A few years ago, a local landscaping company came to me with a challenge:
“We need to reach people in our area… but digital ads aren’t working. We don’t have a mailing list. We don’t even know where to start.”
Sound familiar?
They had just added a second truck and hired two new crew members, gearing up for a big spring season. But without a steady stream of clients, they were nervous. They had tried boosting Facebook posts, but the results were inconsistent—and worst of all, they had no way of knowing who was seeing their message.
That’s when I introduced them to something many small business owners still don’t know exists:
Every Door Direct Mail, or EDDM.
Their reaction?
“Wait—you’re telling me we can send postcards to every house in a local neighborhood… without knowing anyone’s address?!”
Yep. That’s exactly what EDDM does.
So, What Is EDDM?
EDDM is a marketing service offered by USPS that lets you send postcards, menus, or flyers to every mailbox along a mail carrier’s route. No names, no mailing lists, no complicated targeting.
You simply:
- Choose the ZIP code or postal routes you want to reach
- Create a professionally designed postcard (that’s where I come in)
- Hand it off to the post office—and they take care of delivery
That landscaping company chose three routes near a popular lake community — about 4,000 homes. We designed a eye catching postcard with a limited-time spring discount for Spring clean-up services and lawn maintenance.
Within 10 days of delivery, their phone was ringing off the hook. They booked out the season, filled their new truck’s schedule, and got ahead of the competition.
Why?
Because a simple piece of mail showed up in the right hands — at just the right time.
And that’s the power of EDDM.
How It Works (No Fancy Marketing Gimics)
When I explained how easy the process actually is, the landscaping company was honestly a little stunned.
“That’s it? We just pick the areas and you handle the design?”
Exactly.
Here’s how it works, step by step — no marketing gimics, no complicated software, no fuss:
1. Pick Your Area
We pulled up a USPS EDDM route map together (yes, there’s an actual tool for this), and the owner zoomed in on neighborhoods he already worked in — plus a few he wanted to target. You can select routes based on ZIP code, neighborhood, or even average household income.
He chose three lake-adjacent routes with about 4,000 homes total. No guesswork. Just smart, local targeting.
2. Design Your Mailer
Next, we created a clean, bold postcard that featured before-and-after photos of his work, a Spring discount offer, and a clear call to action: “Book your clean-up by April 15 and save 15%.”
It was professional, eye-catching, and most importantly—it looked nothing like junk mail.
3. USPS Delivers to Every Door
We bundled the printed postcards, dropped them at the local post office, and USPS delivered one to every single mailbox on those selected routes.
No stamping. No printing addresses. No crossing fingers hoping someone scrolls to and clicks on your ad.
Just real mail, showing up in real mailboxes, right on time.
Why It Works (Especially for Local Businesses Like Yours)
I’ll never forget what the landscaping owner told me a few weeks after we sent out the postcards.
“We had people calling and saying, ‘I saw your postcard on my kitchen counter and figured, why not?’ It was like flipping a switch.”
And that’s the magic of EDDM.
In a world full of emails no one opens and social media posts that disappear in seconds, a physical postcard sticks. It gets noticed. It lands right on the kitchen counter, not buried in a spam folder or lost in a feed.
Here’s why EDDM works so well:
It’s visual. People see your brand. They hold it in their hands. That matters.
It’s hyper-local. You’re targeting your local neighborhood — not random zip codes across the country.
It feels personal. A well-designed postcard in someone’s mailbox feels intentional, not intrusive.
It bypasses digital fatigue. No algorithms. No ad blockers. No competition with TikTok cat videos.
And for local businesses—realtors, restaurants, dentists, home services — it’s one of the most cost-effective ways to get noticed by the people most likely to hire you.
The landscaping crew? They didn’t just book jobs. They built relationships with new clients who now call every season.
All from one 6.5” x 9” postcard.
Ready to Fill Mailboxes and Your Schedule?
If you’re thinking, “This sounds exactly like what my business needs,” you’re right — and I’m here to help make it easy.
I’ll walk you through the whole process—from picking the right routes to designing a postcard that actually gets noticed (and gets results). Whether you’ve never heard of EDDM until today or you’ve been meaning to try it for months, I’ve got you.
Want to learn more first?
Grab my free EDDM Info Kit—a quick-read PDF that breaks it all down, includes design tips, and even shows you real postcard samples we’ve created for local businesses like yours.
Just reach out and say “Send me the PDF” or comment “EDDM” if you follow me on social — and I’ll send it your way.
No pressure. No sales pitch. Just smart, effective marketing that works right in your local neighborhood.
Let’s get your message into the hands of the people who matter most — your next customers.