What Is a Mailshot? Definition, Benefits and How to Send One
A mailshot is a direct marketing communication method where a business contacts a large group of customers and prospects through the post – most commonly with letters and postcards to sell goods and services, but also for event notifications, political campaigns, Christmas cards and formal correspondence. Mailshots have been used for many years as an effective, affordable direct marketing medium for small and large companies, in both B2B and B2C, and their power comes from how highly they can be personalised to each recipient. This guide tells you everything you need to know about sending a mailshot – with a fulfilment house, or printing and posting it yourself. Click here to get a quote now on a mailshot >
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Definition | Posted marketing sent to a large group of customers and prospects |
| Common formats | Letters, postcards, Christmas cards and formal letters |
| Used for | Selling goods and services, event notifications, political campaigns |
| Audiences | Both B2B and B2C |
| You supply | Data in Excel and artwork in PDF; digital proofs sent before print |
| Does Royal Mail offer mailshots? | No – Royal Mail provides final sortation and delivery only |
| Contact | 0333 038 3797 or sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk |
What Are the Benefits of Sending a Mailshot?
Using a mailshot to write to your customers and prospects has been an effective way to promote a business for many years. The main benefits of sending a mailshot are:
- Highly targeted
- Personalised for each recipient
- Easy to monitor and track campaign success
- An integrated marketing approach
- Easy to create and execute
- A higher ROI than comparable digital campaigns
- Supports your other marketing efforts
- Cost-effective direct marketing
- A proven history of success
Mailshot Companies in the UK
If you’re looking for a mailshot company in the UK, you’ve found a leading provider: The Direct Mail Company offers quality print, cheap postage and excellent customer service in one fully managed, 5-star-rated service, with fast turnaround across a wide variety of printed materials. Click here to get a quote now >
Mailshot Templates and Designs
Most of our clients send us their data in Excel and their artwork in PDF, and we send digital proofs to check before we begin printing. If you’d like something quicker to start from, ready-made mailshot templates are available online from stock libraries such as Adobe Stock and Shutterstock – design from a template, export the PDF, and we handle the rest.
Does Royal Mail Offer Mailshot Services?
No – there are no Royal Mail mailshot services. Royal Mail provides final sortation and delivery, and there are no plans for it to offer mailshot fulfilment; it does, however, offer mass leaflet delivery for unaddressed mailings. For the mailshot itself – print, personalisation and enclosing – you need a mailing house. Here at The Direct Mail Company we offer both personalised and non-personalised mailings, so contact us if you would like a free quotation.
Does the Post Office Offer Mailshots?
In short, no – the Post Office does not offer any mailshot services either. It can post and mail your finished mailshots, but you would have to print and enclose them yourself if you wish to DIY the campaign.
Sending a Mailshot With The Direct Mail Company
The Direct Mail Company is a professional mailing house based in Yorkshire, offering a wide range of mail fulfilment services to UK and international clients, with fast turnaround, low costs and efficiency as our main aims. We offer great bulk postage rates so you can save money on your next mailshot, and we use leading delivery companies including Whistl, UKMail, Citipost and Royal Mail to deliver your campaigns on time. If your business plans to send a mailshot, contact us on 0333 038 3797 or email sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk – or fill in your details below and we will get back to you within 2 hours. Get a quote on a mailshot below:
What Is a Mailshot: Frequently Asked Questions
What does mailshot mean?
A mailshot is posted marketing – typically letters or postcards – sent by a business to a large group of customers and prospects to sell goods and services or announce something.
Does Royal Mail do mailshots?
No. Royal Mail handles sortation and delivery only; the print, personalisation and enclosing of a mailshot are done by a mailing house, which then hands the finished mail to Royal Mail.
Can the Post Office send a mailshot for me?
The Post Office can post finished mail, but it offers no mailshot service – you would print and enclose everything yourself, which is why most businesses use a fulfilment house instead.
What do I need to supply for a mailshot?
Your data in an Excel file and your artwork as a PDF. You approve digital proofs before anything is printed, and templates from libraries like Adobe Stock can speed up the design stage.
Are mailshots for B2B or B2C?
Both – mailshots are highly effective in each, because they can be personalised precisely to the recipient whether that’s a business or a consumer.
How do I get a mailshot quote?
Call 0333 038 3797, email sales@thedirectmailcompany.co.uk, fill in the form above for a reply within 2 hours, or get a quote now >
