Using Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) or Saturation Mail is and affordable and easy solution to increase exposure to your business and help your business grow. EDDM and Saturation Mail are different but very similar bulk mailing options offered by the USPS and understanding both is vital in choosing the right option for your business.

Whether you decide to use EDDM or Saturation Mailing, preparation will go a long way in achieving the best results. Establishing your goals, understanding the USPS requirements, identifying your market, and developing effective mail pieces will help you not only choose between EDDM and Saturation Mail but will also ensure that you get the most out of your direct mail marketing efforts.

Establishing a Marketing Goal

To effectively harness the power of direct mail marketing, you need to identify what exactly you hope to gain from your efforts. If you aren’t sure what you want to accomplish with your campaign, then it’s impossible to decide which bulk mailing option is best for you. Are you looking to drive up sales, generate more leads, improve customer loyalty, or increase brand awareness? Or are you simply looking to mass mail to a ZIP code to reach a large area?

Whatever your goal, setting a clear objective and giving yourself a metric to measure against, will help you see the results or your direct mail marketing efforts.

Here are a few examples of direct mail marketing goals for you to consider:

• Generate 100 sales leads over the next 60 days.
• Have 300 customers redeem a coupon that was mailed to them.
• Have 50 new prospective clients call and set a meeting.
• Have 75 previous clients return to your business.
• Generate 25% more traffic to your website.

Identifying Your Customers and Market

To execute a successful direct mail marketing campaign, you must identify who your customers are and where they are located. Establishing your market will help you improve response rates and your return on investment.

Think about what your current customers have in common and consider who your ideal customer is. Prospective clients are cut from the same cloth that your current and ideal customers are. Once you know who you are marketing to, figure out where they are located and where you should market out too, so you can identify areas to send your marketing materials.

Questions to answer when identifying your customers and market:

• Where do your customers live, how far do you expect they would travel if they need to travel to take advantage of your products or services?
• Who can most benefit from your products or services? Like parents, car enthusiasts, or homeowners.
• What income range do your customers fall into?
• What age range are your customers?
• What are your customers purchasing habits?

If your company is focused on business to business (B2B) sales ask:

• What industry can take advantage of your products and services?
• What size businesses are your clients?
• What is the revenue of businesses you wish to connect with?
• What is the job title or seniority of the contact you wish to reach?

Once you’ve identified your customer base and market, you can decide how broad or how narrow your direct mail marketing campaign needs to be. This is key when comparing EDDM vs. Saturation Mail.

What is the Difference Between EDDM and Saturation Marketing?

Now that you have identified your goals, your customer base, and your market, you have enough information to choose if EDDM or Saturation Mail is best for your business. Both options are similar but have some major differences that set them apart from each other, including their individual USPS guidelines.

What is EDDM?

Every Door Direct Mail is a program from the USPS that is focused on simplicity and affordability. Since the post office does not need to handle sorting or preparations, EDDM costs less than other bulk mailing options. The program does not require a mailing list, instead you choose a USPS carrier route and can choose to target a specific audience based on household size, age, income, and ZIP code—you can view carrier routes specifications using Conquests EDDM mapping tool or the USPS EDDM website. Your mail will be delivered to each household on the mailing route you have chosen.

EDDM is intended for flats (postcards or newsletters) or folded EDDM mailers (brochures). Based on USPS regulations, the minimum size for EDDM is 6.25” x 9” or 6” x 11”, mail-pieces need to be smaller than 12” x 15” and lighter than 3.3 ounces. For example, USPS postcard printing regulations require that the Every Door Direct Mail Printing specs of a flat EDDM mailer be printed no smaller than 6.25” x 9”.

EDDM is offered in two ways, EDDM Retail and EDDM BMEU. With the retail version, you will be required to bundle all your mail stacks of 100 with your mailing slip on top and deliver your bundles to the post office on your routes. EDDM retail customers are also limited to sending 5,000 mail-pieces per day.

If you decide to use a mail house or Every Door Direct Mail printer, you will be able to take advantage of EDDM Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). Using a BMEU can make bulk mailing amazingly simple and ensure that all your mail-pieces are sent out correctly, especially if your printer provides bulk mailing services. This allows you to print and mail all under one roof.

What is Saturation Mailing?

With Saturation Mailing there are no limitations on the size of your mail pieces based on USPS Saturation Mailing requirements. So, you can take advantage of larger or smaller flyers, brochures, letters, and even catalogs. However, keep in mind the postage cost will vary based on the size and weight of your mail pieces. For example, based on the USPS postcard printing guidelines, your postage cost for a 4” x 6” postcard will be cheaper than a 6” x 9” postcard.

The most notable difference between EDDM and Saturation Mail is the fact that you will need to purchase a mailing list because your mail will be addressed to a specific person.

Preparation for saturation is much more involved than EDDM, each mail piece must be addressed and labeled with a ZIP code. If you’re using a Saturation Mail, it is highly suggested that you find a printer that is also a bulk mail provider.

Unlike EDDM, which is delivered to every household on your chosen route you have chosen, Saturation Mail does not require you to hit every mailbox. You can target more specific demographics, so long as your mail to a large percentage of reach route. This can help you gain more customers by narrowing down to only individuals who are most likely interested in your products or services.

For instance, if you are running a childcare center, sending your marketing pieces to households without children may not be beneficial for your business. With Saturation Mail, you can purchase a list of homeowners who have children of a certain age and target them for your services. This will save you time and money.

Even in today’s digital world, direct mail marketing is the most effective way for you to grow your business. Achieving the best return on your marketing investment is directly dependent on you choosing the best solution for your goals. Learn more about EDDM by clicking below, or head to our mail list page to explore your targeted audience options.

Learn More About EDDM