If you own a local business in South Jersey, you've probably been pitched EDDM — Every Door Direct Mail. A stack of mailers, dropped at every address in a zip code. No targeting, no tracking, just paper in mailboxes.
It works. We're not here to say it doesn't. But before you write that check, it's worth understanding what you're actually buying — and what you're giving up compared to digital advertising done right.
What EDDM Actually Is
EDDM is a USPS program that lets businesses mail postcards, flyers, or menus to every address on a mail route without needing individual names or addresses. You pick the routes (typically by zip code), print the pieces, and drop them at the post office. The cost runs roughly $0.20–$0.23 per piece in postage alone, plus design, print, and your own time.
For a 5,000-piece mailing — a modest local run — you're looking at $1,000–$2,500 all in. It goes to everyone on that route: the retiree who might want your service, the renter who just moved in, and the household that definitely doesn't need what you're selling. There's no filter.
What Digital Marketing Actually Is
Digital marketing covers a wide range — social media ads, Google ads, email campaigns, sponsored content on local platforms. The key difference from EDDM is targeting and measurability. You can reach people by age, location, interest, and behavior. You know exactly how many people saw your ad, clicked it, and what they did next.
Done poorly — random boosted Facebook posts with no strategy — digital marketing wastes just as much money as misused EDDM. Done well, it's the most cost-efficient local advertising available today.
"The question isn't which one works. It's which one works for where you are, what you're selling, and what result you can actually measure."
Side by Side: The Real Comparison
| Factor | EDDM (Direct Mail) | The Gazette (Community Digital) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per impression | $0.20–$0.45 per piece | Fraction of a cent — unlimited reach across site, social & email |
| Targeting | Every address on a route — no filter | South Jersey residents who opted in — already local, already engaged |
| Lifespan | Glanced at, then recycled | Article stays live on site — searchable, shareable, permanently indexed |
| Credibility | Perceived as advertising | Editorial feature — neighbors recommend neighbors, not just ads |
| Measurability | Hard to track — coupon codes as proxy | Track page views, time on page, clicks, referral traffic |
| Repeat exposure | One-time mailing | Ongoing — every article, social share, and newsletter mention |
| SEO value | None | Indexed by Google — new customers find you for months or years |
| Trust factor | Strangers mailing to strangers | Community publication locals already read and trust |
Where EDDM Still Wins
We'll give credit where it's due. EDDM is still effective for certain businesses and goals:
High-density saturated marketing. Restaurants dropping menus, pizza shops launching a new location, or contractors blanketing a development — EDDM creates physical presence in a way digital can't. If you want every single household to physically hold your name, EDDM does that.
Older demographics. If your core customer is 65+, they're more likely to read and act on physical mail than a sponsored Facebook post.
Announcing something hyper-local. A new location opening, a special event, a seasonal offer specifically for residents in one zip code — EDDM delivers that physical, tangible moment of awareness.
What Makes the Gazette Different From Both
Here's where we have to be honest with you, because this is about more than a sales pitch.
Most digital advertising — Facebook ads, Google display, boosted posts — is perceived as advertising. People scroll past it. They've been trained to ignore it. You're fighting for attention against a thousand other sponsors in a feed built to keep people distracted.
The Gazette is different because the content isn't an ad. It's a community editorial feature. When your business gets a spotlight in the Gazette, neighbors read it the way they read a news story — not the way they skip a banner ad. The trust is already there because the publication is already trusted.
Beyond the numbers, there's something harder to quantify. When your business is featured in a community publication that covers your neighborhood's stories, events, and neighbors — you become part of that community narrative. You're not a vendor. You're a local institution.
What a Gazette Feature Gets You
A real editorial article written about your business — not a template ad, not a listing, a story. It lives on the site permanently, gets indexed by Google, and brings in new readers every time someone searches for what you do in South Jersey.
Social distribution across the Gazette's Facebook group and Instagram, where local readers actually follow and engage — not a paid boost, an organic feature in a publication they chose to follow.
Email newsletter placement reaching subscribers who opted in specifically to hear about local businesses and community news.
No competition. Your spotlight isn't running next to three competitors. The Gazette features one business per category per edition. When you're in, you're the one.
The Bottom Line
EDDM and digital marketing both have their place. The right answer for your business depends on your goals, your budget, and who your customer is. If you're launching a new location or blanketing a zip code with a menu, EDDM has real value. If you want measurable, ongoing, community-embedded visibility that builds trust over time — community digital is the move.
The Gazette isn't competing with EDDM. We're offering something neither EDDM nor generic digital advertising can: a trusted local voice, editorial credibility, and real community engagement — in the neighborhoods your customers actually live in.
If you're ready to stop being an ad and start being a story, the Gazette is where that happens.
Get Your Business Featured in the Gazette
Community spotlights, social distribution, email newsletter placement, and permanent SEO-indexed articles — reach South Jersey the right way.
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