EDDM® vs. Classic Direct Mail: Which Is Best for Your Business?

Despite being in the Digital Age, businesses big and small are still using direct mail and EDDM® services to get their message across. At present, direct mail is now recognized as a $44-billion industry, with most businesses experiencing a 1,300% return on their investment. EDDM® on the other hand, has over 26 billion pieces of mail and $3.8 billion in revenue since it was founded in 2011.

At UPrinting.com, we help marketers, business owners, and professionals spread their message through products that cater to both EDDM® and classic direct mail.

Not sure which direct mail type is suitable for your business? Check out this guide to direct mail marketing. The infographic presents the differences between EDDM® and Direct Mail and the pros and cons of each service to help you make a decision.

What is Classic Direct Mail and How Does It Work?

What is Direct Mail?

Direct mail, also known as regular, first-class, or standard mail, is a mailing service that targets specific demographics like age, gender, household income, race, political party affiliation, and other variable data. It requires addresses to be printed onto your mail to be delivered to a specific audience.

What are the types of direct mail? 

Direct mail provides many opportunities to connect with your target audience and comes in different types. These are:

• Postcards
• Self-mailers
• Brochures
• Flyers
• Letters
• Catalogs
• Dimensional mailers
• Package inserts
• Envelopes

Is it still effective in 2023?

According to the 2023 State of Direct Mail Report released by Lob, a leading direct mail automation platform, 74% of marketers agree that direct mail still has the best response rate, conversion rate, and ROI compared to other channels.

Meanwhile, in a study by RRD, 17% of consumers believe that direct mail is more likely to grab their attention, while 17% find it more trustworthy, and 11% think that direct mail feels more personal compared to messages sent via email.

What is EDDM and How Does It Work?

What is EDDM?

EDDM® short for Every Door Direct Mail®, is a type of mailing service that the United States Postal Service (USPS) provides. Unlike direct mail, EDDM® doesn’t require a mailing list. Your mail will also delivered to individual neighborhoods in a geographic area you prefer through a mailing route. 

EDDM Size Requirements

The USPS has specific size guidelines if you want to qualify for EDDM:

• Dimensions – minimum of 6.125″ x 11.5″ and maximum of 12″ x 15″
• Weight – maximum of 3.03 ounces
• Thickness – minimum of 007” thick and maximum of 0.75” thick

If you want to send out postcards through EDDM®, here are some of the popular size options:

• 25″ x 9″
• 6″ x 11″
• 5″ x 11″
• 11″ x 14″

Is EDDM worth it?

EDDM is worth it, especially if you’re a local small business looking for a cost-effective way to reach more customers in a specific market area. You also get to save time and money because there’s no need for a mailing list, the postage rates are lower, and the costs are the same for all sizes of postcards.

What Is the Difference Between Direct Mail and EDDM?

EDDM® and Direct Mail can be both beneficial to a business. Below are their differences so that you can determine which mailing service is best for your business: 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Price  

The price range for direct mail ranges from $0.255 to $0.539 per piece (standard mail) while EDDM® ranges from $0.154 to $0.176 per piece. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Product Scope  

Direct mail is great for a wide variety of custom products, whether it’s brochures, flyers, postcards, rack cards, or booklets. On the other hand, EDDM® has limitations. It’s only limited to big postcards and brochures. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Campaign Scope  

Direct mail is not bound by geographical limitations. It’s best for nationwide campaigns, targeting a specific demographic across multiple locations, or if you want to reach any number of recipients at any scale. With EDDM®, the campaign scope is limited to your preferred geographic area. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Delivery  

For direct mail, delivery time usually takes about 4-6 days while EDDM® takes longer with 7-14 days. Also with EDDM®, you can’t track your items unlike with direct mail. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Mailing Quantities  

Direct mail in general has no limit when it comes to the items you want to send, but still requires a minimum of 200 pieces if you want to be eligible for postal discounts. For EDDM®, the minimum quantity is 200 pieces while the maximum quantity is 5,000 pieces per day per ZIP code. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Size  

Direct mail’s size options are divided into three categories. These are:  

Postcard – 5” x 3.5” minimum, 6” x 4.25” maximum 

Letter – 5” x 3.5” minimum, 11.5” x 6.125” maximum 

Flat – 1.5” x 6.125 minimum, 15” x 12” maximum 

For EDDM®, the size limitations are set to 6.125″ x 11.5″ minimum, and 12″ x 15″ maximum with a maximum thickness of 0.75″. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Messaging and Personalization 

Because of its wider campaign scope and flexibility in size, layout, design, and overall messaging, direct mail presents more opportunities to create a personalized message for various demographics. EDDM® on the other hand has restrictions in campaign scope, size and weight, which make senders dispatch more generic messages. 

Direct Mail vs. EDDM® – Response Rate 

Personalization affects the response rate of the mailing service. This explains why direct mail has a higher response rate compared to EDDM®. The average response rate for direct mail is 2-3% while the average response rate for EDDM® is 1% only.  

The Pros and Cons: Direct Mail vs. EDDM® 

Depending on the requirements of your marketing campaign, both direct mail and EDDM® come with advantages and disadvantages. We break them down for each mailing service.  

Pros and Cons of Direct Mail  

Pros: 

• Target a niche audience – you can send your mail to a select group of people that show interest in your products.

• Detailed information – because direct mail has more flexibility in design, size, and layout, you have more space to provide detailed information that may be valuable to your recipients.

• Easy monitoring of response rate – since direct mail has more room for personalization (e.g., coupons, deals, promo codes), tracking the success of your campaign is easier because it encourages customer engagement.  

Cons: 

• Costs can pile up – the mailing list, as well as the costs of the size, shape, weight, and class of mail can add up to the expenses of your campaign.

• Can be perceived as junk mail – there’s also the possibility that recipients can lump your mail with junk mail especially if recipients are not expecting mail from your business or if they’re not familiar with the return address. In addition, even if the response of direct mail is higher than EDDM®, a 2-3% response rate would still be considered low.  

Pros and Cons of EDDM®  

Pros: 

• Easily target your audience – simply choose a ZIP code and your mail will be sent to all the households in that specific area.

• No postal permit required – EDDM® does not require a postal permit unlike direct mail.

• No need for a mailing list – mailing lists are not needed with EDDM®.

• Lower postage rate – postage rates are lower with EDDM® because there’s no need for a mailing permit or a mailing list

Cons: 

• Less targeted campaign – your mail isn’t targeted to a specific demographic  so there‘s more uncertainty if people are likely to be interested in your product or service.

• Size limitations – you are required to adhere to the size guidelines of USPS to qualify for EDDM®.

• No personalization – because there are no names or details about your recipients, and because of the size limitations, your message for each recipient will all be the same.

• Limited quantity – the maximum quantity per day for EDDM® is only 5,000 pieces. If you want to mail more than 5,000, you would have to go back to the post office multiple times.

• Must mail to every address in a particular route – since EDDM® is following a mailing route and targets a specific area and not a demographic, your mail will be delivered to every address in the mailing route you chose. This means that there are instances when your mail will be received by people who are not interested in your product, service, or event. You might be sending out mail to people who just throw out mail immediately, don’t check their mail often, or those who might be offended with your services – which is a waste of time, money, effort, paper, and production. 

Conclusion: Which One Best Suits Your Business?  

Choosing the right mail service for your marketing campaign depends on your business needs. If you’re a small business, EDDM® is recommended, as this has low postage rates and only needs to target a specific area. If you plan to target a certain demographic and you have a large volume of print products to send out, direct mail is the better option. Ultimately, both mailing services have their respective advantages and disadvantages, which are relative to your requirements. Make sure to carefully weigh the pros and cons of your business and marketing needs before deciding on which mailing service to use.