USPS: Postcard Use Is Up Among Direct Marketers

USPS: Postcard Use Is Up Among Direct Marketers

Consumers may notice they’re getting fewer postcards from friends, but USPS says direct marketers are still fans of the mail option. Specifically citing a product called “Every Door Direct Mail,” USPS says that what it first issued as “postal cards” in 1873 are still distributed in the billions each year.

“Since the EDDM service was launched in 2011, USPS has handled about 1.2 million transactions, resulting in over 6.4 [billion] pieces of mail and more than…$1.2 billion in revenue,” USPS tells Target Marketing. “We are seeing growth in this type of mail. These are mostly oversized marketing/business postcards.”

You define the specific demographics for delivery. Choose among postal routes based on your marketing plan to reach the potential customers near your business who matter most. Focus on up to a 5-mile radius of your business or search for routes by city and state or ZIP Code™. You can use demographic data including age range and average household income and size to choose among routes.

There’s no need to purchase mailing lists, and with Every Door Direct Mail service, you reach potential customers for as low as 17.5¢ per mailpiece.

For EDDM, the most popular sizes are postcards (6.5″ x 9″) and oversized postcards (8.5″ x 11″), and then an EDDM option that isn’t a postcard at all — it’s a tri-fold menu (4.25″ x 14″).

Two reasons that make EDDM useful in marketing are that the tactile postcard can be perceived as more personal and it is easier to put on the fridge. Both are a plus for marketing messages. Plus it can contain coupons or other offers.

Direct mail-specific postcard tips:

  1. Have a purpose for the campaign
  2. “Be sure to include high-quality photos or other striking images, graphics and colors.”
  3. Keep copy short.
  4. Make headline meanings clear.
  5. Use postcards to gain leads, not close sales.
  6. Include contact information, such as phone numbers, email addresses, etc.
  7. Be timely — even include a deadline for the recipient.
  8. Include an offer.
  9. “Think multi-faceted. Postcards can be used for many purposes, including reminders, gift certificates, coupons, new product announcements, openings, discounts and even as tickets.”
  10. Opt for high-quality (from the card to images).
  11. Oversized cards stand out in the mail. So do uniquely shaped ones.