Direct Mail: Definition and additional resources from BNET
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BNET Business Dictionary

Business Definition for: Direct Mail

  • the sending by mail, fax, or e-mail of advertising communications addressed to specific prospective customers. Direct mail is one tool that can be used as part of a marketing strategy. The use of direct mail is often administered by third-party companies that own databases containing not only names and addresses, but also social, economic, and lifestyle information. It is sometimes seen as an invasion of personal privacy, and there is some public resentment of this form of advertising. This is particularly true of e-mailed direct mail, known derogatively as spam. By enabling advertisers to target a specific type of potential customer, however, direct mail can be more cost-efficient than other advertising media. It is frequently used as part of a relationship marketing strategy.

Additional Resources

25 Ways to Do Direct Mail Better
Direct mail can be one of the most efficient, cost-effective marketing vehicles available today. Even in this age of e-commerce, every marketing plan should include a direct-mail component to communicate a company's message. If a person wants proof of the power of direct mail, notice how Internet companies rely on...
Tags: direct mail, marketing
White papers 2002-10-29
Twenty-Five Ways to Do Direct Mail Better
It's so easy to waste money on direct mail that many companies make it a daily practice. Conversely, direct mail can be one of the most efficient, cost-effective marketing vehicles available today. Even when e-commerce is exploding, every marketing plan should include a direct mail component in order to communicate...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2001-07-02
Direct Mail 101: A Weaponry That Works
Direct mail is the most misunderstood, and most neglected, marketing tool among today’s independent professionals. Most people do direct mail all wrong, and then they cry about it all year. If the peers have declared that "direct mail fails," a person may face failure or boring, intimidating or indistinguishable direct...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
An Ode To Direct Mail
Direct mail is the medium everyone loves to hate. As long as direct mailers don't abuse customers' privacy - a big "if" indeed in the laissez faire U.S.- the only really bad thing about direct mail is its environmental impact. And, blessedly, direct mail packages are lighter and thinner than...
Tags: article, direct mail
White papers 2002-04-01
Direct Mail...Costly But Personalized, Direct Promotion
One of the most important and expensive promotional tools of marketing is direct mail. Direct mail marketing eases the tedious process of marketing by reaching out directly to target customers. But, many companies feel that direct mail is a costly affair. Hence, experts suggest that before resorting to the benefits...
Tags: direct mail, marketing
White papers 2003-01-01
Turn Up The Volume With Direct-Mail Advertising
Direct mail continues to attract more marketing dollars than all other forms of advertising combined. Direct-mail campaigns can be tailored to almost any budget. They can even pass through the Web rather than the U.S. Postal Service, reducing costs to the barest essentials of message creation and mail-list management. Using...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
Sending The Right Message: How To Match A Direct Mailer To Your Marketing
Direct mail is one of the important tools of marketing. Companies should see to it that their direct mail strategy is complementing their marketing style or not. There are various challenges faced during direct mail promotion. Thus, devising an effective direct mail marketing goals goes a long way in gaining...
Tags: direct mail, marketing
White papers 2003-01-01
28 Ways to Optimize Direct Mail Design
Marketing throughdirect mail has a number of advantages over branding and other less targeted mediums.With enhancment techniques applied to quality lists, direct mail can be very targeted . Mail that is timely and relevant can be a very component in a well sequenced multi-touch campaign. Well designed direct mail can...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2002-01-01
10 Direct Mail Secrets
Some of the most innovative and effective advertising is delivered through the mail, and more and more business owners are finding the rewards of direct mail are great if their campaigns are designed with a discerning eye and a realistic strategy in mind. Looking for some tips to help create...
Tags: entrepreneur.com inc., direct mail, entrepreneurship, management
White papers 2005-07-29
How to Write a Better Direct Mail Letter
Writing a mail letter is very crucial in the organization. This article provides eight golden guidelines for writing the better direct mail. Some of these include: Write it like you say it, The best direct mail is very personnel direct mail, Never, but never talk down to your audience etc....
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
The 12 Most Common Direct Mail Mistakes
Successful direct mail does not depend on fancy, four-color design or "creative" copy. The article elaborates the 12 most common direct mail mistakes: ignoring the most important factor in direct-mail success, not testing, not using a letter in the mailing package, features vs. benefits, not having an offer, etc. To...
Tags: article, direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
Direct Mail Marketing in the coming decade
Direct Mail Marketing is both an art and a science. It can be defined with 4 short phrases; Direct mail is action oriented, measurable, persuasive and sales discipline. This is mainly for the customers. With regard to it, customer too has choices to make. Besides this, the article discusses the...
Tags: direct mail marketing, direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
Direct-Mail Tips For Sophisticated Marketers
From the executive summary: ‘The latest electronic databases and slice-and-dice psychographics have transformed old fashioned direct-mail methods. With appropriate lists and laser-targeted customers, direct mail is very effective. Its reach and credibility yields results that differ from other marketing efforts.’ Hence, direct mail is proving to be the most useful...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
Best Software Announces Direct Mail on Demand Program for Business Partners
Best Software announced today the launch of its Direct Mail on Demand program for Mid-Market Division MMD business partners, an innovative, yet simple program to help business partners maximize their return-on-investment ROI for direct mail marketing initiatives. The new direct mail program uses online automation to simplify the process of...
Tags: best software, direct mail
Research articles 2005-03-22
5 Tips for Improving Direct Mail Fundraising Efforts
From the executive summary: ‘Direct mail provides the lifeline for any non-profit organization and can be the difference between a successful fundraising campaign and one that achieves a lackluster response. Even in today’s world of ever-changing technologies, direct mail is still the key medium for fundraising. However, numerous marketers fail...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2004-02-03
5 Steps To Hitting Your Direct Mail Targets
E-mail and Internet marketing may be attracting buzz, but there are still strong incentives to send printed messages directly to customers whom you select. Direct mail gives you complete control over who sees your marketing, in contrast to advertising in print, online-mail, Web sites, or television. The latest electronic tools...
Tags: direct mail
White papers
7 Direct Mail Secrets Guaranteed to Create a Stampede of New Business
Direct mail can become the most predictable and consistent way to generate more customers yet most businesses are guilty of doing it wrong. This article explains some direct mail secrets to create your new business like listing your mails, continous mailing, testing, tracking etc. Adding direct mail to your marketing...
Tags: direct mail
White papers
Three Cost-Effective Ways To Use Direct Mail
Direct mail strategies can put to work to achieve better, more profitable results. The two benefits of direct mail are its pinpoint targeting ability, its ability to deliver a full and complete sales presentation of any length. This article explains some direct mail marketing strategies (as opposed to single-shot mailing...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2002-01-01
The 10 Big Bad Ugly Mistakes In Direct Mail
The concept of ‘direct mail marketing’ has proved to be a boon for corporate world. With the help of direct mail marketing, companies can reach out to their customers more conveniently. Today, people can avail and buy whole new range of services and products at a click of a mouse....
Tags: direct mail marketing, direct mail
White papers 2003-01-01
7 Secrets to Winning the Direct Mail Game
This article explains some secrets to win direct mail game like always look at your direct mail as your recipient will look at it, remenber your primary objective etc. To create successful direct mail you need to talk with your customer. To create successful direct mail you need to talk...
Tags: direct mail
White papers 2002-01-01
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