EDDM or a mailing list: which costs less per customer?
Two ways to put a card in a mailbox
Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM, is a USPS service where you pick carrier routes and the carrier delivers one piece to each address on them. There are no names on the cards and no address labels to print.
A mailing list works the other way around. You start with a list of specific households, such as past customers or homeowners in certain ZIP codes, and each card carries one of those addresses.
Size rules decide your printing bill
EDDM only takes flats, which means the piece must be longer than 10.5″ or taller than 6.125″. Our smallest qualifying card is the 4.25″ × 11″ at $349 for 2,500, and the popular 6.5″ × 9″ is $379 for 2,500.
List mail has no such floor. A standard 4″ × 6″ card fits USPS postcard size limits and costs $179 for 2,500, so the printing side of a list mailing is often cheaper. Check any size with our EDDM size checker.
Coverage against precision
EDDM covers everyone on a route, including renters, empty homes and people who will never need you. That is fine when almost any household is a possible customer, such as a pizza shop, a dentist or a lawn service.
A list skips the households that do not fit. A roofer who only wants homeowners with older houses, or a business that wants to win back lapsed customers, wastes far less on a list.
Costs beyond printing and postage
EDDM has almost no extra steps. You bundle the cards, add the paperwork USPS asks for and drop them at the post office that serves your routes.
A list adds its own costs. Rented lists are priced by the record, addresses must be printed on every card, and larger list mailings usually go through a mail house for sorting and postage discounts, so get those quotes before you compare.
How to choose in five minutes
Ask who buys from you. If the honest answer is nearly everyone within a few miles, EDDM gives the lowest cost per home reached and the simplest process.
If your buyer is a narrow group, a list usually gives the lower cost per new customer even when each card costs more to send. The figure to compare is always cost per customer won, which our break-even calculator works out from your numbers.
What to print on either kind of card
The card itself works the same way in both methods. Lead with one clear offer, put your phone number in large type and give the offer an end date so people act on it.
A list mailing can speak to the reader more directly, for example a welcome back offer for past customers. An EDDM card speaks to the whole street, so it should explain who you are in a single line.
Measuring which one paid off
Give each mailing its own code or offer so you know where every call came from. Ask callers which card they received, and keep a simple tally for each route or list.
After two or three mailings you will know your own cost per customer for each method. That number from your own business beats any general rule, and it tells you where to put the next budget.
Using both together
Many owners run EDDM to the streets around the shop and a list mailing to past customers further out. The neighborhood sees you often, and loyal customers hear from you even after they move.
We print both kinds of card. EDDM sizes and packages are on our EDDM page, and small list cards are with our other postcards.
Talk it through
Not sure which fits your trade? Call 512-573-1977. Corey will ask who your best customers are and tell you which approach, size and quantity he would start with.
Questions
Is EDDM cheaper than a mailing list?
Per home reached, usually yes, because there is no list to buy and no addresses to print. Per new customer, a well-chosen list can win when your buyers are a narrow group.
Can I use a 4″ × 6″ postcard for EDDM?
No. EDDM needs a flat, so use a 4.25″ × 11″, 6.5″ × 9″ or larger card.
Do you print mailing addresses on cards?
Call 512-573-1977 to discuss addressed mail. Our listed postcards are sold blank on the address panel.
How many homes are on a carrier route?
It varies a great deal from one route to the next. The USPS EDDM map shows the exact count when you select a route, so add up your routes before choosing a print quantity.
