Personalized marketing materials get higher response rates. I could point you to several studies which confirm this (but I’d rather keep you here.) Below are a few ways to personalize yours using variable data:
Personalized correspondence
A personally addressed letter will consistently outperform a generic form letter. If you’ve purchased or assembled a mailing list, this is the simplest way to implement variable data. And if it is formatted properly in a spreadsheet, it will cost you only pennies extra per piece to personalize your mailing. Which sales or fundraising letter do you think will get better results — one addressed to Manager, Owner, Current Resident or perhaps one that actually identifies the recipient by name and title and refers personally to him or her throughout the piece? It’s a no-brainer.
Customer-relevant content
If you keep track of what your customers purchase from you, how often they buy, etc., you can incorporate this and other relevant information into your marketing pieces. Let’s say your customer purchased a purple widget from you recently. Your next mailing could reference this acquisition, either with a “thank you”, a promotion on widget repair or upgrades, or with pictures of other happy purple widget owners.
Demographic tie-ins
You can create marketing pieces with different content, art and images for different targets. Females can get different content than males. Older targets can get different content than younger ones. If you keep track of this information about your clients, you should consider using it in your marketing to get better results!
Think about how you’d like to personalize your marketing pieces and I bet VDP can be used to do it.
