Direct Mail

  
Direct mail is a way of advertising in which advertisers mail printed ads, letters or other solicitations to large groups of consumers. Bulk-mail rates are used to lower the cost of the mailing, and targeted mailing lists are used to maximize potential response.

It is used in many different situations, limited primarily by the imagination of the advertiser. Stores typically use direct mail to advertise new products or to distribute coupons. Charities typically use it to raise money or recruit volunteers. Almost any sale pitch can be made by direct mail.

Since consumers often throw away mail associated with ads, marketers were challenged to ensure that consumers read their ads. Direct mail marketers now use a variety of techniques to ensure that the recipients open their envelope. Some go to great lengths to make the envelope and mailing appear personal, even using special computer fonts that look like handwriting. Others will target the mailing to the most-likely customers by using targeted mailing lists. Many direct mail marketers have realized that one of the biggest challenges can be getting the reader to simply open the envelope and read the ad.

Direct mail has entered the world of the internet, and many of the same techniques are showing up electronically in email. Some advertisers now send emails with ads to large groups of consumers.

They take advantage of the relatively low cost of obtaining a long list of email addresses and the little time needed to mail to thousands or millions of people. Perhaps not surprisingly, many computer users reacted by deleting what they perceive as "junk email".