To understand the characteristics of a mailing campaign, it is first necessary to define it and identify the differences with other marketing practices with which it may be confused.
Mailing is not limited to direct mail, sending advertisements by mail, direct advertising, or direct sales. It is a set of elements that encompass various cross-strategies with defined objectives.
Mailing refers to the process of sending communications, advertisements, or other materials to a list of recipients, typically via postal services or digital means like email. It is a broad term encompassing any form of message distribution to individuals or groups.
Direct Mailing, as described by Kotler and Armstrong (2021), specifically refers to targeted promotional materials sent to a well-defined audience, often as part of a direct marketing campaign. It is highly personalized and designed to prompt an immediate response.
For example, you might find a letter from your phone company in your mailbox notifying you of a change in the billing system. This is considered direct mail, but it is not mailing.
Mailing requires a dynamic and interactive approach characteristic of direct marketing, as it demands a high level of personalization and aims for an immediate response.
Areas of application
As we can see, the concept of mailing involves the establishment and implementation of a global and dynamic operating system that is not limited to sending a written communication. It has purposes beyond that communication and can be used as a standalone tool or combined with other marketing techniques (direct or otherwise) in any of the six main areas of direct marketing application:
1. Direct sales
2. Support in the sales area
3. Information distribution
4. Marketing research
5. Support for the distribution network
6. Development of a customer base
The purpose of mailing is to generate a response from its recipients.
Characteristics of Mailing:
Method of contact: Written and direct communication, preferably personalized and tailored to each recipient.
Objective: To establish an interactive, personalized, and tailored dialogue between the company and the recipient.
Purpose: To provoke an immediate reaction from the recipients.
As Part of Direct Marketing: Provides the tools recipients need to channel the response the company aims to elicit.
Applications: Direct sales, support in the sales area, information distribution, marketing research, support for the distribution network, and development of a customer base.
Strategies for a positive response:
One common mistake entrepreneurs make with mailing is limiting it to providing information while expecting recipients to respond spontaneously, without including sufficient elements to encourage a response.
But how can we obtain a positive response from our audiences or clients?
Publishing and Marketing (2005) present several statements that, based on motivation theory, may help us avoid errors in mailing strategies.
Motivation theory suggests that clients or audiences pursue specific goals, classified as “vital goals” and “social goals.” These compensations or benefits can take different forms, defined by the specific needs, desires, and expectations of our audiences. These needs will depend on the type of goal the client has in mind and their characteristics related to the market segments they belong to.
Some authors use Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to create effective strategies for obtaining a positive response in mailing campaigns.
| MAXIMUM GOAL | HAPPINESS |
|---|---|
| VITAL GOALS (Desired life outcomes) | Health |
| Vitality | |
| Being loved and admired | |
| Knowledge | |
| Self-confidence | |
| Integrity and Serenity | |
| Physical beauty | |
| Cleanliness | |
| Wealth | |
| Culture | |
| Control over one’s life | |
| Friendship | |
| Security | |
| Social Goals (Desired social effects) | Communicating personal values, status, and self-image to others |
| Marking social events | |
| Bringing order to events | |
| Increasing available time for participation in social activities |
Both theories, evolve the statement that “People always act trying to obtain a compensation or benefit as a result of their actions.
Consequently, we can consider the following principles that can be applied to mailing:
- When a person reacts positively to a mailing message, it is because the message provides the necessary information that allows them to clearly perceive that their positive reaction to the message will bring some type of “compensation” or “benefit.”
- When the message in the mailing is limited to merely informing or describing the product, it leaves the recipient with the “task” of convincing themselves that acting positively will result in a compensation or benefit.
- When a person is unaware of the benefit the product offers, or if it does not meet a need, desire, or expectation, the message will be ignored.
Needs, Desires, and Expectations
As we have observed, individuals act to fulfill specific needs and desires. There are significant distinctions between these two concepts:
A) Need: This refers to the conscious perception of the absence, lack, or deprivation of something essential that one cannot forgo, neglect, or resist, such as food, clothing, or health.
B) Desire: This represents an ambition or inclination, often vague, indicating the lack or deprivation of something whose fulfillment is less obligatory.
As O’Shaughnessy notes:
“Most desires are not like the pangs of hunger that demand satisfaction; rather, they are inclinations that are weighed during the process of choosing one action over another.”
Application in Marketing:
1. The combination of needs and desires reflects a predisposition to achieve a certain standard of living, such as health, wealth, culture, or recognition.
2. If individuals are free to choose, they will respond only to stimuli that enable them to satisfy their needs and desires.
3. Many needs and desires are often interchangeable without causing a sense of deprivation. However, desires, by their nature, are more easily substituted for one another.
4. Commercial persuasion (advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, and similar strategies) can lead to the substitution of one desire for another when both serve the same objective.
5. Even when a need or desire has led to a decision to act, the desire may remain vague or imprecise until the moment of action.
6. Individuals are not always aware of their desires until an external stimulus, such as promotional messages, reminds or activates them.
7. People may feel the need for something they do not desire (e.g., studying to achieve a professional qualification).
Individuals act positively when they can anticipate the compensation or benefit they will receive as a result of their actions.
C) Expectations
Expectations represent the specific, tangible, and intangible characteristics that individuals hope to find in products or services.
These expectations are based on a series of beliefs about the offerings made by companies, particularly regarding their functional characteristics.
To ensure the success of a mailing message, it is necessary to:
Generate in recipients the anticipation of satisfying their needs, desires, and expectations.
The Benefit
The benefit can be interpreted as the offering made by a company to the market, capable of satisfying a need or desire.
Recipients must independently undertake the mental process that leads them to:
1. Transform the features described in the mailing into advantages.
2. Convert those advantages into personal benefits.
The SPIN theory
The SPIN theory is a popular sales method that involves the following idea:
Consumers only buy “benefits”. The buying decision only is materialized when the potential buyer perceives a clear benefit during the buying process.
Differences between the areas of application:
- Mailing vs. Direct Mailing:
Mailing is a general term that can include any type of correspondence, whether promotional, informational, or transactional.
Direct Mailing, as described by Kotler and Armstrong (2021), specifically refers to targeted promotional materials sent to a well-defined audience, often as part of a direct marketing campaign. It is highly personalized and designed to prompt an immediate response.
- Mailing vs. Mail Advertising:
Mail Advertising is a subset of mailing focused on promoting products or services through physical mail or email campaigns. Its goal is to increase awareness or drive sales by catching the recipient’s attention with creative and engaging content.
Unlike general Mailing, mail advertising explicitly aims for promotional outcomes.
- Mailing vs. Direct Sales:
Mailing involves sending information or promotional material, which may or may not lead to a sale.
Direct Sales, as defined by Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick (2019), entails face-to-face or direct interaction with customers, often bypassing intermediary channels. Mailing may support direct sales by providing leads or product information, but it is not the same as the personal selling process inherent in direct sales.
References:
Publishing, Marketing. 2025. Acción directa: el mailing y el teléfono. Madrid: Ediciones Díaz de Santos, 2007. eLibro
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2021). Principles of Marketing (18th Edition). Pearson.
Jobber, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Principles and Practice of Marketing (9th Edition). McGraw-Hill.