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direct mail

direct mail

11 3.2
Printed ads sent by post to possible customers
  • noun
  • /dəˈrɛkt meɪl/
translation icon : correo directo
  • Each year, the company sends out over 100,000 pieces of direct mail to its prospective clients.
  • direct mail campaign
  • direct mail solicitation

The last one is your e-mail newsletter, your direct mail pieces, right?

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Examples

  • The remainder was spent on direct mail, which most Americans toss before it arrives on our kitchen counters.

    Blog text (24)
  • The standard conversion rate for direct mail is between 1% and 2%.

    Blog text (22)
  • I did this massive direct mail campaign.

  • The Challenge: The United States Post Office has introduced a new direct mail service for businesses.

    Blog text (32)
  • If you are having a big sale, use direct mail to inform your customers well in advance.

    Blog text (18)
  • Furthermore, direct mail has a response rate of up to 10 to 30 times that of email.

    Blog text (10)
  • Build a fundraising network using personal contacts, direct mail, special events, and foundation support.

    Blog text (17)
  • I have had several clients construct such postcard direct mail campaigns and realize an almost 50% to 60% conversion rate.

    Blog text (22)
  • Tierney was later responsible for compiling a list of three million Catholics for a direct-mail and phone campaign.

    Academic text (2001)
  • At the Rutherford Institute, about 95 percent of a $6.5 million budget comes from direct-mail solicitation, with the average gift just $17, says Whitehead.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

mailing
vsdirect mail
34 1.8

A group of letters or ads sent together

is advertising sent to individual potential customers not just a batch process
junk mail
vsdirect mail
16 2.1

Unwanted letters and ads sent to many people

is legitimate targeted advertising sent to likely customers not necessarily unwanted
mailer
vsdirect mail
  • Jargon
10 3.7

A paper advertisement sent to homes to promote a product

is sent by post specifically to potential customers rather than mass media
direct marketing
vsdirect mail
4 3.5

A way of sending advertising messages directly to individual customers, for example by email

is limited to postal advertising sent to potential customers rather than other channels
bulk mail
vsdirect mail
  • Specialized
3.2

Mail sent by post in large amounts to many people, often ads or flyers

is advertising tailored to prospective customers rather than mass identical distribution

Antonyms

1 3.8

A way to send information to many people, like TV or radio

How Targeted

direct mail
11 3.2
mass medium
1 3.8

Surface Forms

direct mail singular
direct mails plural

Morphology

direct + mail

The phrase is compositionally built from 'direct' + 'mail', so a B1 learner who knows the words will understand it refers to mail sent straight to recipients. However, the specialized sense 'advertising/promotional material sent to prospective customers' (the marketing intent) is a semantic narrowing not fully predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partly transparent.

Etymology

Direct mail comes from the clear image of ads sent straight to your home: direct means straight to you and mail means letters or flyers delivered to your mailbox. So, it now means 'advertising material sent by post to prospective customers'.