One of the main things I design all of the time is postcards. I always ask clients if they’re planning to mail them or not. The reasons why are many, but one of them is because I have to create a postcard for EDDM and mailing differently than a non-mailed one and I get a lot of questions about this which is why I thought I’d talk about it today.
I’ll start with the obvious what is EDDM? It stands for Every Door Direct Mail and it’s a service of the United States Postal Service. There’s a lot that goes into it that you can read about on the U.S. Postal Service’s website, but two of the hallmarks of this service are that businesses don’t need a special mailing permit to use it and it functions by zip code. Postcards for EDDM need to be created in one of the ranges of sizes that the service dictates and they must have certain areas with a white box for mailing and postage information.
I’ve heard more than once the blank spaces make the design “ugly”, but unfortunately if you want to use the service they have to be there. By the way, for a non-EDDM postcard, you’d need a bulk-mailing permit, but the white mailing box and postage information box stay in the same places.
If you really want every square inch of your postcard used with your design have your postcard created as you wish and if it needs to be mailed you can use an envelope and a stamp just the same as a card or invitation.
The cool thing about marketing through the mail is that it’s a great technique to introduce yourself to new clients and to stay in touch with current and past clients. It allows you to send them special coupons, acknowledges life cycle events, and more. I mean the sky really is the limit when it comes to ways to create and reasons to use a postcard. They’re super flexible which means they work with any type of business and any combination of text and images you can imagine. It’s a great way to get your business’s name and information in front of your targeted audience!
By the way, I’d love to invite you to a FREE 30 minute 1:1 Getting to Know You Strategy Session full of tips tailored for your business to help you now. I only schedule these via email, so if you want one, email me today! Let’s chat about how branding and design can get your business where you want it to be! Talk to you soon!