SANTA BARBARA, CA — It’s now easier for small-business owners to harness the power of direct mail to drive traffic, attract new customers and increase revenue. That’s because the U.S. Postal Service recently introduced “Every Door Direct Mail” (EDDM) — a simple, low-cost service that allows local businesses to market to every address in their neighborhoods without the need to rent or purchase mailing lists.

Customers interested in taking advantage of EDDM to grow their business have an opportunity to attend an information session taking place at the Santa Barbara Mail Processing and Distribution Center on the following dates and time:

• June 14 or 15, 2011, at  4 p.m., Santa Barbara P&DC, 400 Storke Rd., Goleta, CA 93199

“Every Door Direct Mail is ideal for restaurants, doctors’ offices, hair salons — or any kind of local business that is not currently using the mail,” said Jennifer Vo, postmaster of Santa Barbara. “Direct mail has long been a proven advertising tool of choice of successful large businesses and Fortune 500 companies to promote products and drive sales. Now it’s easier and less expensive for small businesses to grow using direct mail.”

Every Door Direct Mail can lower costs by reducing mail preparation time and eliminating the need to purchase address lists and on-press printing. Compare this with Standard Mail, which offers a lower price on postage in return for the commercial mailer doing extra preparation work, such as presorting the mailing.

EDDM enables business mailers to conveniently address mailpieces to "Postal Customer” when complete coverage on any designated delivery route is intended. It’s a powerful communication tool for those trying to reach audiences within a specific geographic range, by using the most effective marketing channel there is — direct mail.

Direct mail has advantages other advertising media can’t claim — it’s personal, tangible, portable (can be set aside to read later and share with others), manageable and measureable. According to the Direct Marketing Association, every $1 spent on direct mail generates $12.57 in sales.

Find out about EDDM’s potential at www.usps.com/everydoordirectmail.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. We’re everywhere so you can be anywhere: www.uspseverywhere.com. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.