How many online ads do you see per day? The number is much higher than you think. Digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day. Maneuvering these annoying online ads has become such a habitual and subconscious practice in our everyday lives that you probably rarely even take notice. Getting around digital ads is now just an obligatory part of the online experience – the equivalent of swatting away mosquitos on a warm summer evening – a minor irritation that you dispel without a second thought.
That’s one of the primary reasons traditional forms of marketing can be surprisingly effective today – it gives people something tangible they can hold in their hands and bring into their homes. The tactile component really makes an impact. There’s an abundance of neuroscience and behavioral research that testifies to the psychological effect of engaging our sense of touch. Printed ads have been proven to elicit a stronger emotional response that makes products or services feel more desirable and valuable to the recipient when compared to digital advertising. Therefore, direct mail marketing and, more specifically, the Every Door Direct Mail marketing strategy, can provide a targeted, cost-effective, time-tested, and proven marketing strategy for your business that perhaps you hadn’t considered before.
So, why Every Door Direct Mail marketing? Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM for short, is a service provided by the USPS that delivers mailing pieces to all residents of a certain area. Using this service, the USPS allows you to mail between 200 – 5,000 items per day, per zip code. It is especially effective for local businesses, like restaurants, mechanics, salons, landscapers, etc.
Instead of researching every address or prospect, you can simply target everyone in a specific area all at once. This allows you to focus on your marketing campaign, customer service, and sales, saving you both time and money. You do not need a mailing list or special permit to do EDDM and it’s offered at a discounted postal rate.
To create an EDDM campaign, you simply:
If you’re still feeling skeptical about the efficacy of EDDM, I don’t blame you. I realize that direct marketing is seemingly archaic, but studies indicate that direct marketing actually receives response rates six times greater than all digital channels combined! Integrating direct mail and digital campaigns increases website visits, conversion rates, and ROI. Of course, there are still obstacles. Most importantly, we all still receive a considerable amount of literal junk mail we toss out mindlessly, so it’s crucial that your mailing piece stands out from the crowd. In short, make sure your piece is NOT junk! How do you ensure your marketing pieces do not register as junk mail? Your EDDM piece must be high-quality – in material, print quality, and design. Luckily for you, we’re here to help with all three of these elements. You can rest assured that the print quality and paper stock will be up to par by ordering from 123Print.com. At 123Print, we’ve streamlined the process of ordering EDDM pieces. Simply search for either DP8840 (for the 9 x 6.25 size) or DP8841 (for the 11 x 6 size) on 123Print.com. These are fully customizable and easy to order. Best of all, we have expert-level customer service representatives and graphics specialists eager to help you through the ordering process. And, while we don’t provide full design services from scratch, we’d never want to leave you hanging! So, read on for some helpful guidelines to create a design that is sleek, modern, professional, and attention-grabbing.
First, let’s consider some of the basic principles of design. The six design principles that I think are the most applicable for a Direct Marketing piece are:
For a Direct Marketing piece, simplicity is key. Too much text or visual clutter is going to increase the chances of your piece getting tossed aside. Aim to keep it clear, captivating, stylish, and direct.
Here are some starting places:
Although the principles of design are always crucially important, EDDM pieces must do more than be aesthetically pleasing because, ultimately, they must compel action from prospective clients. Typically, this is done with an enticing sale or special and you want to present what you’re offering them as quickly and clearly as possible. I recommend a simple, captivating design on one side that includes your offer or sale, a catchy headline, and just the basic details of your business (i.e. name, location, contact information). Then, you can include more refined details on the opposite side. Remember, you want to keep both sides clear, captivating, stylish, and direct.
123Print has some great design examples that use all of the principles and recommendations mentioned thus far. See products DP7357, DP7475, DP7998, and DP8070. These are all great examples of the design technique I described: one side of your postcard maintains a simple, bold, and stylish aesthetic presenting the main point or offer, and the opposite side maintains the same stylish aesthetic while presenting more detailed information. Aim to keep the overall presentation on both sides as concise as possible because people tend to get overwhelmed by large paragraphs and are less likely to engage.
Also, please note that the product examples given above are not suitable for EDDM pieces because these need to be one of two specific sizes, per USPS guidelines. That’s why we created the two aforementioned custom products on 123Print.com (DP8840 & DP8841) so that you can easily select one of the two approved sizes.
However, if you ever want to use one of our preexisting designs for an EDDM piece, you can always order one of the two EDDM products and ask us to use the art from a different 123Print product in the special requests on your order.
Here’s a helpful summary of the tips we’ve gone over so far as well as some other important things to remember:
In today’s climate of constantly being inundated with ads, it’s important to approach your potential clientele from all angles. The incorporation of Direct Marketing strategies can help give you an edge above your competitors and target new prospective clients ideal for your business. The efficacy of direct marketing is backed by statistics and science. EDDM is cost-effective, efficient, easy, and has major benefits such as greater response rates, personalization, versatility, and simplicity. We think the Every Door Direct Mail marketing service through the USPS is the perfect way to start implementing direct marketing into your overall marketing strategy for your business; that’s why we’ve made it as easy as possible.
Once you have your design ready, head over to 123Print to order today!
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