The US Postal service is actually pretty amazing. For $0.55, I could mail a letter from Portland, Maine to San Diego, and in almost every case, they successfully deliver materials in a timely manner. We do a tremendous amount of direct mailing, and the logistical mechanics of what the USPS does is astounding. 

You may already know this, but the post office offers a service to homeowners, called "Informed Delivery," which sends the homeowner an e-mail every morning, showing them scanned images of the mail pieces that are arriving that day. It's handy if you are expecting a specific piece of mail, or if you are out of town and want to know what mail is being held for you, or if you are just a person who likes to know what's coming at them. 

Additionally, the post office allows companies like ours and yours to utilize Informed Delivery for marketing purposes. When we handle a traditional direct mailing program for you, we are able to submit images to the USPS, which are then incorporated in the daily e-mails that go to Informed Delivery recipients. So, instead of a black and white scan of the postcard we are mailing, your prospects will see a full-color digital image of the mailing piece we are sending for you. Better yet, we are also able to provide a "ride-along" image that is a specific call-to-action for your mailing. We are ALSO able to submit a website link that can go to any page on your website. In most cases, the ride-along images say something like "Contact us today!" with a link to a contact form on our client's website. You can see an example below.



In short, when we handle a traditional direct mailing for our clients, we are able to also send many of the prospects a call to action and a link to their website, on the day the mailers get delivered.

You may do direct mail through a local vendor or an online outfit like Vistaprint, your software company. Maybe you even do it yourself. However, if your direct mail provider is not offering this service, you are missing out on a FREE opportunity to add a digital channel to your mailing. We include it in all of our traditional direct mailing programs, and there is no reason why your provider should not. (Please note: This option is not available for EDDM programs, which makes sense because EDDM mailers don't have a real postal address on them.)

It's early March, and if you want to get a mailing together this month, now is the time to act. Contact me today, and let us take care of the rest.

Direct Mailing Options

There are two basic approaches we offer for direct mail lead generation: Every Door Direct Mail and Traditional Mailings.

"Traditional Mailing" means that we get a mailing list for you based on ideal home values in your area. We design and print a postcard or series of postcards for you, and then we handle all the addressing and mailing to the list. This is a good option for mailings that are more than 30,000 pieces or so, and it's easier in some ways, because Focal Point handles the whole operation.

"Every Door Direct Mail" (EDDM) is a program from the USPS that allows you to saturation-mail specific carrier routes without the expense of a mailing list and without having to address each individual piece. EDDM is typically less expensive than traditional mailing, but it does require a bit of legwork on your end. 

Traditional Direct Mail

There are several reasons that traditional mailing could be the best option for you. It's generally the easier option, because Focal Point handles everything. This is also why larger quantities favor traditional mailing over EDDM. Traditional mailing also gives you the option to omit existing clients, which EDDM does not. 

If you want to pursue a traditional mailing, the best first step is to give us a list of zip codes and home values you want to target. Once we have a list count, we can show you several options based on the services you want to promote and the budget you have to work with.

For more information on traditional mailing, fill out this simple form, and we will get in touch directly.

 

 
 
 
 

EDDM has become a great option for direct mail, because it’s geographically targeted, extremely cost-effective, and the most user-friendly program the US Post Office has ever offered, in our opinion. (Please note: The Informed Delivery service above is not available for EDDM mailings.)

Start by selecting carrier routes on the USPS Mapping Tool. Then, check out our website to see how many EDDM cards you want to produce. Call me (513-874-0027) or e-mail me (joeshooner@growpro.com) for more information.