Hot Dog Marketing is now offering Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) assistance for its small business clients. If you’re not familiar with EDDM, it’s a new service offered by the USPS that let’s you skip the step of buying a mailing list, purchasing a postage permit, and paying for address inkjetting.
How to Prepare Your EDDM Mailing:
1. Create a business account with USPS or hire a marketing firm like Hot Dog Marketing and use their account. Start the process to create a “Retail EDDM” mailing.
2. Using the online tool, you can determine where you’d like to send your mailing. You can choose a mile radius from your business location or target specific zip codes or mailing routes.
3. The online tool will tell you how many will be included in your mailing. You must keep your number under 5,000 if you’re using the Retail option. Mailings larger than 5,000 require a postal permit or will need to be divided into several mailings over a period of time.
4. The online tool will then generate paperwork for you to complete with your mailing. You’ll need to bundle your mailing into packs of 50 and attach the facing slip with appropriate route information to each bundle.
Example: You’re mailing to 125 people on Route Example A. You’ll need to bundle 2 bundles of 50 and one bundle of 25 for this Route. You’ll attach the provided facing slips to each bundle that indicates the name of the route and the number of bundles in the series (1 of 3, for example). This information helps the post office organize your mailing for you, ensuring the proper amount of your mailing gets into the right carrier’s hands.
5. Deliver your mailing to the appropriate post office and pay the postage. You must take your mailing to the post office that will be handling your delivery. In most cases, it should be the post office that delivers to your business.
Printing Your EDDM Mailing:
While traditional direct mail can come in a variety of sizes, the USPS EDDM program requires that your mailings come in a larger format as a flat mailing (no packages or bulky mail):
- Rectangular with four square corners or finished corners that do not exceed a radius of 1/8 inch
- One of the following: more than 11.5 inches long, more than 6 1/8 inches high, or more than 1/4 inch thick.
- Not more than 15 inches long, 12 inches high, or 3/4 inch thick
- Orientation of the address does not matter, i.e., whether the address is applied parallel to the long or short side of the piece. However, the address must be in the top half of the piece
Popular Sizes for EDDM Mailings:
- Large Postcard – 6.5×9″ (typically this is the smallest size you can do)
- Oversize Postcard – 8.5×11″
- Tri-Fold Menu – 4.25×14″
Hot Dog Marketing or an alike agency or printer can assist in designing and fulfilling all parts of your mailing. For example, Hot Dog Marketing can design, print and process the whole mailing for you if it’s a local Austin, TX mailing. It’s a great way to get your business information into the hands of potential customers in your neighborhood and much easier to do! Visit usps.com/everydoordirectmail for more information.
I’m a mom, a small business owner, and I’m a marketing professional with over a decade helping businesses with their branding and online presence. When I’m not spending time with my family or on my business, I love cooking (and eating) and snuggling with my dogs while I binge on TV shows. My favorite authors are Malcolm Gladwell and Steve Martin. My favorite movies are L.A. Story, Little Mermaid, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Trainspotting.