How to Use EDDM Retail for Your Small Business

EDDM RETAIL® is a USPS® service that offers a simple, cost-effective way for small businesses to reach every residential household within specific postal routes. By using EDDM RETAIL, businesses can target specific neighborhoods and demographics, increasing the chances of their marketing materials being seen and acted upon by potential customers. 

How does EDDM RETAIL® work?

With EDDM Retail, businesses hand-select the postal routes (similar to nieghborhoods) where they want to advertise. For example, a restaurant owner might target areas within a 10-minutes drive-time from their business location. Then, they create a mailpiece that the USPS will deliver to every residential mailbox in the selected areas. 

The process is fairly straight-forward, but it does take time to prepare  your campaign, do the paperwork, and handle the drop-offs. Keep in mind, you can always use an all-inclusive EDDM service if you'd rather pay slightly more to skip the hassle (recommended if you're mailing more than 2,500 pieces).

The 4 Main Steps to EDDM Retail

1. Use an EDDM Retail printing service to produce your mailpieces
2. Bundle your mailpieces in lots of 50 or 100 using rubber bands (each bundle must be under 6 inches tall)
3. Download, print, and fill out Facing Slips for each postal route that you have selected 
4. Drop off your EDDM RETAIL bundles w/ attached facing slips to the Post Office

From there, you'll need to pay for postage at the counter and prepare for delivery.

Now, before you mail anything, let's cover the most important aspects of any EDDM Retail campaign. From design to delivery, your campaign's success comes down to planning and executing a marketing strategy designed to engage your target audience.

Who Is Your Audience? 

It is important to determine who your target audience is before you do anything else. With EDDM, it's all about demographics. Who are the people in your target postal routes? How will your marketing offer connect with them and improve their lives? Why should they buy from you instead of a competitor? These are the questions you should ask before you design or print anything. 

Choose Your Marketing Materials 

EDDM Retail allows you to choose from a variety of marketing materials, including postcards, flyers, and brochures. So, make sure you pick a direct mail format that fits the specific goals of your business. 

Also, it’s important to remember that with EDDM Retail you may only send 5,000 or fewer pieces a day and you must keep your per-piece weight to 3.3 ounces or less. 

Design Your Direct Mail Piece 

After selecting the style and size of your direct mail, it is time to begin designing and customizing it. Some aspects you should strongly consider including:

• CTA (Call-to-action)
  Be sure to have a clear and compelling CTA, such as visiting your website, calling your store, or stopping by for a visit. Make it easy for people to take the next step and become a customer. 

• Special promotions or discount
  Including a special offer or discount in your direct mail campaigns can help entice people to act on your message. This can be anything from a coupon for a free product or service to a discount on their first purchase. 

• Contact information
  This may appear obvious, but you must include your phone number, address, and any other important contact information on your mailer. If a customer wants to try out your product or service, they need to know how to easily get in contact with your business! 
  
  
• Eye-catching graphics
  The design of your marketing materials is just as important as the message you’re trying to convert. Use eye-catching graphics, images, and colors to make your advertisement stand out from the rest of the mail people receive on a daily basis. 

The Difference between EDDM Retail and "All-Inclusive" Services

The big difference between Retail and All-Inclusive — is who does all of the work. With EDDM Retail, the business must do all of the bundling, paperwork, drop-offs, and payment on their own. With an all-inclusive service, the business does not have to do anything after placing their order. 

One more thing... Track and Measure Results! 

Like with any marketing campaign, it is critical that you track results so that you can determine ROI and optimize your future campaigns. At a minimum, this includes tracking the number of pieces sent, the number of responses received, and any revenue attributable to the campaign. So, be sure that after your direct mail is sent out, you are analyzing the results and making changes accordingly. 

Overall, EDDM Retail is a great choice for many small businesses looking to save a little cash but still deliver a highly-effective and targeted direct mail campaign. Taradel makes EDDM Retail even easier by offering specific sizes and stocks that meet USPS EDDM requirements. Click here to start your EDDM Retail campaign with us today!