Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM): Benefits and Drawbacks for Real Estate Agents

Understanding Your First Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) Campaign

For REALTORS, lead generation and marketing are crucial.

Today, real estate agents use social media, YouTube, email, networking events, and multiple listing services (MLS) to find and convert potential buyers and sellers.

Digital ads are also a popular and near-essential method of finding prospects.

While necessary, lead generation can be expensive, especially for new agents.

According to The Close, the average cost per lead from paid search is $66.02.

If less than 2% convert, the cost can add up.

Real estate agents often turn to more cost-effective options like every door direct mail (EDDM) marketing.

Every door direct mail helps agents cast a wide net in a particular neighborhood or local area to promote their services, landing leads with minimal effort. The USPS has provided EDDM for small businesses since 2011. Every door direct mail examples include:

• Just Listed/Just Sold Postcards
• Market Update Postcards
• Agent Introduction/Farming Postcards
• Seasonal Greetings & Value-Add Content
• Event Invitations

What is Every Door Direct Mail?

Every Door Direct Mail is a service offered by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that allows you to distribute marketing mail to every address within a specific postal carrier route.

EDDM simplifies reaching potential clients by eliminating the need for a mailing list.

Instead, it targets every household within a specific area, ensuring maximum exposure.

This method is particularly advantageous for REALTORS, as it enhances local visibility and allows for cost-effective marketing campaigns without the complexities of traditional direct mail strategies.

In the video below, Geoff talks about many of the benefits and challenges you will face when running an EDDM campaign.

How Does EDDM Work?

The process is simple and is available for most businesses that provide products and services.

• Choose Your Target Area: USPS provides a mapping tool with select routes that cover a specific number of streets and addresses. Tools like these open up the delivery routes of your town or neighborhood. Some mapping tools provide more demographic information, which can guide your marketing.
• Design Your Real Estate Marketing Materials: Create a compelling marketing mailer or flyer. Let recipients know of a recent sale, introduce yourself and your services, or share market updates. The design must account for the USPS-approved shapes and sizes, which we will cover later.
• Print Your Mailings: Print your flyers on high-quality paper to reduce the risk of damage. Print the recommended forms and bundle them together for each selected route, following all guidelines.
• Pay Your Postage: USPS will have specific rates based on area, often lower than regular mail. You’ll pay based on the number of routes you’ve chosen.
• USPS Handles the Rest: The EDDM service will send out your bundled mailings once you drop them off at a designated post office. Your marketing flyer or mailpiece will go out with the regular mailing service.

With EDDM, you control what and where you market your real estate services, while USPS manages who gets it and when it goes out.

What Are the Benefits of Using EDDM for Your Business?

I’m sure your gears are turning now, thinking of the many ways you can use every door direct mail. It’s a great way to let as many people as possible know about your real estate services, even though many of them are not ready to do business or aren’t your ideal clients. Some of the benefits include:

Cost-Effective Marketing

A typical EDDM campaign is cheaper than purchasing a mailing list. As a beginner or if you want to cover a large area quickly, fewer cost-effective options are available. EDDM postage rates are lower than mailing personalized, targeted real estate prospecting letters, making it a budget-friendly marketing opportunity.

Targeted Advertising Without a Mailing List

Building a mailing list on your own can be time-consuming and expensive. You can get exposure based on specific mailing routes kept up-to-date by USPS. Some listing services even provide basic demographic information. You can target areas where potential clients live without managing your own list.

Increased Local Visibility

As a new or growing REALTOR, exposure matters. If you want to increase your local visibility, you can hold client appreciation events or attend networking groups, but your reach will be limited. Combining these with every door direct mail significantly increases awareness of your business within your local community. As you begin to create content and become more known, your EDDM will have already introduced you to potential leads.

What Are the EDDM Requirements and Guidelines?

While this service gets your name out there quickly, you can’t send anything you want. There are strict USPS requirements and guidelines to follow. Remember, your material will be delivered at the same time as regular mail, so factors like size, weight, and labeling all matter. Here’s what matters.

Basic Specifications for EDDM

Businesses must follow every door direct mail sizes and shapes stipulated by USPS. For instance, your mail must be rectangular or square. The length cannot be more than 15” long, height more than 12”, and a thickness between 0.25 and 0.75 inches.

If your flyer or mailpiece has a different shape, it must be placed in a rectangular or square envelope. Rounded corners are allowed, but only a meager 0.125 inches.

If you fail to follow the specifications, the mailing can move from EDDM to a parcel, costing you much more per piece

Indicia and Addressing Standards

Since you do not have access to names and addresses, some tags and standards should go on each piece. The USPS requires an indicia, a special pre-printed ‘stamp’ that indicates the postage has been paid. This goes on the upper right corner of the marketing document in clear, easy-to-read print.

While you don’t have the addresses, you must place a mailing label (an address box) at the top of the document. It must include the general area, such as City, State, and Zip Code. In lieu of the individual’s name, street, and house number, you will place ‘Potential Customer,’ ‘Residential Customer,’ or ‘PO Box Holder’ for more accurate deliveries. A code such as ‘ECRWSSEDDM’ goes at the top of the address box.

Bundling and Labeling Mailpieces

When you drop them off, they must be organized and bundled in a specific format. This helps USPS sort and distribute the right quantity of marketing flyers or materials to the right location.

Bundle them by postal route, which is often in groups of 50-100. Based on size and thickness, you can use rubber bands, tape, or shrink wrap to bind them securely while minimizing damage.

Each bundle requires the official USPS retail facing slip at the top to provide details like the route, zip code, and total number of pieces in the bundle. If you’re sending multiple bundles across various routes, multiple retail-facing slips are required.

What Are The Common Pitfalls / Challenges of EDDM Campaigns?

EDDM can sound like an easy way to get your postcards in front of an entire neighborhood. But there are a few limitations that can affect how effective your campaign really is.

Here are some of the most common challenges agents run into.

1. You’re Mailing Routes, Not Specific People

EDDM targets postal carrier routes, not individual homeowners.

This means your postcards may reach people who are unlikely to ever become leads. For example, a property that could potentially sell might be occupied by renters who cannot make selling decisions.

While this approach can help with general neighborhood awareness, it doesn’t guarantee you’re reaching the people most likely to list their homes.

2. Personalization Isn’t Possible

Because EDDM doesn’t provide names or contact details, you can’t personalize your message.

Every household receives the exact same postcard. To improve your chances of getting a response, your message and design need to be very clear and compelling since personalization isn’t an option.

3. Limited Tracking and Data

Another challenge is that tracking results can be difficult.

You won’t know exactly who received your postcard or who responded unless you build your own tracking strategy. Many agents rely on tools like:

QR codes

custom landing pages

call tracking numbers

Without something like this in place, measuring the success of an EDDM campaign becomes much harder.

4. Not Every Mailbox Is a Potential Lead

Because EDDM reaches every address on a route, some mailpieces will inevitably go to people who are not relevant prospects.

For example:

recently opened businesses

vacant homes

renters in properties that won’t be sold

Some recipients may simply discard the postcard if it doesn’t apply to them, which can make the campaign feel less efficient compared to targeted mailing.

5. Distribution Is Out of Your Control

When using EDDM, the delivery process is handled entirely by USPS distribution systems.

While USPS manages the logistics, you have limited visibility into the delivery process or individual recipients. That means less control compared to sending mail to a curated list of verified addresses.

6. It Can Become Expensive Without Strategy

If EDDM isn’t planned carefully, it can quickly become costly.

Sending large volumes of mail without a clear strategy or strong message can lead to low response rates and wasted budget.

Should You DIY or Work with an EDDM Service?

EDDM is an effective marketing tool, but it can take time to set up if you do it yourself (DIY). There are Direct Mail Marketing services that can handle the design and legwork for you.

DIY allows you to save money and create flexible campaigns on your terms. You also learn the skill of Direct Mail Marketing each time based on trial and error, which can come in handy as your real estate career evolves.

At the same time, doing it yourself can be time-consuming and depends on your level of design and copywriting skills. You need to personally manage design, printing, bundling, paperwork, and post office delivery.

There’s also the risk of errors. Mistakes such as missing facing slips can result in undelivered mail and wasted expenses. You must also have a general understanding of the properties and houses in the area to avoid wasting money.

With an EDDM service provider, you get a business that handles the process end-to-end. This saves you time and effort. Professional services ensure correct, consistent campaign execution, reducing errors common in DIY. You’ll get to choose from different every door direct mail templates based on the type of campaign and even basic statistics. You get to work with a provider with expertise in EDDM and the logistics of Direct Mail.

Of course, service providers involve higher upfront costs through additional service fees, and you may sacrifice some direct control over campaign details.
Choosing between DIY and partnering with a professional EDDM service depends on your goals, resources, and desired level of convenience.

How To Maximize the Impact of Your EDDM Campaign?

EDDM costs significantly less than other Direct Mail or even Digital Marketing campaigns. It’s a great way to communicate your services to hundreds or even thousands of people. At the same time, you can’t communicate directly with them. Many won’t reach the hands of their intended recipient, so you need to find ways to get the most out of your EDDM.

Crafting a Compelling Offer

You only have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention. Make sure to have a compelling hook or title in larger print, then show the benefits of working with you or engaging with the content on the mailer. Consider an exclusive offer like free consultations, joining a VIP group, or an invitation to an event. Testing different headlines with different bundles or routes can provide you with great feedback.

Combining EDDM with Digital Marketing

EDDM should be combined with digital marketing for a comprehensive, multichannel approach. Successful every door direct mail campaigns only get potential leads or prospects into the ‘Awareness’ stage. You’ll need to continually nurture the leads acquired by mail marketing.

Consider sharing an email list or newsletter on your EDDM mailpiece. Then you can send weekly value-added content. Retarget these subscribers with social media posts, YouTube videos, and paid ads.

Tracking and Measuring Results

Perhaps the most challenging part of EDDM is tracking your results. Tracking helps to understand the return on investment (ROI), optimize your messaging, or change your targeting strategies. However, there is no real way to know it works unless you find a way to quantify your responses.

You can use different strategies that prompt the recipient to take action, then measure that number against the total number of mail sent. On your mailpiece, you must place a method to capture information or prompt a response to you. Examples include:

1. Adding a QR Code survey
2. QR Code for free download
3. Placing an email newsletter signup
4. Coupons
5. A dedicated phone number
6. A custom landing page with tracking

Explore Real Estate Farming Postcards

Your response rate would measure total responses as a percentage of total mail sent. Measure your results over a 2-4 week period. Use data to adjust your messaging or switch up your offers.

Final Thoughts

Every Door Direct Mail presents a unique opportunity for real estate agents to gain widespread visibility in targeted neighborhoods at a cost-effective price point. Real estate agents can capitalize on the data and resources of USPS to initiate contact with potential buyers at scale.

While EDDM lacks the personalization of more targeted marketing letters, it can still be used for agents looking to establish their presence in specific areas.

The process, however, comes with some downsides, so it should not be used as a standalone marketing tool. Success lies in great copy, integrating with your broader marketing strategy, and implementing tracking to measure your campaign’s effectiveness.

Whether you decide to DIY or work with a professional, EDDM is worth the investment.