How to use the Every Door Direct Mail Program

Many businesses would like to use direct mail as a marketing tool but the cost of postage has been too cost prohibitive. As of 2011, a single stamp cost 44 cents. When you combine the postage price with the cost of printing, labeling, and mailing lists – it may cost a customer as much as $1 per postcard to get their marketing message out to their customers. Well, not anymore – The USPS postal service has started a new program that allows retail businesses to mail postcards at an astounding 14.2 cents per card. This promotional price is nearly 66% discount off the price of a stamp.

I am glad to say that direct mail is now affordable marketing tool for any business that markets to local customers within a radius of their location. If you own a gym, restaurant, dry cleaner or other type local service – the Every Door Direct Mail program fits your business perfectly.

In order to mail postcards under the Every Door Direct Mail program, businesses simply have to go the USPS website http://smp.usps.gov and pick out their mailing routes. From there, all you have to do is print out the paperwork and place in stacks of 50. Once you’ve bundled your printing you may take them down to the post office where your mail is to be delivered. The paperwork will direct you where to go.

Of course you’d need to get your printing first, and there are plenty of online printers out there to get you inexpensive printing with high quality. Your mail has to be on thick card stock or otherwise it will get damaged in the mail. The post office recommends at least 9pt which is about 3 times the thickness of regular copy paper.

We don’t recommend that you try to print these on your home printer for a couple reasons.

First, you will break your printer using thicker paper stock on a home printer. It may not even run through the printer. However, if the thicker paper stock is able to run through your printer, you risk wearing it out quickly. Home printers simply aren’t made for thick paper stocks.

Secondly, a home printer won’t print the same quality as a commercial print company would. The cost of full color printing in 2011 is far less expensive than it was a couple years ago. There is no reason to skimp on printing. If you are serious about your business, it is important to have a high quality image on your promotional piece.

Lastly, toner for home based printers are very expensive. I am willing to bet that the cost of toner for your printer will end up costing more than the entire print job if you outsourced it to a print professional. There is no good reason to print your own marketing piece.
With the Every Door Direct Mail program, you can mail as little as 200 pieces and as many a 5000 in one day. If you want to mail more than that, we recommend mailing with a mail house because a mail house does not have the same restrictions that the EDDM retail customers do. You can mail an unlimited number of postcards through the EDDM program if you mail through a mail house.

It’s really that simple. If you have any questions ,or want to learn more about Every Door Direct Mail. We are experts in the industry and USPS preferred partners for the Every Door Direct Mail program. We are excited for this program and look forward to seeing businesses everywhere grow through using this exciting new direct mail tool.