Sending a direct mail piece to 50,000 businesses and hoping for a 1-2% return? Have a website that is not being fully utilized? Trying to generate sales or leads with generic broad messages? Probably not. Most of our readers know better.
But lets talk about Variable Data Printing anyway. The new mailers going out are customized and hyper-targeted to individual clients – their mailer may have a specific product highlighted, message, or picture related specifically to them. It will also be addressed to individuals with a personalized greeting and it provides a link (URL website) to a special offer that’s waiting online at a website created for the person receiving the mailer. The PURLS, or personalized website, can even be incorporated into electronic messages (email and PDF files).
Once the recipient visits the website (i.e. www.abccompany.com/janesmith) they will be asked a few questions – so future mailings will be better targeted – and then receive their special offer (a Starbucks Giftcard, or other reward.) The data capture is complete and a better database is created. Not only that but, you can track how many people respond to what type of offer – and with the correct questions actually increase opportunities for better sales.
Once you’ve captured better data at your website you can now use it to begin a more effective e-marketing program to your clients and prospects. Continuing to mail to your list with changing offers based on the data you captured on the last mailing will help as well.
Using a printer with Indigo or other on-demand capabilities and with website development features can help give your sales a dramatic bump. One local company I know can create a site with PURLS for 100,000 targets for under $2,000, plus provide the data management you need with the full color printing and mailing all in-house. Go from direct mail alone with a 1-2% open rate to a 16-20% open rate. You can’t beat that.
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Printing in Atlanta
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December 10, 2008 at 9:16 pm
VDP is very effective. It works. I am always surprised by its relatively low adoption rate by marketers. I think much of this problem is because marketers have so much data that is not really actionable. They may have a hundred fields of data, but can’t develop key messages around that data. In the end, many variable projects are abandoned because the marketer can’t create a differentiated value message – and that’s a shame.