This program from the US Postal Service provides saturated mailings to specific carrier routes in your area, for a fraction of the regular postage costs. GCS works with you to find the best areas to target, using demographic information for your chosen zip codes. We then design and print your custom postcard, finalize your paperwork, and send you everything you need to take to the post office to complete your mailing. With EDDM you can:

• Target specific neighborhoods near your store
• Print as few as 500 pieces for your mailing
• Complete a mailing in about two weeks (from art approval)

What is EDDM and how does it work?

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is a simple and affordable USPS mailing program that provides a way for local business to target their immediate community at a significantly reduced postage rate.

You select the ZIP Codes and carrier routes that you would like to target. EDDM is classified as a “saturated mailing”, meaning that delivery is made to every home on the chosen carrier routes. In light of this, the USPS does not have to run your mail piece through their equipment. Instead, it is given directly to your postal carrier for delivery to every home on his route. Eliminating this one step allows for a significantly reduced postage rate, currently at 17.7 cents each.

How does GCS work with you to take advantage of the EDDM program?

GCS will help you determine which Zip Codes and carrier routes show the greatest prospects for your particular business.

Typically, GCS will evaluate a five-mile-drive radius from your location using the specific demographics that you would like to target, such as: single family homes, income levels, age range, and households known to have purchased garden items or publications or ‘own a pet’. We receive this information from Acxiom, a data analysis agency which collects consumer data to create highly targeted mailing lists. The resulting statistics are compiled in a spreadsheet and compared to that of the actual homes on the carrier routes in your target area. This provides a clear picture of which routes are most advantageous to your campaign. These are the routes that your mail piece will be delivered to.

After GCS receives your final artwork approval and your anticipated USPS drop-off date, your mail piece will be printed and shipped directly to you. In order to make mail preparation and delivery to the USPS straightforward, your shipment will come pre-banded in bundles of 100. You will also receive all necessary USPS paperwork via email. Simply print the paperwork and attach a “facing slip” on each banded bundle. When complete, deliver your mail bundles to your local post office(s) along with your postage payment and associated paperwork.

All Independent Garden Center owners know the challenges of working with limited resources, so much to do and so little time. It’s our nature, the squeaky wheel gets the oil and frequently some of the most important aspects of running a garden center, like marketing, get lost in the day to day frenzy of putting out fires. When finally addressed, our depleted focus and energy can cause us to make ineffective and costly decisions.

We’re all aware of the importance of mapping out a marketing plan. Without a strategy, business simply cannot move forward. Good marketing defines and identifies who we are and what we do. It entices sales, maintains existing customers and finds new ones. It is vital to business growth.

Hi, I’m Angela Cooley. One thing I know is that we’re all the same; time and money are our scarcest resources in this industry. I will help you economize on both as we work together to discover your business goals and your unique position in the market place. We’ll strategize and implement a solid and effective marketing plan that fits into your budget and maximizes your ROI. With over half-century of combined experience and a proven track record, my team and I have what it takes to grow your IGC.