In my role as a Direct Mail Specialist, I am exposed to many direct mail pieces that are created by marketers trying to talk one-to-one to their customers or prospects. Too often I find marketers are still only taking advantage of minimal information that is available in their databases, and are not taking advantage of the technologies available to them.
As technology has advanced, the opportunity to create better targeted mailings has increased.
When laser printing became the preferred method of personalization for direct mail letters, some marketers embraced the ability to communicate with a personalized message while others only littered the recipient’s letter with their name over and over again.
A perfect example of a company using their database to its fullest potential is an automotive manufacturer that created an ongoing “service” mailing to their customers that included a scanned watermark of their specific vehicle in the background of a letter that referenced their make and model, dealer name, address, phone number, sales and service hours of operation, Service Manager’s name, and signature, a map to locate the dealer, and a specific offer on a coupon that was selected based on the dealer’s preference, and value of the vehicle.
Since the introduction of VPOD (variable print on demand), more emphasis has been placed on variable images printed in colour that are unique to the recipient based on their segmented data group.
Our company recently sent out a self-promotional mailing that I feel is a great example of effectively using technology to create a highly personalized piece. The objective of the mailing was to generate qualified leads by driving responders to our Website to play Texas Hold’ em, for the opportunity to win a $1,000 gift certificate to a casino. This made for a relevant communication, as our audience profiling efforts proved that this was an attractive offer to our target audience.
A letter was tailored to the recipient with signature and contact information of an assigned company representative and inter-company division based on their industry segment. A fully-variable brochure was created that included the recipient’s first name, logo of the assigned division, name and image of their assigned representative, their unique Game PIN, and 2 randomly selected playing cards. Both of these personalized pieces were matched and inserted into an envelope with another brochure that was specific to the recipient’s segment using selective inserting technology.
All of the noted elements made for a highly personalized piece based on data segmentation. Will the recipients of our mailing appreciate the data variable intricacies that were involved to make this piece? Maybe not. Will they feel that the mail piece talks to them on an individual level? I’m betting on it.
The tools are there, we have the technology, let’s use it to create more relevant communications with our intended audiences.
I would love to hear your comments on how testing the level of personalization or variable images has affected your response rates.
Authored by Troy Draper, Direct Mail Specialist, Smart DM
