Exploring direct mail services from USPS

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From the formation of S&A Cherokee (then Smith & Associates) 32 years ago, we have never subscribed to a cookie-cutter approach to PR and marketing. When we think a client can benefit from media relations or content marketing, we recommend they do that. If it makes sense for a client to advertise or use direct mail, we’ll recommend those tactics.

While geo-targeted direct mail may not be ideal for B2B clients, it can certainly make sense for consumer-oriented businesses like auto service repair shops, restaurants and optometrists.

Traditionally, you would have to go to a list broker to obtain a database of mailing addresses that match your specific criteria (location, income, education, married status, etc.). Now, you can get some of those services directly from the United State Postal Service.

We recently helped RallyPoint Sport Grill send out a mailing using the USPS Every Door Direct Mail® service. Their feedback indicated that most of their customers come from within a five-mile radius of their establishment. RallyPoint provided information on the neighborhoods they wanted to reach, and we helped design, print, bundle, complete the paperwork for and deliver their postcards to the post office.

Every Door Direct Mail®

The Every Door Direct Mail® program provides two options. The regular option is designed for businesses that send larger volumes of direct mail using a permit. The Retail option is the simplest and most cost-effective option, and lets you send up to 5,000 mailpieces per day per ZIP Code.

There are several advantages to using Every Door Direct Mail®. One is that you don’t have to deliver pre-addressed or labeled mailpieces to the post office. If you select the Retail option, you don’t need to purchase a postal permit and use your own indicia. In all fairness, there is a lot of paperwork involved. You need to deliver the mailpieces in bundles of 50 to 100 with packaging slips listing exactly how many are in each bundle.

The program is flexible enough to let you use demographic filters to even further target the specific customers you want to reach. It can accommodate a variety of mailpiece sizes, including oversized postcards (what we designed for RallyPoint). Mailings can also include features such as coupons, menus, calendars, maps and more.

USPS even provides a simple online tool to help you get started on selecting and narrowing your address options.

RallyPoint reports that the mailing was a success, and new customers have come into the restaurant bearing the direct mailpiece and coupon.

To discover how S&A Cherokee can help with your marketing or direct mail needs, contact us for a free consultation.