You are a small business owner but just for a minute pretend you’re a customer. For purposes of this article, pretend you are a customer of Bob’s Autos because you bought a car from them. You got home today and opened up your mail to find a postcard from Bob’s. They are having a special on auto service during the month of July. The postcard identifies you by name, gives the make, model and year of your car, and provides the exact pricing for different recommended services on your vehicle based upon the mileage on your odometer the last time you came to the shop.
This piece was created using Variable Data Publishing (VDP). VDP is a process through which each direct mail piece is created to look as if it’s been expressly designed and printed for a single person. VDP is a proven way to maximize the relevance of the direct mail piece. This increases response rates and therefore the business owner’s return on investment (ROI). In plain English, this means choosing VDP is a good business decision because it works! Variable data printing is a great tool for conducting targeted marketing campaigns. There is literally no limit to the personalization of each printed piece!
Now, pretend that instead of a piece printed using VDP, you got a generic mailer advertising specials at Bob’s. No personal greeting, no specific pricing. Just a “contact us for details and pricing” call to action. Where does this one go? Yep, it goes right in the trash with the rest of the junk mail.
Which method of mailing do you think will bring you the best results? Junk mail or VDP? 🙂
