Direct Mail Marketing Glossary: 80+ Terms Explained

A comprehensive reference of 80+ direct mail marketing terms used in the industry. Whether you're planning your first campaign or optimizing a multi-thousand-piece mailing, this glossary covers the terminology you need to understand.

Address Correction: A service provided by Canada Post (or USPS in the US) that updates incorrect or outdated addresses on mail pieces. Helps reduce undeliverable mail and wasted postage.
Addressed Admail: Canada Post's service for sending promotional mail to specific named recipients at their addresses. Requires a mailing list with verified addresses. Higher cost than Unaddressed Admail but allows targeting specific individuals.
Batch Mailing: Sending a large quantity of mail pieces at once to take advantage of volume postage discounts. Most commercial direct mail is sent in batches rather than individual pieces.
BRC (Business Reply Card): A pre-addressed, postage-paid card included in a mailing that recipients can return to the sender. Common in lead generation campaigns where you want a physical response.
BRE (Business Reply Envelope): A pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope included in a mailing. The sender pays postage only on envelopes that are actually returned, making it a cost-effective response mechanism.
Call to Action (CTA): The specific instruction telling the recipient what to do next. "Call now for a free quote," "Visit our website," or "Bring this card in for 15% off." Every direct mail piece needs a clear, single CTA.
Canada Post Neighbourhood Mail: Canada Post's unaddressed mail delivery service that delivers to every household on selected postal walks. The Canadian equivalent of EDDM in the US. Most affordable way to reach every door in a neighbourhood.
Carrier Route: A specific delivery path assigned to a mail carrier. In Canada, this is called a Letter Carrier Walk or Postal Walk. Targeting by carrier route allows precise geographic targeting.
Co-op Mailing: A shared mailing where multiple advertisers split the cost of a single mail piece (like a coupon book or multi-business postcard). Reduces cost per business but also reduces exclusivity and impact.
Control: The existing mail piece or offer that a new test version is compared against. In direct mail testing, the control is your current best-performing version.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of recipients who take the desired action (calling, visiting a website, making a purchase). For local business direct mail in Ontario, a 1-5% conversion rate is typical depending on the offer and targeting.
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): Total campaign cost divided by the number of new customers acquired. For a $697 campaign that generates 4 customers, the CPA is $174.25. Compare this to your average customer lifetime value to assess profitability.
Cost Per Lead (CPL): Total campaign cost divided by the number of leads (calls, form fills, or inquiries) generated. Lower than CPA because not all leads convert to customers.
Cost Per Piece (CPP): The total cost of producing and mailing a single mail piece, including design, printing, and postage. Our done-for-you packages range from approximately $1.00-$1.60 per piece depending on volume.
Data Hygiene: The process of cleaning and maintaining mailing list accuracy. Includes removing duplicates, correcting addresses, and updating records for people who have moved. Critical for reducing waste and improving deliverability.
Deliverability Rate: The percentage of mail pieces that successfully reach the intended recipient. Industry standard is 95-98%. Lower rates indicate list quality issues.
Dimensional Mail: Mail that is not flat — includes boxes, tubes, or packages. Much higher open rates than flat mail but significantly more expensive. Best for high-value B2B prospects.
Door Hanger: A printed piece designed to hang on a door handle rather than be mailed. Delivered by hand (not through Canada Post). Popular for hyper-local targeting — you can choose specific streets and skip businesses or apartments. See our door hanger printing.
Drip Campaign: A series of mail pieces sent at scheduled intervals to the same audience. Typically 3-5 touches over 8-12 weeks. Multiple touches significantly increase response rates compared to a single mailing.
Drop Date: The date mail pieces are delivered to Canada Post for processing. Not the date they arrive at homes. Allow 3-5 business days for delivery in Ontario after the drop date.
EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail): A US Postal Service program that delivers mail to every address on a postal route without needing a mailing list. The Canadian equivalent is Canada Post Neighbourhood Mail. Most cost-effective for saturation coverage.
Frequency: How often you mail to the same audience. Direct mail research consistently shows that response rates increase with repeat mailings. The rule of thumb is 3-7 touches before a prospect takes action.
FSA (Forward Sortation Area): The first three characters of a Canadian postal code (e.g., L2E). FSAs define broad geographic areas and are the primary unit for targeting in Canada Post Neighbourhood Mail campaigns.
Gang Run: A printing technique where multiple jobs are printed together on the same sheet to reduce costs. Most commercial postcards and flyers are gang-run. Colour accuracy may vary slightly compared to dedicated runs.
Geographic Targeting: Selecting recipients based on their physical location. For local businesses, this means targeting specific postal walks, neighbourhoods, cities, or a radius around your business location.
Household Income Targeting: Selecting recipients based on estimated household income ranges. Available through list providers for addressed mail campaigns. Useful for high-ticket services like roofing, HVAC, or dental implants.
Indicia: The postal marking printed on mail that indicates postage has been paid. Appears as a permit imprint in the upper-right corner of the mail piece instead of a stamp.
Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMB): A barcode used by USPS on US mail. The Canadian equivalent is the barcode system used by Canada Post for automated sorting. Enables tracking and faster processing.
Johnson Box: A boxed area at the top of a sales letter that highlights the main offer or benefit before the salutation. Named after direct mail pioneer Frank Johnson. Proven to increase readership.
Letter Carrier Walk (LCW): A Canada Post term for the specific delivery route a letter carrier follows. Each LCW covers approximately 300-800 addresses. This is the targeting unit for Neighbourhood Mail campaigns.
Lift Note: A small additional note included in a direct mail package, typically with a message like "Read this only if you've decided not to respond." Lift notes have been shown to increase response rates by 10-15%.
List Broker: A company that rents or sells mailing lists from various sources. Lists can be targeted by geography, demographics, purchase behaviour, and other criteria.
Mailing List: A database of names and addresses used for direct mail campaigns. Can be compiled from public records, purchased from list brokers, or built from your own customer records. List quality is the single biggest factor in campaign success.
Matchback Analysis: Comparing your mailing list against actual customers/sales to determine which new customers were on the mailing list. Helps measure true direct mail ROI even when customers don't mention the mailer.
NCOA (National Change of Address): A database of address changes filed with Canada Post (or USPS in the US). Running your list against NCOA before mailing updates moved addresses and reduces undeliverable mail.
New Mover List: A mailing list of people who have recently moved to a new address. New movers spend significantly more on home services, restaurants, and local businesses in their first year. Highly valuable for contractor and service business campaigns.
Nixie: Mail that is undeliverable as addressed. Causes include wrong address, vacant property, or deceased recipient. High nixie rates indicate poor list quality and wasted postage.
Offer: The incentive or proposition presented to the recipient. "15% off your first service," "$50 off furnace tune-up," or "Free estimate." The offer is typically the most important element in determining response rate.
Oversized Postcard: A postcard larger than the standard 4x6 size, typically 6x9 or 6x11 inches. Oversized postcards stand out in the mailbox and have higher response rates than standard sizes. Our recommended format for most local business campaigns.
Personalization: Customizing mail pieces with the recipient's name, address, or other personal information. Variable data printing makes personalization affordable. Personalized mail typically gets 2-3x higher response rates than generic mailings.
Postal Walk: See Letter Carrier Walk (LCW). The route a mail carrier follows for daily delivery.
Presort: Sorting mail by postal code or delivery route before delivering it to Canada Post. Presorting qualifies for lower postage rates because it reduces processing work for the postal service.
PURL (Personalized URL): A unique website address for each mail recipient (e.g., JohnSmith.youroffer.com). When visited, it confirms the recipient responded and can pre-fill their information. Enables precise tracking of direct mail to online conversions.
QR Code: A scannable code printed on mail that links to a website, phone number, or other digital content. Adding QR codes to direct mail bridges the gap between physical and digital marketing. Track scans to measure engagement.
Recency: How recently a mailing list record was verified or a customer made a purchase. More recent data is more accurate. Lists older than 6 months should be updated before mailing.
Response Rate: The percentage of mail recipients who respond (call, visit website, or take another action). Industry averages for local business direct mail in Canada range from 1-5% depending on targeting, offer, and creative quality.
Retargeting Mail: Sending physical mail to people who visited your website but did not convert. Uses cookie-based matching to identify website visitors and send them a personalized mail piece. Combines digital tracking with physical mail impact.
ROI (Return on Investment): Revenue generated minus campaign cost, divided by campaign cost, expressed as a percentage. A $697 campaign that generates $5,000 in revenue has an ROI of 617%. See our ROI calculator.
Saturation Mailing: Mailing to every deliverable address in a geographic area, regardless of who lives there. The most affordable option per piece because it requires no list purchase and qualifies for the lowest postage rates.
Self-Mailer: A mail piece that serves as both the message and the envelope — no separate envelope required. Includes folded postcards, tri-fold brochures with a wafer seal, and booklets. Saves envelope and insertion costs.
Split Test (A/B Test): Sending two different versions of a mail piece to equal portions of your list to determine which performs better. Test one variable at a time — headline, offer, image, or format — to identify winners.
Targeting: Selecting the right audience for your mailing based on demographics, geography, behaviour, or other criteria. Better targeting is the fastest way to improve response rates and reduce wasted spend.
Trigger Mail: Automated mail sent based on a specific event or behaviour — such as a new home purchase, a birthday, or an abandoned online cart. Trigger mail is highly relevant and timely, resulting in above-average response rates.
UAA (Undeliverable As Addressed): Mail that cannot be delivered to the addressed recipient and is returned to sender. Common reasons: moved, no such address, vacant property. High UAA rates indicate list quality problems.
Unaddressed Admail: Canada Post's service for delivering promotional mail to every address on selected postal walks without needing names or specific addresses. The most cost-effective way to reach every household in a neighbourhood. This is what our direct mail packages primarily use.
Variable Data Printing (VDP): Digital printing technology that allows each piece in a print run to be customized with different text, images, or data. Used for personalizing mail pieces with recipient names, custom offers, or neighbourhood-specific content.
Walk Sequence: The order in which a letter carrier delivers mail along their route. Sorting mail in walk sequence order qualifies for the deepest postage discounts from Canada Post.
White Mail: Response mail received from customers that is not in a pre-printed reply envelope — typically a customer-supplied envelope or a letter. Indicates strong enough interest that the person made their own effort to respond.

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Direct Mail Marketing Glossary: 80+ Terms Explained

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