Targeted, Trusted, & Trackable
Marketing is essential to generating leads, building credibility, and driving revenue. This is the second part in our four part series that reveals marketing methods that can pay for themselves. Our goal for any client is to get the most out of their marketing efforts and help them to find ways to make every marketing dollar count.
EDDM (Every Door Direct Marketing)
Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a USPS program that allows businesses to reach every household on a mail carrier route without purchasing a mailing list — at some of the lowest postage rates available. For trades businesses, home services, and contractors, it is one of the most targeted tools available.
- Target neighborhoods where their crew is actively working, reinforcing brand awareness in areas they are already servicing
- Saturate specific zip codes before and during seasonal service pushes
- Follow up in neighborhoods where they recently completed a job — using completed work as social proof
- Residential customers can be separated from commercial businesses on routes
- Must meet strict USPS size regulations to qualify as a "flat," typically larger items like postcards or flyers.
- Lower, flat-rate postage, making it cheaper for high-volume local campaigns.
- No personalization. Every piece is identical, targeting the home rather than the individual.
Direct Mail - Mailing Lists
Direct Mail is a targeted marketing strategy that puts your message directly in the hands of your ideal customer. Unlike EDDM, which saturates an entire carrier route, Direct Mail allows you to reach a specific, curated list of contacts — filtered by demographics such as income level, homeownership, age, or past purchase behavior. For trades businesses, home services, and contractors, this means you can mail exclusively to homeowners in a certain income bracket, customers who have used similar services before, or prospects in neighborhoods that match your ideal job profile — maximizing every dollar spent.
- Targets specific individuals based on demographics (income, age), interest, or customer history. You can add your own customers or potential customers to your mailing. (* Requires a mailing list).
- Direct mail gives you more than reach — it gives you insight. By collecting response data and metadata from your mailings, you can better understand who is engaging and why, allowing you to segment your audience into highly targeted lists that make every future campaign smarter and more effective.
- Supports Variable Data Printing (VDP), allowing personalized names, images, and customized messages for recipients.
- Almost no size restrictions.
- Higher postage costs per piece, plus costs for purchasing mailing lists.
- Mailing lists can be purchased for intensive targeting giving businesses more control over recipients, messaging, and delivery zones.
70% of consumers rated direct mail as “very useful” or “extremely useful” for making purchase decisions, compared to just 50% for digital ads.
- USPS Consumer Insights Study, 2025
A lawn care company in a forum case study sent 3,300 postcards at a total cost of $808 and converted four new clients to annual service contracts worth an estimated $15,900 in guaranteed yearly revenue.
- Source: LawnSite.com EDDM Forum, contractor case study
49% of consumers say they view brands that send mail as more credible, and 44% say physical mail feels more trustworthy than digital advertising.
- Source: State of Direct Mail: Consumer Insights, 2025
The USPS reports that nearly 3 billion EDDM pieces were mailed in 2024, generating $588 million in revenue — proof this channel is actively used at scale.
- Source: USPS Postal Facts, July 2025
EDDM postage starts at just $0.247 per piece with no mailing list required. Postage typically runs $0.35–$0.55 per piece. Preparation and handling costs will need to be factored into both methods as there are specific guidelines and paperwork that are required for mailing.
- Source: USPS EDDM Program / Mail Processing Associates EDDM Guide, 2026
Direct mail has a response rate of 4.9%, compared to email at approximately 1%. Campaigns that hit the same route 3+ times push response rates to 3–5% through frequency and recognition.
- Source: Association of National Advertisers (ANA); Mail Processing Associates EDDM Guide, 2026
EDDM and Direct Mail is not a shotgun approach to marketing. When you target the right neighborhoods — especially areas where your trucks are already on the road — it becomes a predictable, trackable lead generation system at a low cost per piece.
