3 Convincing Reasons To Send An EDDM Postcard

Posted by Alex Gorges on April 24, 2018 at 10:54 AM

The other day I bought a cheap fitness tracker from Amazon. I wasn’t willing to spend the extra cash on a Garmin or Fitbit, as good as those are. They’re too expensive for my needs, and I’m not a runner (barely a walker). But I wanted to track and increase my daily steps as an effort to live a healthier lifestyle. Without doing much research, and only looking at a few reviews, I took the plunge and purchased a cheap fitness tracker.

I waited a few days, knowing this tracker would probably be junk, and that right after I opened it, I’d have to return it. The day came and I finally received the tracker. My skepticism turned to relief which turned to joy as I realized the watch was not only good, but that it packed extra features not advertised on Amazon.

My recent Amazon gamble shares some similarity with the way you might feel when you send an EDDM postcard. EDDM postcards are cheaper to send, but since you don’t use a targeted name list, you’re not always sure what you’ll receive on the other end of the line.

But don’t let that scare you. There is tremendous value in EDDM postcards, and it might be just what your company needs to market your product or service. So here are three reasons to send an EDDM postcard.

A note – for technical details about EDDM postcards, check out these two links:

https://www.usps.com/business/every-door-direct-mail.htm

http://handymailing.com/what-is-every-door-direct-mail/

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Saves on Costs

The most important factor of EDDM postcards is that they can save you money, and in some cases thousands of dollars. They're the cheapest postcards you can send. This is primarily for two reasons. First, the postage rate per piece can be under 17 cents.  Second, you’re not required to buy a name list from a mail house or list broker. That can sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, depending on the factors of your list.

This translates to getting more by spending less. There is, however, something to consider. Since the postcard won't include a name, you might hurt your response rate. Personalized mailings typically have higher response rates. But it might not matter. Here’s why.

Let’s say you’re the owner of Pip’s Crab Shack, and you’re new to the area of Baltimore. No one knows you. You don’t know them. But you want to get the word out that you’re new to the area and would like them to come eat at your new restaurant.

So you scratch your head, thinking … I could send a newsletter, but that might be a bit much. I haven’t met these people, so all that information might not resonate with them. Or I could try a personal letter, but then again, we’re not friends. If I could just send something simple but impacting, like a poster or something.

This is where EDDM postcards shine.

You can send a postcard to everyone in the area, saying you’d like to meet them. Include some high-quality photos on the postcard and some endearing copy about how much you'd like to meet them. To seal the deal, create compelling offers they can’t resist. In this case, a name list doesn’t add anything to the mail piece. They don't even know you, so there’s no need to send an addressed envelope.

More Bang for Your Buck

You can also send jumbo postcards to increase the effect of the EDDM. With jumbo postcards you can fit more onto a single card. That means more images, more text, more OFFERS. The possibilities are endless.

Direct mail leaves a deeper impression on people than email and social media. It’s sort of like reading a book – it feels better to feel, smell, and see a real book rather than a computer screen. EDDM postcards extend this idea. And you can write more copy to explain your product or service. Since we are visual creatures, we respond better to high-quality pictures. Place as many as you can on your postcard, and the better they'll respond.

And because of its size, it will stand out from the rest of the mail your customers receive, which leads to higher conversion rates. Not only that, but it’ll get their immediate attention because it’ll be way bigger than anything else in their mailbox. Did you know you can send a postcard as big as 12” by 15”? And in some cases, the mail carrier will actually use it as a “taco shell” for the rest of the mail pieces when it’s stuffed into your mailbox.

Another feature of these postcards is that you don’t need much room for an address, barcode, and stamp. If fact, the Post Office requires only a small box with a permit and one line of text.

Super Easy

The final reason to consider to send an EDDM postcard is because they’re easy to mail. The tools needed are online from the USPS. It also doesn’t require any extensive knowledge about how mail works or the different levels of postage.

There are only three steps to follow when setting up an EDDM mailing campaign.

First, select your routes from the United States Postal Service EDDM mapping tool.

Second, design a mail piece or have someone design it for you.

Third, print and mail. It’s that simple.

For more details, again check out the EDDM page on our website.

 

every door direct mail

Topics: Every Door Direct Mail