to your selected EDDM routes or ship it to a Post Office location if that's easier. If you choose to ship your mailing, you can send it by Priority Mail® service to the Postmaster for that neighborhood route.

Remember, each step is crucial to ensure the success of your EDDM campaign. Make sure to follow all the guidelines and requirements provided by USPS.

Your Every Door Direct Mail options

The USPS offers two different options for Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM), each designed to meet different business needs. Here are the two options:

Every Door Direct Mail – Retail® (EDDM Retail): This option is great for small businesses, restaurants, realtors, and local political campaigns. It allows you to send at least 200 and up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code™. You can drop off your EDDM mailing at the Post Office™, and no special mailing permit is needed. You can pay online or at the Post Office.

Every Door Direct Mail – Business Mail Entry Unit (EDDM BMEU): This option is best for large volume mailers. You need to use a Business Customer Gateway account to prepare and enter a bulk mailing. There's no volume limit on the size of the mailing, and multiple ZIP Codes™ can be selected. You can drop off mailings at a large USPS mail processing center (BMEU), and payment can be made with a bulk mailing permit.

These two options provide flexibility for businesses of different sizes and with different needs, making EDDM a versatile tool for direct mail marketing.

What are EDDM retail features?

The Every Door Direct Mail-Retail® (EDDM Retail®) service offers several features that make it a convenient and effective marketing tool for businesses. Here are some of the key features:

• User-Friendly Online Tool: The EDDM Online Tool allows you to map ZIP Code(s) and neighborhoods, and even filter by age, income, or household size using U.S. Census data. This helps you target the right customers for your business.
• No Special Mailing Permit Needed: With EDDM Retail, there's no need for a special mailing permit, which simplifies the process and reduces costs.
• Flexible Volume: You can send at least 200 and up to 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP Code™, making it suitable for both small and larger mail campaigns.
• Convenient Drop-Off: You can drop off your EDDM mailing at the Post Office™, making it easy to get your marketing materials out to potential customers.
• Payment Options: You have the flexibility to pay online or at the Post Office, depending on what's most convenient for you.
• Affordable Pricing: EDDM Retail USPS Marketing Flats are priced at $0.189 per piece, making it a cost-effective choice for businesses.
• Support for Bulk Mailings: If you're a large volume mailer, you can use a Business Customer Gateway account to prepare and enter a bulk mailing. There's no volume limit on the size of the mailing, and multiple ZIP Codes™ can be selected.

These features make EDDM Retail a versatile and user-friendly tool for businesses looking to reach a broad audience in a specific geographic area.

What are Every Door Direct Mail-Business Mail Entry Unit (EDDM BMEU) features?

Every Door Direct Mail-Business Mail Entry Unit (EDDM BMEU) offers several features that are particularly beneficial for large volume mailers. Here are the key features:

• ‍Business Customer Gateway Account: EDDM BMEU requires the use of a Business Customer Gateway account to prepare and enter a bulk mailing. This account provides access to several mailing and shipping services, and allows you to manage your business activities in a secure online environment.
• ‍No Volume Limit: Unlike EDDM Retail, EDDM BMEU has no volume limit on the size of the mailing. This means you can send as many mailpieces as you need, making it suitable for large-scale marketing campaigns.
• ‍Multiple ZIP Codes Selection: With EDDM BMEU, you can select multiple ZIP Codes™ for your mailing. This allows you to reach a wider audience across different geographic areas.
• ‍Drop-Off at Large USPS Mail Processing Center: EDDM BMEU mailings can be dropped off at a large USPS mail processing center (BMEU), providing a convenient solution for large volume mailers.
• ‍Payment with a Bulk Mailing Permit: Payment for EDDM BMEU can be made using a bulk mailing permit. This can be more convenient for businesses that regularly send large volumes of mail.

These features make EDDM BMEU a versatile and efficient tool for businesses looking to conduct large-scale direct mail campaigns.

EDDM mailpiece design specifications 

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) advertising mailpieces have specific design specifications to ensure they meet USPS requirements. Here are the key design specifications:

Size Requirements: Use the Mailpiece Size Checker, located at the top right of the EDDM Online Tool, to ensure your flyer or postcard meets the requirements for marketing mail. For detailed size criteria and measurements for EDDM mailpieces, you can refer to the Physical Standards for Flats.

Addressing: Mailpieces are simply addressed to "Postal Customer" and your mail will be delivered to every address on your selected routes.

Postage Indicia: Every EDDM mailpiece must include the EDDM Retail Indicia, which is a postage payment mark that takes the place of a regular postage stamp or meter stamp. The EDDM Retail Indicia should be placed above and to the right of the address block. It doesn't have a specific size requirement but must be larger than 0.5" x 0.5". The type font must be in all caps and at least a 4 point size. It should fit in the area 1.625" from the right edge and 1.375" from the top edge, and there should be a 1/8" of space around the top and right edge.

Bundling: When preparing your mailpieces for delivery, bundle your mailing in stacks of 50-100 mailpieces. Bundles may not be higher than 6". Fill out and attach an EDDM facing slip to the top of every bundle. Write the number of pieces in the bundle on the facing slip.

Remember, following these design specifications is crucial to ensure your EDDM mailpieces meet USPS requirements and reach your intended audience effectively.