EDDM Versus Traditional Direct Mail

On the surface, EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail) seems like a no-brainer. Less postage, a large format, and route saturation. But before you dive into EDDM, you should know the pros as well as the cons of EDDM compared to traditional direct mail.

EDDM

 

Pros

+ Less Expensive
EDDM is about one-third the cost of traditional direct mail because the post office doesn’t have to touch it. The pieces don’t have to be scanned as they are generic to each recipient in the selected carrier route.

+ More Bang for Your Buck
Get a two-sided Super Jumbo postcard or full-page flat mailer that costs less than a direct mail mini-sized postcard. It’s also true that EDDM standard sizes are generally larger and go up to a full 8 ½ x 11 flat mailer. Because there is more space, people tend to overwork the extra space, resulting in a crowded and sometimes unreadable format.

+ ZIP Code Domination
Carrier routes are geographical regions covered by a postal carrier within a 5-digit ZIP Code area. The number of addresses on each route can vary between 200 to 2000. You can purchase as many carrier routes as you want with EDDM. Keep in mind you are charged per/address, not per/carrier route. This means if you want to dominate by saturating carrier routes or ZIP Codes, you can. Just know it could get pricey.

Neutral to Negative

+/- Carrier Routes, Not Farms
For ease of delivery, EDDM is restricted to USPS carrier routes. This means you may or may not get all your geographic farm in one carrier route because carrier routes don't always overlap—although they frequently do. You could end up paying for more than one carrier route to get the right geographic coverage.

+/- Regarding Absentee Owners
Using EDDM means that your marketing goes to every home in the route, regardless of their homeownership status. If you want to get in front of just homeowners, this isn't possible with EDDM. Whether you like it or not, you will get some non-owner occupied residences.

Cons

- Minimum Quantities
The minimum quantity for EDDM is 200, and most carrier routes average 500 households. If your farm of 250 is located in a carrier route of 600, you will have to mail to all of them or none at all.

- No Personalization
All information on EDDM is static and cannot be tailored. For example, homeowners' names, addresses, or any other personal information is not allowed. This also means that you can’t show a map of the homeowner's home or offer the Corefact Home Estimate as a call to action.

- Delivery Can’t Be Controlled
Typically, bar codes are printed on every piece of direct mail so the post office and consumers can track their mail. With EDDM mailers, there are no bar codes, meaning neither you nor the post office can track their delivery.

- "Do Not Mail" Does Not Apply
EDDM goes to everyone and doesn’t distinguish the households that may have opted out via one form or another. There is no way to remove a household from the EDDM list. If anyone in your farm has asked to be taken off your mailing list, they will still get your EDDM mail. 

Traditional Direct Mail

Pros

+ High Level of Personalization
Variable data, which Corefact offers, includes a homeowner’s name, address, and their home on a map, and can be printed on any postcard. This is a key component in getting a homeowner’s attention when they see your direct mail marketing.

+ Lead Generation and Measurement
With the Corefact Home Estimate, you can measure the interaction a homeowner might have after receiving your postcard, allowing you to follow up accordingly. With EDDM, you have no way to track interactions and must rely on homeowners to take the initiative to call or email you after receiving your direct mail.

+ No List or Quantity Restrictions
When you choose your farm, you can choose the exact houses you’d like to market to, and can get very specific. No limits are set. Targeting is the key to any good marketing strategy. Going to the masses costs more and takes more time.

+ Trackable
Bar codes are on all Corefact direct mail. You can track and monitor your direct mail to confirm that it has reached its destination. This might not seem like a big deal, but knowing what you pay for has reached each homeowner’s front door is reassuring.

+ No Size Constraints
EDDM offers limited-size options and pushes businesses into larger sizes, which are good in some instances and bad in others. With traditional direct mail, you do not have these constraints.

Still have questions about EDDM? We've got answers!

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