Who's Doing Every Door Direct Mail?

Question

I've been looking into every door direct mail. I'd love to hear thoughts and results from the BP masses with experience.

Do you hit every route in the zip?

If not, how do you decide which routes?

What type of mail piece? Plain paper or post card? Something in an envelope?

What was the message?

Obviously there will be many many pieces tossed right in the trash, but the savings on postage vs. stamps is very large in the markets we're looking at. Around .18 cents per piece, plus not paying per address for a list. Maybe it's a wash?

So, all you successful high volume marketing types out there...what's the scoop?

@Jerry Puckett @dev horn @aaron mazrillo @Michael Quarles

I guess those two aren't in my friend list, can someone @mention them please and thank you. :)

Michael Quarles · Answer

@Shane Woods If wanting to do EDDM I would suggest going in with other business owners to help cover the cost as the cost per preferred prospect is much higher to you when using EDDM.Pick a hair, nail, pizza, and restaurant to share the cost with and have them split the cost equally thus making your ad space free besides the time investment. Free is great and certain types of business are easy to convince. Something like this

Jerry Puckett · Answer

One benefit I can think of is that you will be touching people you ordinarily wouldn't be....and that maybe no one else is either. Ideally, I'd love to be able to market simply to everyone who has what I want to buy. But since that isn't feasible, I make educated guesses as to motivation, yada yada yada. No matter how educated or intuitive, I'm going to miss people I'd like to hit, and hit others who clearly weren't worth the stamp.My experience teaches me that distress knows no socioeconomic barriers, calls no zip code home, does not own a calendar, and refuses to wear a watch, (It can't tell time anyway). So maybe EEDM will fill the gaps....if the message is actually read.Let's see, I think I have some friends for you @Dev Horn @Aaron Mazzrillo

Jeremy T. · Answer

IMO, unless you are only looking to focus only on acquiring properties within a specific zip code, it's a waste of time and resources. It may be something to consider once your marketing budget balloons and you have an established website, etc for prospects to learn more about your business. There is a reason why direct marketing masters (i.e., Gary Halbert, Dan Kennedy, et al) talk about list selection very early in the process. As @Shaun Caldwell mentioned, aside from your postcard ending up in their hand, there is nothing direct about EDDM. Using zip code as your only targeting parameter is like opening the phone book, pointing to a name and saying "I think this person would like to sell me their house"...which leads back to my original point...it's a waste of time and resources. Spend the extra $$ to get a targeted list in the zip you want to blanket.

Shaun Caldwell · Answer

@Shane Woods, EDDM is a great way for a small business to saturate a particular area. In my experience this works best for retail businesses that want to do a "neighborhood marketing campaign" to announce promos, product launches, etc. One benefit to EDDM is that you do not need to purchase a mailing list which will save you some money. Cons1. Your targeting is limited to an entire carrier route and there is absolutely no personalization on the piece such as name or address. This makes the piece “advertising“ rather than personal direct mail.2. Although the price is low, it does require some additional work on your part. Depending on who you work with as a print vendor, you may have to take the mail pieces to the post office. Bundling postcards and waiting in typically long lines at the post office can be time consuming.

Shane Woods · Answer

Account Closed , I'm looking to supplement regular targeted direct mailing with the EEDM in a certain zip. So I'm glad you agree :)Thanks all for the thoughts so far!

Michael Quarles · Answer

Personally I don't do or recommend EDDM...Its too expensive.

Alisa O. · Answer

@Michael Quarles Michael, I love your idea, but wonder whether it would look professional? On one side there is potentially a "Cash Buyer" message and on the other Pizza. Doesn't show a lot of credibility, does it? If I got such a promotion, I would wonder whether the "Cash Buyer" truly has cash to buy the house if they can not afford to buy their own advertisement. But it's only my opinion. I know you can say that noone knows until they try, but I'm trying to figure out how to approach it to get the most bang out of the spent buck. I'm thinking it might work in C/D class areas with lower price houses ($30K for example), but would it work in more expensive areas?

Gary Alford · Answer

I sent out 2500 pieces with EDDM and got 1 call. Was it worth it? I think done over again a few times it would have been. For the price if you land one or two good deals it pays off. That one call I got though was from a woman that inherited a house out of state some years ago and did not want it and did not care to even go see it. She just wanted it gone. I would imagine that she had not been contacted by anyone at all before. She lived in a house herself and did not really meet the normal criteria that most people would mail to. So like @Jerry Puckett said this would allow you to tap into some people that would not normally get hit with marketing. You could even tailor your campaign a little bit by the routes you choose, like picking routes that you know the streets and the neighborhoods to avoid apartments and condos if you want. However, be prepared to have a lower than average response rate. I have had a way better response rate with my yellow letters though plus they are targeted to people that are more likely to be motivated.