> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getprova.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Direct Mail

> Learn how Provalytics ingests direct mail data as a custom marketing source.

## Overview

Direct Mail is one of the custom and non-conforming marketing sources Provalytics can ingest when there is no native platform connector.

This is a strong fit for:

* national direct mail programs
* regional or local mail drops
* prospecting and retention mail programs
* vendor-managed direct mail reporting files

Provalytics was built to organize structured client data into usable data layers, so Direct Mail can be modeled alongside the rest of your media mix.

## Recommended data structure

Best practice is to send Direct Mail data in a consistent hierarchy:

* `Channel`
* `Campaign Name`
* `Creative`

Helpful optional structure can also include:

* `Audience Segment`
* `Geography`
* `Vendor`

Recommended fields:

* `Date`
* `Impressions` or the closest available exposure metric such as mailed pieces
* `Channel`
* `Campaign Name`
* `Creative`

Helpful optional fields:

* `Spend`
* `Audience Segment`
* `Market`
* `Vendor`
* `Response Metric`

## Why this structure matters

This structure gives Provalytics enough detail to:

* separate Direct Mail from the rest of the media mix
* preserve campaign-level reporting where it exists
* distinguish creative-level performance when available
* analyze how Direct Mail contributes alongside search, social, video, and offline channels

Because direct mail often works with a longer lag than digital channels, preserving structured campaign and creative detail helps the platform interpret the source more accurately.

## Historical backfill and cadence

If historical data is available, best practice is to backfill it before the feed goes live in production.

That allows the model to train on the data before it begins appearing in the live dashboard.

After setup, the data should continue arriving on the same cadence as the rest of your reporting inputs so the dashboard and model outputs stay current.

## How teams usually send it

Direct Mail data can be delivered through any of Provalytics' custom-data intake methods, including:

* recurring email feeds
* Google Sheets
* SharePoint
* S3 bucket delivery
* Snowflake delivery
* manual uploads
* BigQuery delivery

If you want to enable Direct Mail ingestion, work with your CSR or email [help@provalytics.com](mailto:help@provalytics.com).