Advantages
Allows you to target your message to a very specific audience. Pick one street of houses or all residents of a city. Target college freshmen or just college freshmen at one college who own a car. Mail to all of your customers or just to those who spend an average of $25 per visit to your store. The possibilities are as endless as your mailing lists accuracy allows.
This is a relatively expensive medium. However, if you are able to focus on only high-probability purchasers, cost effectiveness can be good.
Direct mail messages can be personalized to add reader appeal.
You can evaluate its effectiveness. If you compare the number of responses to the number of pieces mailed, you can calculate the response rate. If you include coded coupons or response cards you can keep track of exactly who responded and from where.
Mail readers are actively involved. People read their mail when they choose. So, for at least second or two, your message will have their undivided attention while they open and scan it.
Disadvantages
Many people don't like unsolicited offers and many are skeptical of their validity.
Increasingly, busy people don't even open what they view as "junk mail."
Using this method of advertising requires thorough maintenance of mail lists. Many advertisers do not like to bother with updating mail lists. With outdated lists, however, mail goes to undeliverable addresses and wastes your money. Another possible glitch - mail may contain out of date messages, spell names wrong, or address a person who has died and these kinds of errors annoy, or worse yet offend, the recipient.
Some groups are concerned about the environmental impact of resources used for advertising mailings.
This is a relatively expensive medium.
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