Every Door Direct Mail® Targeting – Selecting the Right Routes

Jan 15, 2021

In one of our recent blogs, we discussed Every Door Direct Mail®, or EDDM®, and its potential benefits for your business or organization. This program offered by the United States Postal Service is a great resource for businesses looking to increase their visibility, especially within local communities. One of the most valuable elements EDDM® brings to the direct mail arena is the access it gives small businesses and organizations to local mail routes and zip codes. Every Door Direct Mail® targeting options allow your business to dial in on specific neighborhoods by identifying what carrier routes and zip codes that have the best potential for new customers. It even has demographic information to help you narrow down the kinds of customers available in certain areas.

There are some pros and cons to using EDDM® targeting for your direct mail pieces. Today we’ll talk about some of your options, and we’ll dive into just how targeting works to get the most out of your direct mail campaigns while using this tool.

Every Door Direct Mail® Targeting – How it Works

EDDM® allows your business to hone in on specific mail carrier routes by searching zip codes or neighborhood demographics. The USPS even provides you options that allow you to analyze specific demographic information as they pertain to each neighborhood made available through public census data such as income, age ranges, household size, and more.

Using this interactive tool provided by the USPS, you’ll be able to identify which zip codes, carrier routes, and neighborhoods contain addresses that house individuals who best align with your target audience. We know this can be confusing – which is why ProList offers a full-service solution for EDDM and all aspects of direct mail marketing campaigns. But to help you understand how this tool works, we are here to share additional information for reference. Below are some key factors to consider when preparing your next marketing mail campaign with EDDM®:

• EDDM® targeting is not a mailing list – Not to be confused with a purchased mailing list, the EDDM® service is based entirely on mail carrier routes. The benefit of this program is that your mailers will be delivered to every address (certain exceptions apply) within your selected mail carrier route. Unlike other direct mail services, your business isn’t purchasing specific consumer information and targeting just those addresses in a neighborhood or along a specific route.
• EDDM® targeting does not give you specific spending data per household – While the tool allows you to take a good look at overall demographic information like household income, household size, and whether residents are owners or renters, that’s where your insights stop. For example, if a household income of $100k aligns with your target audience, you can find neighborhoods with a higher number of households that fall under this income category. You won’t be able to send your mailer to only these households; in order to target specific households, you’ll need to obtain purchased mailing lists and use a different type of direct mail service.
• EDDM® routes send mail to all addresses on that mail carrier route – Once you’ve identified which route you’d like to send your mailers to, you have 2 options. Your mailers can go to all residential addresses along your chosen route, or you can choose to include business and P.O. Box addresses in your mailer. You cannot simply select business addresses to send your EDDM® mailers to. You’ll need to select a different type of direct mail service to target businesses.

We know that implementing a direct mail component to your marketing mix can be daunting, but that’s what ProList is here for! From soup to nuts, concept to printing to execution and delivery, and even follow up and integrated marketing, we’re your one-stop-shop for all of your direct marketing needs. Our experienced staff is here, ready to answer any questions from designing your next package or campaign to targeting, EDDM® options, intelligent mail tracking, and so much more. Don’t hesitate to reach out, we want to make your marketing budget work its hardest for you, and we’re here to help! Give us a call at 1-888-PROLIST or visit our website to fill out a contact form. We’ll make all of your direct mail campaigns a breeze!