What Is Direct Marketing? Definition, Forms and Examples

Direct marketing is a marketing method and form of advertising where companies deliver marketing materials directly to a group of customers or targeted prospects about a product or service, with the aim of influencing them to perform a specific action. Many people confuse direct mail and direct marketing, but they have different meanings – so here at The Direct Mail Company, we wanted to clear up the confusion with a definition you can actually use.

Direct Marketing vs Direct Mail: What’s the Difference?

Direct marketing is the overall approach – communicating directly with a chosen audience to prompt a specific action – while direct mail is just one channel within it: the physical letters, postcards and flyers posted to that audience. In other words, all direct mail is direct marketing, but direct marketing also includes digital and telephone channels. Direct marketing is an effective and powerful way to share information about a product or service with prospects, whichever channels you choose.

What Are the Different Forms of Direct Marketing?

Here are eight forms of direct marketing businesses can send out:

1. Newsletters
2. Postcard marketing
3. Phone calls
4. Vouchers and discount codes
5. Email marketing
6. Text messages
7. Brochures
8. Flyers

The Direct Mail Company: A Professional Mailing House

The Direct Mail Company is a professional mailing house based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, providing a wide range of direct mail fulfilment services to small and large clients across the UK and internationally. Our main aim is to provide hassle-free printing and mail services at the best possible price without compromising quality, including great bulk postage rates for mail volumes above 500 – guaranteed to be a cheaper solution than franking and stamping your mail. We access great postage rates through leading delivery companies including Whistl, UKMail, Citipost and Royal Mail, and we offer 5-star customer service across our three core services:

Service	What We Do
Direct mail	We do the printing and the posting
Bulk postage	We apply our postage indicia to your prepared mail
Leaflet distribution	Our regular teams hand-deliver to your chosen postcode areas

Please call us on 0333 038 3797 or email sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk with your enquiry.

Direct Marketing: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the definition of direct marketing?

Direct marketing is a form of advertising where companies deliver marketing materials directly to targeted customers or prospects about a product or service, with the aim of prompting a specific action.

What is the difference between direct marketing and direct mail?

Direct marketing is the overall strategy of communicating directly with a chosen audience; direct mail is one channel within it – the physical mailings posted to that audience.

What are examples of direct marketing?

Newsletters, postcard marketing, phone calls, vouchers and discount codes, email marketing, text messages, brochures and flyers are all common forms.

What is the goal of direct marketing?

To influence the customer or prospect to perform a specific action – such as buying, enquiring, visiting or signing up – rather than simply building general awareness.

Who can run my direct marketing campaign?

The Direct Mail Company handles direct mail, bulk postage and leaflet distribution with 5-star service from its Wakefield mailing house. Call 0333 038 3797 or email sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk