Building Your Own EDDM®: Melissa APIs vs USPS Tools

Every Door Direct Mail® (EDDM) is a service the USPS offers that allows businesses to target specific geographic areas with direct mail without needing a mailing list. By leveraging USPS's EDDM service, companies can identify delivery routes based on zip codes and basic demographics, but it has limitations regarding targeting precision. With Melissa’s APIs, businesses can create a refined, tailored EDDM strategy beyond basic USPS offerings. This blog walks you through building your own EDDM system using Melissa's APIs and services, providing superior targeting and data quality.

How USPS’s EDDM System Works

Step 1: Search for Routes 

Begin by entering a ZIP code on the USPS EDDM portal.

Step 2: View Carrier Routes on a Map 

Visualize routes in a ZIP code to identify delivery areas.

Step 3: Select Routes 

USPS allows route targeting by:

• • Residential or business route types
  • Total households in the area
  • Age group
  • Household size
  • Household income

While USPS’s EDDM offers route selection based on limited selections, Melissa’s Carrier Routes API allows for a more granular approach by offering even deeper insights into demographics and property-level data, including household income, home market value, age group, and more. This enables intelligent, data-driven targeting of your specific carrier routes rather than relying on generalized area selections. In addition, Melissa's Occupant Data includes occupant names, adding a layer of personalization to your campaign that can significantly boost engagement.

Building Your Own EDDM Using Melissa’s APIs

Melissa’s Web Services provide advanced targeting and data management capabilities. They are designed to seamlessly integrate into your system, enabling you to build a personalized, fully embedded EDDM solution.  Here’s how you can use Melissa’s tools to create a more targeted and customized EDDM system:

Step 1: Use Carrier Route APIs to access Carrier Route Data
Melissa’s Carrier Route API enables you to retrieve detailed route data by either zip code or radius around a Carrier Route. The API returns valuable information, including geographic data, demographic insights, and the Carrier Route boundary in WKT format.

These APIs return detailed route information, including:

• • Resident Count
  • Apartment Count
  • P.O. Box Count
  • Business Count
  • Household income by Range
  • Number of Households
  • Age Groups by Range
  • Owner/Renter Count
  • Length of Residence
  • Carrier Route Types
    
    

View Carrier Routes by ZIP on Melissa's Website: Get Carrier Route by Zip Code

Sample Request to Get Carrier Route Data by ZIP:

curl -X GET " https://lookups.melissa.com/home/cartradius/?address=[address]&city=[City]&state=[State]&zipcode=[ZIP]&radius=[Radius]&fmt=json&\
?id=[Your_License_String]" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json"

View Carrier Route in a Radius on Melissa's Website: Get Carrier Route by Radius

Sample Request to retrieve Carrier Route data by Radius:

curl -X GET " https://lookups.melissa.com/home/cartradius/?address=[address]&city=[City]&state=[State]&zipcode=[ZIP]&radius=[Radius]&fmt=json\
&id=[Your_License_String]" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json"

Step 2: Use LeadGen Occupant API to download occupant names and mailing addresses

Once you’ve identified your carrier routes, Melissa’s LeadGen Occupant API lets you download address data for occupants, including names and other valuable details, to build a complete and targeted mailing list.

Sample Request to Get Occupant Data:

curl -X GET "https://list.melissadata.net/V1/occupant/rest/Service.svc/get/json/zip\
?id=[Your_License_String]&crrt=b007-92688&zip=92688" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json"
-H "Accept: application/json"

This API allows you to retrieve detailed occupant information, including:

• • Name,
  • Address Line, ZIP, Plus4, Carrier Routes, ect
  • Household type (residential, business, rural, etc.)

Step 3: Target Based on Demographics for Optimal Targeting

Melissa’s Data Retriever API also allows you to refine your demographic targeting further. By selecting specific attributes such as age, household income, marital status, or even the number of children in a household, you can create highly targeted campaigns that cater to the exact demographic you need.

This API lets you select various criteria such as:

• • Age group
  • Family size
  • Household income
  • Marital status
  • Gender
  • Homeownership status
  • Occupation
  • Property Year Built
  • Home Market Value
    

And more…

Sample Request:

curl -X POST https://dataretriever.melissadata.net/web/V1/ConsumerOne/doCount\
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-D '{"License String": "thisisanident", "includes": {"zips": [{"zip": "78727"}]},
"columns": ["melissaaddresskey","city","state"]}'

Why Use Melissa’s Data Over USPS EDDM?

While USPS's EDDM service is helpful for basic route targeting, it lacks detailed data on the occupants, such as names, household demographics, and income levels. Melissa’s APIs give you access to comprehensive occupant data, including specific consumer details, which allows for more personalized and targeted mail campaigns. You can access names, household sizes, income levels, and more, offering greater customization for your direct mail efforts, whereas using USPS EDDM alone will only give you generalized route data without any specific occupant information. By combining USPS’s delivery routes with Melissa’s robust data, you can create hyper-targeted, effective direct mail campaigns that drive better engagement and ROI.

Building a customized EDDM system with Melissa Services is a powerful way to enhance your direct mail campaigns. While USPS provides the basic framework for identifying delivery routes, Melissa’s APIs allow you to supercharge your targeting with rich demographic and occupant data. By integrating Melissa Carrier Route API, LeadGen Occupant API, and Data Retriever API, you can create a more personalized and efficient direct mail strategy, ultimately improving your marketing results.

Start building your EDDM system today with USPS and Melissa’s advanced APIs! Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for everything related to data quality!