• Planning

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  Q: I already have strong open rates for social and email. Why would I add direct mail?

  A: With so much of life spent in front of screens, direct mail offers your customers a different kind of at-home experience – one that provides a tactile connection to your brand.

  Campaigns that include direct mail were 27 per cent more likely to deliver top-ranking sales performance and 40 per cent more likely to deliver top-ranking acquisition levels than campaigns that didn’t, according to a study by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).

  Direct mail makes for a powerful partner when integrated with digital. Audiences spend:

  • 39 per cent more time with direct mail and digital campaigns than digital-only campaigns,
  • 57 per cent more time with direct mail and pre-roll campaigns than pre-roll-only campaigns,
  • 186 per cent more time with direct mail and display campaigns than display-only campaigns.

  GO DEEPER: Download and read Amping up the Media Mix.

  Canada Post, Connecting for Action, September 2016.

  Q: Should I use direct mail before or after my digital campaign?

  A: Media-channel combinations depend on multiple factors, such as industry, audience, budget, as well as short-term and long-term goals. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. It depends on how the channel is being used and the relationship between channels.

  GO DEEPER: Download The Essential Guide to Direct Mail, Chapter 3: Outline your strategy, plan and workflow.

  Q: Is direct mail better for acquisition or retention?

  A:  The answer is both. While direct mail is often thought of as an acquisition channel, it’s also an impactful way for businesses to connect with customers and build loyalty. It creates awareness for new offerings and provides an immersive brand experience for existing customers. With the home being the hub of our lives, it’s an impactful way to reach your audience where they make decisions. Our research shows that direct mail drives action with 88 per cent of Canadians visiting a store or going online after receiving a direct mail piece and 51 per cent making a purchase.

  GO DEEPER: Contact an expert

  Canada Post/Kantar, SMM Stats Update, CPC 18-216, 2018.

  Q: Which direct mail format do you recommend?

  A: Postcards. Letters. Brochures. Mini-catalogues. Flyers. They all do a great job of connecting with customers, but they go about those jobs differently. Let your message and audience drive the direct mail format you choose.

  GO DEEPER: Read more and download The Essential Guide to Direct Mail, Chapter 5: How to create a direct mail piece.  Or contact an expert.

  Q: How much does direct mail cost?

  A: As every direct mail campaign is designed to fit your objectives, the size and scope of those objectives help determine the cost. You can use online tools like Canada Post Precision Targeter™ to plan and cost out your mailings with our interactive maps and demographic data. Targeting the neighbourhood mail postal routes with the most potential customers means you won’t waste valuable marketing dollars.

  For postal code targeting, and for one-to-one mailings with personalized mail, being strategic and surgical with your targeting allows you to be intentional with your ad spend, reaching the right audience for your message. We can help you, no matter your objective.

  GO DEEPER: Contact an expert and learn more about Canada Post’s Precision Targeter™.

  Didn't find the answer you are looking for? Contact an expert

• Targeting

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  Q: I have a good understanding of my target audience. How can you help me find/reach them?

  A: Canada Post has the largest geolocation database. We layer demographic, address attributes, behaviour and interest, life stage and lifestyle insights on our core address and postal code data. This means you can choose from thousands of audience attributes and apply advanced geographic targeting to best match the characteristics of your target audience. Whether you want to reach movers, dog owners or outdoor enthusiasts, we can get your message into the right hands.

  GO DEEPER: Read more and download The Essential Guide to Direct Mail, Chapter 4: How utilize data for effective targeting. Or contact an expert.

  Q: I am not certain what customers I want to target. How can you help me find the right ones?

  If you are just starting out and maybe don’t have an existing database (or if yours is in its early stages), Canada Post and our data partners can help. With the largest geolocation targeting database, we have audience insights to get your message into the hands that matter. We can also help you analyze your data (if you have it), develop an audience list and then target those potential and existing customers.

  From demographic information (age, income, education) to interests and behaviours (e-commerce purchasing, charitable donors, pet owners) to lifestyle and life-stage insights, Canada Post has the data to reach your audience.

  GO DEEPER: Contact an expert.

  Q: Do people check their community mailboxes regularly and can I target apartments?

  A: More than 70 per cent of Canadians pick up their mail at least three times a week (64 per cent in the case of community mailboxes and 69 per cent for apartments and condos). Interested in targeting just apartments and condos? Canada Post has exclusive access to four million units nationwide.

  PC/Phase5, Fall Omni, CPC 20-214.

  Q: I thought only Baby Boomers paid attention to anything inside their mailbox. Do younger Canadians even care?

  While generations might never share musical tastes or fashion sense, they do come together over a love for what gets delivered to their mailboxes.

  While more than 70 per cent of Canadians pick up their mail at least three times a week, younger Canadians – Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z – are among the most excited to see what’s in their mailbox.

  Gen Z is more likely to save and share direct mail that they received from auto, credit cards, electronics/computers, home décor, real estate and travel companies.

  And when it comes to catalogues, half of Gen X and 4-in-10 of Gen Y and Z think catalogues are a great way to provide a brand experience.

  PC/Phase5, Fall Omni, CPC 20-214.

  Didn't find the answer you are looking for? Contact an expert

• Executing

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  Q: How long does it take to execute a direct mail campaign?

  A: It really depends on your marketing objectives, resources and target audience. Whether you use a Canada Post partner, an agency, or execute the campaign in house, planning is key.

  

  Digital printing technology has come a long way in both quality and turnaround time. You can now create, print and deliver a personalized direct mail experience in as little as 48 hours.

  GO DEEPER: Download The Essential Guide to Direct Mail, Chapter 3: Outline your strategy, plan and workflow.

  Q: Who can help me execute a direct mail campaign?

  A: Canada Post is affiliated with more than 250 independent Canada Post Smartmail Marketing^TM partners across the country. Our partners can work with you to fully support your campaign goals – all within your budget. Work with a partner to:

  • target the right prospects and optimize an existing list,
  • design creative and eye-catching direct mail campaigns that drive emotional engagement and brand recall,
  • better integrate your marketing mix so you can create consistent messages across all channels,
  • ensure your mailing meets all print and processing requirements.

  We can also help you navigate this process.

  GO DEEPER: For a complete list of Canada Post partners, visit canadapost.ca/directory. Or speak with a Canada Post expert.

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• Measuring

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  Q: How do I know if my direct mail is working?

  A: Test. Test. And test again. There are a number of ways to test that allow you to learn what works best so you can find out what resonates with your audience and what drives action. We have resources and experts to help you better understand concepts like test markets, sample sizes and response rates.

  GO DEEPER: Read more and download The Essential Guide to Direct Mail: Chapter 8 How to test, learn and optimize your campaigns for competitive advantage.

  Q: My company thinks direct mail is too expensive. What do I tell them?

  A: It’s not always the channel that immediately precedes a sale that did all the work. It’s important to recognize all the channels that lead to a sale. Research has shown that direct mail can influence other channels in the marketing mix – without getting last-touch credit.

  If you remove direct mail to cut costs, you might be removing an important touchpoint that influenced a sale. While removing direct mail might result in immediate cost savings, its absence could ultimately lead to fewer orders and a higher cost per order (CPO). Research shows that direct mail is effective:

  • 88 per cent of Canadians visit a store or go online after receiving a direct mail piece.
  • 68 per cent of Canadians are likely to share advertising received in their mailbox.
  • 51 per cent of consumers either purchased a product online or in-store as a result of direct mail.

  Utilizing the channels that are best for your business will drive optimal results. Determine their effectiveness by testing, measuring and learning.

  CPC/Kantar, CPC 18-216, 2018

  GO DEEPER : Read Direct mail can do more for your media mix than you might think.

  Didn't find the answer you are looking for? Contact an expert

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