How Churches Can Use Direct Mail

Evangelism and the US post office: have you ever considered using the option of direct mail to reach out to your community?

Nowadays, there are so many options when it comes to sharing the gospel. It pays to know which media tool to use in order to effectively reach as many people as possible. The result of your campaign will depend on the efficacy of the media that you use. Today, there are many options to choose from ranging from newspapers to radio/TV broadcasting, so being able to pick the right choice can be a challenge.  Here are some advantages of direct mail.

What is Every Door Direct Mail?

A few years back the USPS or the United States Postal Service introduced a new product to simplify and lower the cost of direct mail. The program is called Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM). It’s the most economical way to send out postcards. One of the best features of EDDM is that it doesn’t require a mailing permit or labels, which cost hundreds of dollars per year. Another good thing about EDDM is that it is paired with an online system that helps determine the number of addresses in a certain area.  You simply select the neighbors you want to send your postcards to.

EDDM is also very economical, only 18 cents per postcard to mail. The minimum size is 6.125 or 10.5 long and maximum is 12″ x 15″ so you can create a piece that really stands out. EDDM can be the answer to a local church organization’s question as to what tool to use in reaching people in the community. Although it has some restrictions, EDDM can be a great money and time saver in letting people know about your church.

What are the pros and cons of other media choices?

By taking a look at the other media choices available, you can see whether or not EDDM can be helpful to your church. Today there are lots of media choices. In fact, a person is said to be exposed to 2,904 media messages a day. Out of that large number, a person only pays attention to 52 messages and can positively remember just 4 of them – which is why choosing the right media channel is important in sharing the good news.

1. Newspapers offer a quick turnaround and can reach many people but it can have a very short life span plus it reaches people that are not likely to travel miles to attend church. If someone missed the day’s issue, he’s missed our message published in the newspaper.
2. Local Radio offers a very broad reach. However, the listeners are not always paying attention so it may require more frequency in order to be effective. Many listeners may also miss the broadcast, especially if it’s broadcasted very early in the morning, very late at night and during work hours.
3. E-mail has also become a very popular choice nowadays – it’s free and convenient since many people now switch to emails. Emails are also very quick to produce. However, our message can easily be forgotten or deleted, it can also be neglected especially when our message is dumped in an inbox full of clutter. Some email users also use spam blockers that sometimes keep our emails from even going into our reader’s inbox.

What’s the advantage of choosing EDDM?

Mail has a number of strengths: It is adjustable, substantial and manageable. People can save direct mail to read later or even share it with their friends and family. The majority of people at least glance at their mail so mail help gets your message noticed and read. Also, in this digital age, mail has become more personal. Direct mail is also said to have impacted readers more than any other medium.

This is where EDDM come into place. Postcards sent via EDDM can be kept for any future use and they can also share them with others. Compared to the traditional direct mail, EDDM is simple to prepare which will allow you to reach people without needing a mailing list.

As an addendum, USPS’s EDDM has put direct mail within reach for many churches with USPS offering better discounts to non-profit organizations wanting to saturate their area.

Conclusion:

Direct mail can be an effective way to reach people who live close to your church.  The mailing will cost more than email but it can be one of the most effective.

The Post Office also allows you to send out targeted direct mail by buying a list.  If you would like more information about this option, click this link.

If you are interested in exploring options with EDDM, contact Mike Vitamvas @ mike@memorycross.com or 800-799-0260.

About Memory Cross

Memory Cross makes a unique origami endless loop card that is used for outreach and evangelism and to teach children Bible stories and verses.