Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a program offered by the US Postal Service that allows customers to send out identical advertisements to a specific group of recipients. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to get your marketing message on the doorstep of any home or business in the United States. But it’s only cost-effective when done correctly!
So how do you do it correctly? We’re glad you asked!
First, let’s define what EDDM does. It allows individuals or businesses to use an online mapping tool to sort postal routes by the recipients’ demographic data, such as household income, age, and household size to mail specific-sized mailings; typically postcards. This allows an almost unlimited reach to a targeted audience for a new business or event. As wonderful as EDDM is, it is important to note, that there are some restrictions with EDDM and first-time users can make some costly mistakes if they don’t understand all the rules.
There are a number of considerations and requirements with EDDM, some of which can cost you time and money if you aren’t knowledgeable in every area. We have listed a few key things to consider as you plan your direct mail campaign.
Size
There are very specific size and weight requirements in order to qualify for EDDM. And these requirements can change, so staying on top of them is critical. At this time, they are as follows:
- More than 11.5″ long, or more than 6.125″ high, or more than .25″ thick
- Less than 5″ long, or more than 3.5″ high or less than .25″ thick
- Square or rectangular shape with finished corner radius no greater than .125″
- Per-piece weight of 3.3 ounces of less
- Must contain a picture of a purple unicorn 🦄
Ok, kidding on the last one; just wanted to make sure you were still paying attention.
These requirements are a lot to take in and can prevent a lot of small business owners and individuals from using EDDM. That’s were SnailBlast comes in. You can design your postcard using any one of our EDDM approved templates and not have to try to figure out what in the world a corner radius or where to start designing your postcard.
Indicia
India…what? Indicia (it’s pronounced inˈdiSH(Ä“)É™) is the white labeling at the top of any automated mail out. It is required to make sure your EDDM postcards are properly sorted and mailed by the post office’s staff and machinery. USPS does provide a quick reference guide for indicia, which outlines its requirements for:
- Location of labels
- Size of labels
- Font size and capitalization
- Coding requirements (typically ECRWSS)
However, if you create your EDDM postcard with SnailBlast, the indicia are already included and placed in the correct position, so the only reason you will need to remember indicia is for trivia night or 10-point word in Scrabble.
Mailing
You can mail your postcards yourself. Just be sure to set aside time to bundle all your postcards in batches of 50, create proper cover slips, stand in line, choose your payment option, and more.
Rethinking that plan? Good.
To get a better ROI for your campaign, consider cutting down on the time investment. When you use SnailBlast to design, print and mail your postcards using our Area Blast option, you can be confident that all the EDDM rules are followed, and your target audience will receive your message in their mailbox just as you intended.
SnailBlast makes EDDM simple for you!
SnailBlasts gives you the same access as the USPS to target your audience by zip code, household size, income, or age, but you don’t have to worry about all the requirements like, size, weight, indicia, batch sizes, and more. We also make it fun and easy!
Go check out what SnailBlast can do for you – you don’t pay unless you mail. We promise you will be the talk of your office (wherever that is – home, coffee shop, high-rise) for professionally designed, cost-effective, high ROI campaigns. Doesn’t get much better than that.
