Two Strategies, One Goal: Getting Print Into the Right Hands
If you are planning a direct mail campaign, you will quickly face a fundamental choice: Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) or a targeted mailing to a specific list. Both deliver physical mail to real addresses. Both drive response. But they operate on entirely different principles, and choosing the wrong one for your situation will significantly reduce your ROI.
How EDDM Works
Every Door Direct Mail is a USPS program that lets businesses mail to every address on one or more carrier routes without purchasing a mailing list or applying postage to individual pieces. You select the routes you want (by ZIP code, city, or carrier route), print your mailers to EDDM-eligible sizes, bundle them, and drop them at the post office. USPS delivers one piece to every address on the selected routes.
EDDM postage rates (2026): Retail: approximately $0.234 per piece. BMEU (high volume): approximately $0.19 per piece.
Size requirements: At least one dimension larger than 6.125" or longer than 11.5".
How Targeted Direct Mail Works
Targeted direct mail uses a purchased or internally developed mailing list to reach specific individuals based on defined demographic, psychographic, or behavioral criteria. Common targeting includes: homeowner status, household income, age range, recent home purchase, business type, and employee count.
List providers typically charge $0.05-$0.25 per record depending on specificity and freshness.
EDDM: When It Is the Right Choice
EDDM is superior when your offer is relevant to virtually any household in a geographic area:
- You are a new restaurant opening and want every household within a 2-mile radius
- You are a plumber or HVAC company and any homeowner in your service area is a potential customer
- You need to maximize reach per dollar and list precision is less important than coverage
- You are a retail business announcing a location opening or sale event
Targeted Direct Mail: When It Is the Right Choice
Targeted mail outperforms EDDM when your offer is relevant only to a specific segment:
- You sell Medicare supplements and only want adults 65+
- You offer luxury home remodeling and want homeowners with $500k+ home values
- You are marketing B2B services to manufacturing companies with 50+ employees
- You want to reach recent movers who just relocated to your service area
Cost Comparison Example
For a home services company targeting a suburban ZIP code of 8,000 households:
- EDDM: 8,000 pieces x $0.234 postage = $1,872 postage + $640 printing = $2,512 total
- Targeted (homeowners only, 2,000 records): $300 list + $1,200 postage + $200 printing = $1,700 total
EDDM costs more but reaches 4x more households. Targeted mail costs less and reaches a more relevant audience. Which produces more revenue depends on how relevant your offer is to the general population vs. the targeted segment.
The Combined Approach
The most sophisticated campaigns use both: EDDM to blanket a geographic market with a brand-awareness message, then targeted mail to the most likely-to-convert demographic with a higher-value, more personalized offer. This two-wave approach consistently outperforms either channel alone.
Call our EDDM specialists at (512) 573-1977 to map out the strategy that fits your market. Get a free EDDM quote for your target ZIP codes today.