Direct Mail Solutions
Why are Direct Mail Solutions Important for Your Business in Canada?
Let us begin this blog by imagining two different scenarios. So, it’s a typical Canadian winter, and a mailman comes to your home and drops a post into your mailbox. Won’t you feel excited and have the instant anticipation of opening the mail? At the same time, you receive an email in your inbox. Will you have any excitement to open and read this email?
Direct mail solutions are vital for businesses to reach potential customers, increase sales, and boost brand awareness. Organizations can target and reach consumers with their marketing messages.
According to Fundera, 70% of consumers consider direct mail more personal than other marketing channels. This data should be enough to break the misconception that direct mail is expensive. Even Canada Post claims that 81% of recipients will read direct mail pieces immediately.
If you are searching for the best direct mail solutions, this blog will help you learn everything about physical mailing in Canada.
What is Direct Mail in Canada?
Snail mail or direct mail in Canada refers to advertising and sending physical materials to prospects, such as letters, postcards, flyers, and more. The main goal of this type of marketing is to promote products or services to specific target audiences.
You can use a direct mail solution by focusing on geographical location, purchasing behaviour, or demographic data. It would help you to reach the audience with the appropriate message. The Canada Post Corporation is responsible for regulating direct mail in the country. You must comply with their rules and regulations, such as getting consent for mailing lists and formatting mail.
Direct mail campaigns have a higher open and response rate because of the personal factor. It’s a common marketing medium for B2B and B2C business landscape.
Also, taking advantage of direct mail solutions means combining physicality, data, and connectivity.
Physicality: The physical nature of direct mail will generate 20% more responses than a digital message.
Data: Direct mail solutions let you target customers most valuable for your business. Launching campaigns by considering the demographics and geographic and psychographic segments is possible. This effort would help you transform your prospects into valuable customers.
Connectivity: Direct mail solutions can also contribute to marketing through other channels, especially digital marketing. Together they would give you higher customer engagement and brand awareness.
Direct Mail Solutions in Canada. Why Should You Care?
A direct mail solution is a popular marketing tool in Canada, despite the huge growth of digital marketing tools. Canadian businesses prefer using snail mail as an effective way to reach their target audience.
Advancements in printing technology, increasing demand for data analytics, and e-commerce businesses are the primary reasons behind the growth of direct mail solutions in Canada. This industry may face challenges due to rising postage costs. Over the past few years, Canada Post has also increased its rates. Yet, innovative direct mail solutions like PostGrid are mitigating these challenges with targeted mailing lists, bulk mailing discounts, and reducing the size of mailings.
According to Canada Post, over 80% of Canadians check their mailboxes daily. More than 76% of Canadians feel that receiving direct mail feels more personal than receiving emails. It shows that direct mail solutions are still preferable for many Canadians.
You can also use data analytics to make direct mail solutions more effective. It would help you to target specific demographics and interests. Your business will have access to a more qualified audience to increase the likelihood of responses.
So, why is direct mail gaining popularity even after the digital revolution? There have to be some significant reasons.
Benefits of Using Direct Mail Solutions for Businesses
There are still some misconceptions regarding direct mail solutions. . Yet, they provide plenty of reasons for businesses to adopt in their marketing campaigns;
Cost-Effective Marketing Approach
Yes, you read that right! There are often misconceptions that direct mail campaigns are more expensive than email marketing. Yet, you must take a look at the result of each medium.
Interestingly, direct mail gives you an open rate of 90% and a response rate of 9%. It makes physical mail one of the most cost-effective channels of marketing.
You can further save resources by targeting a specific audience likely to respond more. Utilize data-driven techniques with direct mail solutions to tailor your mailing lists for successful campaigns.
Get Better Control of Your Marketing Efforts
The ideal direct mail solutions will give you greater control over your mailers. You can determine the design and the audience that will receive them. This greater control over campaigns will help you reach the right people with the right messages.
Improvement in Reach
Direct mail solutions help you to reach a much larger audience than other marketing channels. By sending pieces to postal addresses, you can have an assurance that your recipients receive your message directly.
Measurable Campaign Results
With direct mailing solutions, you can track responses from customers. It would help you understand what will work best and what won’t. You can redefine your campaigns with these results to ensure you reach your goals.
Multiple Formats to Experiment
You can experiment with different formats while running direct mail campaigns. There are various shapes and sizes for your marketing goals. You can also add promotional codes and coupons to make your mailings interesting.
Versatile Marketing Medium
Are you looking for a marketing channel that can do almost everything? Direct mail solutions can help you in different ways, such as customer retention, product launches, lead generation, and event invitations. You can do a lot more with direct mail marketing than you can ever do with other marketing channels.
A Highly Tangible and Memorable
An average person receives around 100-120 emails per day. Could this vast number create a memorable experience for the recipients? No, they are often in confusion about an enormous influx of information.
On the other hand, direct mail solutions provide a tangible piece of physical material. Customers can hold, touch, and keep this mail in their household. Thus, it gives them a more lasting impression and increases brand recognition.
Less Competition with Direct Mail
Today, everyone is rushing to innovate radically. It’s important to remember that old, tried, and tested methods of reaching prospects still work.
Companies are giving more favour to digital marketing instead of relying on direct mail.
It could be your opportunity window to get noticed smoothly. Yet, you must be creative with your direct mail piece to stand out in someone’s mailbox. Direct mail solutions are more up-to-the-point and less distractive.
If someone finds a coupon or special offer in your mail, they might not use it immediately. Yet, they are going to keep it in their household. Then, if they are looking for a service or product, your business will pop into their mind. You won’t get such activeness from your prospects with digital marketing.
What About the Formats? How Many Options Do I Have?
Considering different formats is a great idea to fulfill different audiences. You can further personalize these various formats to expect higher response rates. Here are some famous forms you experiment with direct mail solutions;
Postcards
You should send postcards if you want to send a short message. They are best at sending relevant offers, brand awareness, product or event announcements, subscription reminders, and more. It is one of the most effective direct mail solutions that you can try.
Most businesses prefer using postcards on special occasions like festivals, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. This format is creative, compact, and cost-effective to send. Your prospects don’t need to open them; they are more likely to get read.
Letters
You must use something other than postcards for each of your marketing campaigns, especially if you want more space to include a longer message in your direct mail piece. It would help if you considered using letters for launching products or services with details.
Letters are also ideal if you want to send something confidential to your customers. As direct mail experts, we often suggest our clients use personalized letters to increase their lead conversions.
Catalogues
They are also very famous among businesses. Catalogues are creative and help in delivering more information. You can list multiple products in a prospectus or raise brand awareness. These pieces are famous for ensuring engagement rates and boosting the response of customers.
Now that you know the benefits and formats of direct mail solutions, you must have the excitement to start your campaign. To save time, money, and energy, you should follow these recommendations:
Things You Should Do
Define Your Target Audience
Before investing anything in direct mail solutions, you must know who will show interest in your offerings. Physical mail can provide you with a great ROI and engagement rate. Yet, it is always better to research your target market.
Running Multiple Tests
After creating your marketing campaign and mailing lists, you should run a few test batches. It would help you to evaluate performance and avoid mistakes with your direct mail campaigns. If you integrate QR codes, coupons, phone numbers, or email, ensure they also work.
Ensure You Have a CTA
The direct mail should include a call to action to encourage your audience to take action. It should be clear, concise, and engaging in luring their attention. You can ask the audience to call, schedule an appointment, visit your website, pay money, and more through a strong CTA.
Things You Should Avoid
Forgetting to Proofread Your Mail Pieces
“What’s there in print cannot be erased” Any typos or grammatical errors in your direct mail pieces could lead to catastrophic results. Make sure that you take enough time to double-check the copy before sending it.
Also, maintain a good flow and tone while sending your mail with direct mail solutions. It could be either professional or conversational; the message should be clear.
Not Following Up
Forgetting your mail pieces after launching a campaign is another mistake. You have to track how many people are responding to your mail pieces and understand their persona. In this way, your business will develop a database of customers who are more likely to respond to future marketing. You can utilize this information to send a short message to them to retarget them.
Not Driving Traffic to Your Online Presence
No matter how valuable direct mail solutions can become. Still, most of your business will take place online. Thus, it is vital to drive your audience to your online channels to expect business from them. This way, they will connect with your business without waiting for the next direct mail piece.
Email Vs Direct Mail Solutions: The War of Attention, Response Rate, and ROI
Email marketing might have some technological benefits. Yet, direct mail solutions can provide you with some unique advantages. It is highly personalizable, attention-grabbing, and provides higher ROI. This comparison chart will help you understand the main differences between the two;
| Category | Emails | Direct Mail Marketing |
| Delivery Rate | Spam filters and low open rates can have a major impact. | Physical mail must be physically delivered. Thus, they have a higher delivery rate. |
| Attention-Grabbing | People can easily ignore or delete emails. | It will grab attention because direct mail stands out in a mailbox. |
| Personalization | Emails are personalizable. Yet, templates are getting too common. | Direct mail solutions are also highly personalizable. It leaves a more personal touch to the recipients. |
| Targeting | You can target emails with segmentation and automation. | You can also target direct mail to reach a wider audience in a specific geographic area. |
| Tangibility | There is no physical presence of emails. | Your recipients will be able to hold and interact with the physical mail piece. |
| Brand Perception | Emails are often spammy or impersonal. | Direct mail can build a positive brand perception and a sense of loyalty. |
| ROI | It has a lower cost per message, but will give you a lower response rate as well. | You will need to pay a higher cost per message, but it will also give you higher response rates and ROI. |
As you can see, you have a clear advantage when you consider direct mail solutions over email. It gives you higher response rates and brand recognition in the market.
How to Launch Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign?
Are you curious about launching your campaign with direct mail solutions? We suggest you consider the following aspects;
Build a Customer Mailing List
Building a customer mailing list is essential once you’ve identified your ideal customer. You can rely on the mailing lists of prospects or existing clients. An authentic list is necessary to make your direct mail campaign successful.
PostGrid can provide you with a targeted mailing list. This list could be very convenient, especially for a small business.
Focus and Finalize the Design
The direct mail piece’s design is essential when sending letters, postcards, envelopes, and more. It will help if you put immense care while crafting your mail pieces. The postal service provider will give you support with shipping materials when necessary.
Personalize the Mail Pieces
When relying on a direct mail solution, personalization is a vital aspect that you must consider. It would give your recipient a more personal touch and improve response rates. You can personalize the design, message, recipient name, address, and other information. Take personalization to the next level by adding a QR code or URL link to allow the recipients to access digital content.
Custom Mailers and Envelopes
Avoid sending your mail pieces in simple white envelopes. Instead, you can create custom envelopes and mailers to add better brand value to your campaign. It can have creative branding, colours, and graphics.
This step would make your snail mail piece stand out in the mailboxes.
Adjusting and Improvising Depending on Outcomes
When you run a direct mail campaign, it is vital to track the response and performance of your efforts. It would help you to avoid bottlenecks and improve your message. We recommend calibrating your business and direct mail campaigns depending on the outcomes. Track the response rates and follow up with recipients.
The Right Use of Digital Technologies
QR codes and personalized URLs can help you improve your response rates and campaign ROI. It also enables you to gain better insights into user behaviour and preferences.
Stay Updated with the Market Trends
If you want to get the best results from direct mail solutions, keeping up with the latest changes and trends in the market is vital. You can read direct mail marketing blogs or talk to our experts to get the best information on the latest trends.
Give Away Coupons with Your Mailings
Your prospects may only show interest in your physical mailings if you provide value. Yet, they will store them if you add coupons to your pieces. For example, you could be running a restaurant business and sending a snail mail piece to raise brand awareness. Most people won’t even bother to take a look at your mail.
If you add a discount coupon, they will store the mail and visit your restaurant. Coupons generate interest and an urge among people to consider your business.
We would like you to follow these tips to get better responses;
- Put your entire focus on the ideal buyers instead of focusing on the complete list. You will only get a specific response rate from your campaign.
- Ensure that customers can smoothly take action while you rely on a direct mail solution.
- Focus on explaining the benefits instead of the features.
- Include high-quality images to lure your customers to your products or services.
- Personalize each direct mail piece with the details from your market research.
- Invest in quality address verification software to ensure deliverability and avoid address errors.
Now comes the budget you must spend to launch your direct mail campaigns. Remember, you must consistently put efforts into physical mail marketing to get fruitful results.
Cost of Direct Mail Solutions
Well, there’s no single defined cost of a direct mail campaign. There are a lot of factors that affect the price of direct mail solutions. Remember, direct mail is not a single process. Thus, we should also divide the cost into three major components;
The Creative
The direct mail piece creation cost depends on whether you use in-house design or templates. You can our PostGrid’s template gallery or editor to craft your mail.
Printing Costs
This cost would highly depend on factors such as paper stock, quantity, size, and finishing of your mail piece. Personalization in printing can add additional costs to your direct mail solution. Yet, with PostGrid it won’t be an issue- click here for our pricing.
Mailing Cost
Next, Canada Post’s postal pricing will depend on factors like the size, weight, and distribution of your mail pieces.
Are you looking for a reliable direct mail partner?
We’ve got you covered!
PostGrid Direct Mail Solutions in Canada
If your business is looking for a complete direct mail solution, then PostGrid could be the ideal choice. We enable you to create, print, and send direct mail with full automation.
The Print & Mail API by PostGrid gives you complete control over physical mail campaigns and boosts your ROI. Curious about our direct mail API? Let us answer your questions to help you make an informed decision;
How will I ensure maximum deliverability with your direct mail solution?
PostGrid provides you with address verification API with Canada Post and SERP certification to ensure the deliverability of your mail.
How can I track the results of my direct mail campaigns?
To learn about progress, you can access a whole analytics suite on every order and conversion.
How can I integrate PostGrid with my existing systems?
Integrating our API with any CRM, tech stack, and tools with Zapier integration is possible. We also provide dedicated developer support for easier integration and setup.
Will I be able to follow regulatory compliance to avoid penalties?
PostGrid and all its partners meet the certification of HIPAA, PHIPA, PIPEDA, GDPR, and SOC-2. It enables you to use our direct mail solutions under legal frameworks and requirements.
How will you ensure data privacy and security?
PostGrid hosts data on Amazon Web Services with security and confidence. You never have to worry about data breaches with enterprise-grade security measures.
Can multiple users manage our direct mail campaigns?
The interactive dashboard allows multiple users to manage campaigns with ease. They can integrate the API into different software systems.
Can I scale your direct mail solution according to my business?
Our platform is a highly scalable solution that adapts to your needs. Thus, you can send a handful of mail or even thousands.
Signup now to access reliable direct mail solutions.
The post Direct Mail Solutions appeared first on PostGrid.
source https://www.postgrid.ca/direct-mail-solutions/
source https://postgridcanadainc.blogspot.com/2023/05/direct-mail-solutions.html
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