Borrowing words from Potter Stewart and applying them to junk mail, its often hard to define, but I know it when I see it. So do you.

Junk mail is worthless, often gimmicky, riddled with hype, pushy in its call to action, and most often laced with bold type, highlights, and font changes. It is hard to define, but we see it before we even open it, sometimes

But dont confuse direct mail with junk mail. While all junk mail is direct mail, not all direct mail is junk mail.

I do a fair amount of direct mail, both in support of my clients business and mine. And Ive successfully used direct mail to generate leads and sales for B-B businesses selling to Fortune 500 executives, as well as B-G businesses selling to local and state governments. Bottom-line, direct mail works.

You can successfully use direct mail to gain access to corporate executives and elected officials.

Here are a few tips to make direct mail work for you, even when sent to the most sophisticated and historically skeptical and hard to reach prospects:

Look-n-feel professional. Dont send anything cheesy or cute. Cute doesnt earn respect.
Be direct. Tell the person youre mailing to why youre doing so and what you hope to gain from having done it. If you want the reader to do something, tell them in simple terms what you want them to do.
Get to the point. Long and short copy both work, but dont wander around in your copy building a story that doesnt need to be told.
Dont imply anything. State benefits, difference, and reason to believe as clearly as possible.
Cite relevant testimonials. Let the reader know youre legitimate.
Make an offer. Give your reader something to act on. You wont insult them.
Dont add a crazy amount of PS, PPS, etc. Its okay to add a PS, but make it relevant and eliminate over-hyped copy.
Bold-faced type is okay. Bold sub-titles and key points. But dont get carried away.
Rarely use highlighted type. Used judiciously its okay, but watch your professional look-n-feel.
Dont use tricks or gimmicks. You can increase open and response rates by disguising envelops, implying things that dont really exist, and using a wide array of other tricks and gimmicks. But dont do it. If youre a serious business with a real offer and real benefits, its not necessary.

Theres my quick list of 10 things to guide a successful direct mail campaign to B-B executives and B-G elected and senior non-elected officials. I use these basic guidelines in successful direct mail campaigns all the time, it works.