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The USPS has recently introduced a new product to help small mailers target and send out their mail – Every Door Direct Mail. You may have seen the ads on TV (I’ve gotten a few calls from customers directly related from them, which I thought was exciting because it means people still watch commercials) – EDDM is basically simplified mail repurposed. Once only available to government agencies, now any mailer can send out a mailing without acquiring a list, without addressing a mailpiece and automatically qualify for the lowest possible postage rates without any postal presorting.

Sounds awesome, right? And in some cases it is - though it isn’t right for everyone. Direct mail is still proving to be a very effective medium for reaching customers and prospects, but taking an approach simply because it appears to be cheaper but doesn’t help you meet your results does no favors to you or the industry as a whole.

Below are questions you should ask when deciding whether you should make your next mailing an EDDM mailing:

1. Is your audience EVERYONE?
   With EDDM you pick an area (typically a radius around your business or a specific zip code) and mail to every single address in that area. If you are a local pizza parlor or neighborhood block party organization then this is definitely your deal. But if you are a roofer you don’t want to waste money sending mail to apartments or if you are a school you lose any potential savings by sending to homes without children.
2. Is your mailpiece the right size?
   EDDM is currently available for mailpieces that are traditionally defined as flat-size, which means your mailpiece must exceed at least one of the following dimensions*:
   - greater than 10 1/2″ long, or
   - greater than 6 1/8″ tall, or
   - greater than 1/4″ thick
   *The USPS has recently revised the dimensions to include a minimum height of
   3 1/2″ and a minimum length of 10 1/2″ (but still must exceed one of the above)
3. Is your mail quantity the right amount?
   With EDDM, you are only allowed to drop off a maximum of 5,000 pieces of mail per day. So if you exceed that total, you’ll have to split your mailing into two drops. This may not be an issue if the Post Office you are delivering to is in your neighborhood but if you are considering dropping the mail in a different city or state, then this adds potentially considerable additional delivery charges to your mailing.

So, if you meet the audience, size and quantity requirements, then you might want to take a look at EDDM. And if you do not fit the EDDM bill, please don’t let that deter you from mail. There are so many options for how to get the right mailing out to the right people with a budget you can manage.