11.23.2023

If you’re a marketer, you know firsthand how quickly the marketing landscape shifts. But as algorithms update and trends come and go, there’s one tried and true traditional marketing tactic that has stood the test of time—and that’s direct mail marketing. In a marketplace driven by digital experiences, direct mail alone may not give you the results you’re looking for. However, research shows that integrating direct mail with more modern digital marketing and data-driven strategies can create powerful campaigns. In fact, people pay 39% more attention to integrated direct mail and digital campaigns than they do to single-media digital campaigns. Just imagine the impact that could have on your campaign results and ROI! TL;DR — Integrating digital marketing and data-informed strategies with direct mail can enhance the effectiveness of both. To get your creative marketing gears turning, here are three innovative ways to merge digital and physical for maximum impact, including: Personalized URLs and QR codes Leveraging data for targeted mailing Syncing email marketing with direct mail 1) Personalized URLs and QR Codes One of the most effective ways to integrate digital marketing into direct mail is by using Personalized URLs (PURLs) or QR codes. These tools create a seamless transition from a physical mail piece to a digital platform. Here’s how it works: PURLs: These are unique, personalized web addresses included in your direct mail piece. When a recipient types this URL into their browser, they're taken to a highly personalized landing page that might greet them by name and offer tailored content or special deals based on their preferences or past interactions with your brand. QR Codes: These are scannable codes printed on your mail piece. While QR codes have been overused in some aspects of marketing, print materials are where they really shine. When scanned with a smartphone, they direct the recipient to a specific web page. This could be a promotional video, a sign-up form, or a special offer. Using PURLs or QR codes allows you to track engagement levels and gather data on your audience’s preferences, which couldn’t be achieved without the digital aspects of the campaign. These methods provide real-time insights on landing page visitors and conversions, so you can more accurately measure the ROI of your integrated marketing campaign. That’s a major win! Using QR Codes on Neighbourhood Mail Neighbourhood Mail™ is one of three categories of direct mail marketing offered by Canada Post. Because it targets generalized neighbourhoods or regions, it’s ideal for mass awareness campaigns if you’re looking to acquire new customers. If you live in Canada, you likely receive Neighbourhood Mail™ often because it is the least targeted and most economical option of the three. Whether it’s your local pizza shop or home hardware store, small businesses often send postcards or pamphlets via Neighbourhood Mail™. To streamline the customer experience, they’ll add a QR code to lead the customer back online without having to type in a URL manually. Next time you check the mail, see if you can find a piece of direct mail with a QR code on it and let us know—do you think this tactic is effective? 2) Leveraging Customer Data for Targeting From your social media accounts to past order addresses—your marketing team is sitting on a goldmine of customer data and insights. Leveraging these insights, you can create highly targeted direct mail campaign lists to significantly increase the relevance and impact of your mailer. Here's how: Analyze your audience Dive into your audience insights to better understand their preferences, interests, and buying habits. This could include demographic data including household income, locations, age and marital status. But depending on the nature of your business, you could also go deeper into things like the type of car they own, whether they like to take winter vacations, or whether they live in an older home. How is all this relevant? Well, you’ll have to read on to find out. Find similar customers Say you own a roofing business and you want to send marketing messages only to areas where people live in older homes that may need new roofing. Or perhaps you’re an auto dealer looking to sell more inventory of pre-owned cars. By segmenting your data to give you a list of customers that have previously purchased these things from you, you can use Canada Post’s Postal Code Targeting services to find similar customers. How does it work? Because you likely have your customer’s addresses on file from past order details, you can use Postal Code Targeting to send direct mail campaigns to postal codes that have similar audience attributes to your existing lists. This method of targeting is based on the old adage, “birds of the same feather flock together.” Meaning, people generally live in the same area as similar people. Imagine if you saw a neighbour getting their roof updated, and days later, you received a direct mail piece that says, “Your neighbour just got their roof done. Now it’s your turn!” with a 10% off promo. Could that level of personalization urge you to take action? 3) Synchronizing Email and Direct Mail Combining email marketing with direct mail creates a multi-touchpoint campaign that reinforces your message. Here’s a simple strategy to integrate the two: Begin with an email announcing a special offer or a piece of valuable content.Follow up with a direct mail piece that delivers on the promise made in the email. This could be a detailed brochure, a sample product, or a personalized discount code.Use a subsequent email to follow up on the direct mail piece, perhaps asking for feedback or offering additional related online content. In this type of campaign, Personalized Mail is your go-to method. Personalized Mail is a one-to-one approach that mails a specific recipient and is personally addressed with their name. This works best for marketing to existing customers or to a list of previously engaged prospects who might already be familiar with your brand. Personalized Mail is often used for scenarios like inviting people to events, soliciting donations, reporting financial performance to stakeholders, or supporting loyalty card programs. Can you think of a time a company sent you a marketing message and followed up with a piece of direct mail? Many leading brands use this integrated method to nurture their audience. Sephora uses this method to market their Beauty Insider program and exclusive discounts, while Questrade uses it to send financial statements to their account holders. This synchronized approach ensures that your brand stays top-of-mind, as recipients encounter your message across multiple channels. The opportunities are truly endless! Curious About Creating a Direct Mail Campaign? Integrating digital marketing with direct mail creates a holistic approach that leverages the strengths of both. The key is to ensure that each element of the campaign complements and reinforces the others, creating a unified, multi-channel marketing strategy. With these tactics, your business can enhance engagement, improve response rates, and drive a higher ROI on your marketing campaigns. To dive deeper into the world of direct mail and learn how to build out your very own campaign, access our FREE 6-Step Guide to Direct Mail Marketing. Or if you’d rather not go it alone, learn how WCD can help you create your direct mail campaign—from strategy to design, printing, mailing and beyond.

11.21.2023

The holiday season is fast approaching—which means now is the perfect time to think about how you can make a lasting impression on your customers, employees, and partners. Lucky for you, our latest offerings are designed to add a touch of personalization and holiday spice to your upcoming gift-giving and event festivities, making this year's holiday experience that much more special (and simple)! Let’s dive into our favourite ways to make your holiday season both memorable and impactful this year, including: Local goods gift boxesBranded holiday cardsPersonalized holiday party invitations Custom corporate calendars, and more! Give the Gift of Curated Goods Meaningfully Made by Local Makers Creating heartwarming gifts for your customers just got a whole lot easier. Collaborating with Alberta creators, we've curated custom gift boxes full of premium products—all sustainably sourced from local makers you'll love. What's inside? Option 1 includes two stunning glasses from MTNPAK Glassware, gin from Burwood Distillery, tasty treats from The Shortbread Company and hand-crafted coasters from Kingwood Decor. Option 2 includes mouthwatering maple syrup from Wabanaki Maple, a custom-made tree ornament and wooden calendar stand from Rocky Mountain Creators, and a brand-designed calendar to go with it! The best part? We top both options off with personalized, custom-designed cards and address labels that add a tasteful touch of branding to every gift. Plus, we fully manage the kitting, packaging and mailing—making it a hands-off experience through and through! Send us a note to inquire about pricing and availability. Personalized Holiday Cards For An Extra Thoughtful Touch Sending out holiday cards is a time-honoured tradition, and working with us, you can elevate yours. Say goodbye to generic, store-bought creative and tap into designs that effortlessly align with your brand. With a personalized holiday card, you can send warm wishes to your customers and partners in a way that says "we care." Personalized Invitations & Décor For Memorable Holiday Parties Planning a holiday party? Imagine custom-designed invitations that capture the essence of your event, setting the tone for a memorable celebration. And when you arrive, every little detail — from the party favours to the table settings — is flawlessy thought out. Our in-house Creative Services design group specializes in bringing your vision to life, ensuring that every detail of your event's branding effortlessly reflects your unique theme.

08.28.2023

Celebrating Pride at WCD with Jonathan Tieh, Graphic Designer Our team truly believes in the power of diversity and inclusion to strengthen our communities and create a world that leads with kindness and acceptance. As we gear up to celebrate Calgary Pride, we sat down with one of our 2SLGBTQ+ staff members, Jonathan Tieh [he/him], to delve into his personal experiences, reflections, and insights about what Pride means to him. Q: What does Pride mean to you? A: "Pride means allowing yourself to be your true self—unapologetically you. It represents my ability and freedom to be who I am and openly love the people I choose, without stigma and shame. The dictionary defines pride as 'a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people.' That's what it's all about, respecting each other—but most importantly, yourself. In whatever you do and whoever you love." Q: How do you celebrate Pride? A: "As a first-generation Asian-born Canadian growing up Queer in a Christian, conservative household, I did not know many 2SLGBTQ+ community members and I felt that I could not relate to many people. I wanted to hide from myself and blend in. I wanted to be 'normal'. But truth be told, we are all unique individuals, and I want to celebrate coming together to share our differences. Our characteristics make us who we are, no matter our religion, ethnicity or race." "I celebrate Pride by being with my closest friends who have uplifted me through years of turmoil and judging myself for being part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Ever since moving to Calgary three years ago, I've felt so much pride and love from the community, especially WCD, that I now call home. I celebrate Pride every day by surrounding myself with loved ones and positive vibes. Other ways I celebrate our community include going to the Pride parade, and supporting other queer artists at drag shows and art shows in the city." Q: How do you show support for diversity and inclusion in the workplace year-round? A: "I show support by showing up to 2SLGBTQ+ events that WCD supports and sponsors. It's important to be around like-minded people, and I love that WCD does the same by being inclusive and fostering a culture that is welcome to every age, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Treating people in a way they wish to be treated rather than the way you wish to be treated is another way I try to make people feel included." Q: What is your advice to businesses who want to be better allies to the LGBTQ+ community? A: "To always be inclusive and make a space welcoming for people of all sexual orientations. Advocate and educate people and spend some time learning about the history of Pride, a movement preceded by the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York. Businesses should be asking if there is something they can do to make their 2SLGBTQ+ coworkers feel like they are welcome and valued. For example, is there a benefit that excludes 2SLGBTQ+ employees? Start a dialogue and make resources available to try and create a workplace where all employees will feel valued and accepted." Show Your Pride As we approach Pride month, let us all remember that the journey to inclusivity and acceptance is ongoing. Let's stand together as allies, celebrating our differences and embracing our true selves. Calgary Pride Week takes place August 26 - September 4, 2023. Learn more about the week's festivities and what you can do to get involved by visiting www.calgarypride.ca. Thank you to Jonathan for sharing his insights and experiences with us—and Happy Pride! 🌈