What counts
- A postcard from a dentist reminding the neighborhood they're taking new patients
- A letter from a charity asking for a donation
- A catalog from a retailer
- A folded menu from a new restaurant, delivered to every house nearby
- A coupon mailer from a local service company
What doesn't
- Flyers left on doors or windshields. Hand delivery isn't mail.
- Email, even though it's sometimes called "direct mail" in older marketing books.
- Bills and statements. They arrive by mail, but they aren't promotional.
- Packages you ordered.
How it's different
Most advertising buys attention in a place: a page, a screen, a billboard. Direct mail buys a delivery to an address. That makes it:
- Targetable by place. You can choose the streets, ZIP Codes or specific households.
- Countable. You know exactly how many pieces went out.
- Physical. It's held in a hand and stays in the house until someone throws it away.
Two ways it reaches people
Addressed mail goes to named people or specific addresses from a list. It can be personalized: a name, a past purchase, a tailored offer.
Saturation mail goes to every address on a route, with no list and no names. USPS's Every Door Direct Mail® is the best-known version. It's cheaper per piece and can't be personalized.
Questions readers ask
What is direct mail in simple terms?
Printed advertising sent through the mail to homes or businesses.
Is a flyer on a door direct mail?
No. Direct mail is delivered by the postal service. Hand-delivered flyers are a different channel.
Is direct mail the same as junk mail?
"Junk mail" is what people call direct mail they didn't want. The format is the same. The difference is whether it's relevant to the person who gets it.
What's the difference between direct mail and EDDM?
EDDM is one way of sending direct mail: to every address on a route, without a list.