By Theresa Witham
Community credit unions take note: The U.S. Postal Service has a program called Every Door Direct that could save you lots of money in your direct mail efforts.
I first learned about the program while editing two articles for Credit Union Management. The first— "Zombies Attack Stagecoach … and other ways to capture members’ attention and build loan business"—focuses on credit union lending successes and shares the story of Charlotte, N.C.-based Carolina Postal Credit Union’s cool zombie-themed auto loan campaign. The CU was one of several around the country that signed on to PTP New Media's zombie promotion. The campaign was fun and very eye-catching: a perfect candidate for direct mail.
CUES member Deb McLean, VP/marketing and business development, explains that the credit union, thanks to a merger, has one community-based branch. The CU used the Every Door Direct program to mail a postcard to everyone with a mailbox in a five-mile radius of the town--without needing to purchase a mailing list.
In the second article—Here’s to the Old Kid on the Block: With all the hype about ‘new media,’ direct mail still plays a key supportive role—McLean states, “If I were with a community-based credit union, I’d be all over this. It’s fairly inexpensive—as little as 14 cents postage per postcard—but you do have to have the postcard formatted and addressed according to [USPS] specifications.”
McLean, who says her postal worker members actually thank her for sending direct mail, has also used the program to let nearby businesses and residents know there’s a new fee-free ATM and shared branch in their neighborhood.
From the Every Door Direct website: “Postage is as low as 14.5¢ per piece—and you don't even need to know names or street addresses. You simply identify the neighborhoods you want to target, and your printed piece is delivered with the day's mail to every address.”
I think McLean is right: This could be a great tool for community credit unions. Is anyone else using it? What experience—good or bad—do you have to share?
Theresa Witham is a CUES editor.
