Dan: Hey everyone, I'm Dan. Thank you for joining us today. In this video, we'll talk about best practices for creating your physical mailer when you're using the United States Postal Service EDDM  service, I think you'll see it's pretty easy. And the EDDM online tool will help you make sure that all the dimensions and formats are correct before you start printing. This very important person here is Katie. She owns three restaurants, and she uses EDDM to advertise directly to her community. Welcome, Katie. 

Katie: Hi, Dan. Thanks for having me.

Dan: Of course. What can you tell us about your restaurants?

Katie: So as you mentioned, we have three restaurants. They're all in Tallahassee, Florida. Each restaurant is very different from the other. Our first restaurant is actually celebrating 10 years in a couple of months. Thank you. And that is our American style Gastropub, perfect for people of all ages. So we get families, business professionals and college students alike. Across the street, we have our bar, which is more of a high-volume setting, perfect for sporting events, big events, parties, in more of a casual fun setting. And then our third newest venture is entirely different. It's a rooftop cocktail bar, which features fine dining plates, and it's in more of an upscale lounge setting.

Dan: All right, we've already seen how to use the EDDM online tool to create mailing campaigns. So now we're going to see what we need to do to create the actual piece of mail that will be going out, Katie, for your restaurant. What kind of mailers do you guys send?

Katie: We use a wide variety of mailers. Because we have so many different needs across the businesses, we tend to use postcard-style mailings when we want to advertise a particular special or promote a new menu we're launching. Another way we like to use mailers is a bifold menu. So that is great for takeout versus delivery services. Something similar to what you'd see here, it's a great way to get in front of our guests all of our menus and any potential food specials we're running. So they can have that in front of them and come and dine with us or even do takeout options.

Dan: I'm sure you'd agree that when you're designing your mailer, you have to get creative. Yes, it's a great canvas for your brand, and you have options. You have half-fold, bi-fold and trifold options to choose from.  A good design is important; you can design a mailpiece yourself or if you need help, you can use the “find a printer” tab located on the EDDM online tool for local printers in your area.  Guys, who designs your mailers?

Katie: I'm very hands-on with the design of our mailers. I love to really infuse each of the brands’ looks and feels so that the mailer represents the brand accurately. So the way that these mailers look and feel and how they are specific to each brand are very important, I feel.  I'm making sure that all of these mailers have customized fonts and colors that complement the brand's aesthetics already. And we make sure we include language that feels like the brand and is very much tied in with that feeling. Design is an essential part of the customization of these mailers to make sure when it gets in front of your potential patron that they really understand who you are and what you're saying.

Dan: You sound like you understand how to personalize them to make sure that they're really connecting with your brand. Let's talk now about the dimensions of your mailer. They're pretty easy to understand. But they have to be accurate to ensure those mailers get to where they need to go. Now we are all generally familiar with these standard EDDM sizes, because they show up in all of our mailboxes. You can use other sizes as well, though, and here's what you need to make sure of: A mailer has to be flat, and it can't weigh more than 3.3 ounces and has to meet at least one of these criteria?--be at least 6.125 inches tall, no more than 10.5 inches long; and at least .25 inches thick. I know that sounds like a lot. But it's actually pretty straightforward. And the EDDM online tool has a mailpiece size checker built right into it. It's located right here on the website, and it'll make sure that your mailpiece meets the size requirements. Just enter the size of the mailpiece you want to create. And the tool will tell you if it's acceptable. If your design is a little off. It'll also give you the correct dimensions.
Yes, that's very easy to use, because it has a lot of technical information. So the tool makes it super easy for you.

Now that we've got the design and the dimensions sorted out, let's talk about what's in your mailer. In your case, what do you always make sure to include, Katie? 

Katie: Well, I always like to make sure that the logo is centrally located, clearly speaks to the brand, and lets them know right away who you are. I also like to include any contact information, phone numbers, how they can find you. We like to include calls of action, as well. We make sure there’s a way to know that the patron actually received the mailer and get the patron to physically bring it to us so that we can know that mailer directed that sale. Links to QR Codes, like I mentioned, are really beneficial to track the success of the mail campaign. (QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INC.)

Dan: It's essential for the customers to have a way to respond to you so you can know just how effective that campaign has been. So phone numbers, QR Codes, like you said, websites and coupons are great ways to engage customers with your business. We'll touch on this more in the fifth video, which is all about driving results from your EDDM campaign. The tactics we just talked about are really important for that. This was great, Katie. Thank you so much for joining us. I cannot wait for that Monday night burger special, medium rare.

Katie:  Gotcha covered. Thanks, Dan. 

Dan: All right, folks. In our next video, we'll take a look at how to get the labels and postage onto your mailers.  Don't worry, it's easy. See you soon.