Direct Mail & Postcard Marketing Glossary
25 plain-English definitions for the direct mail and postcard marketing terms that matter to small service businesses. Bookmark this page or share it with a colleague.
New to direct mail? Start with Direct Mail, then Direct Mail Response Rate, and Return on Investment (ROI): those three together explain how the rest of the channel works.
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- Call to Action (CTA) The specific instruction that tells the recipient exactly what to do next: call, scan, visit, redeem.
- Campaign Playbook A pre-built campaign template with timing, messaging, channels, and follow-up steps configured end-to-end.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) The total revenue a typical customer generates over the entire time they remain a customer.
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- Postage Permit Indicia A printed marking on a mail piece that authorizes prepaid postage in place of a physical stamp.
- Postcard Marketing A direct mail strategy using postcards (uncovered, single-piece mailers) to reach customers and prospects.
- Prospect List A mailing list of potential new customers: purchased, rented, or compiled from public sources.
- PRSRT STD (Presort Standard) A USPS Marketing Mail postage class indicia indicating bulk-rate, presorted, non-First-Class delivery.
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- Reactivation Campaign A targeted marketing sequence aimed at bringing back lapsed or inactive customers.
- Recall Postcard A postcard sent to existing customers or patients who are overdue for a routine appointment or service.
- Return on Investment (ROI) The ratio of revenue generated to total campaign cost: typically expressed as X:1 or as a percentage.
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Ready to put these terms to work?
Run the numbers on your own list with the ROI Calculator, or see PostKnock pricing.