Ginger Conlon, Editor-in-Chief, at Direct Marketing News shares a story about how marketing to customers is like serving ice cream. She says, “The other night I hurriedly dished out some ice cream for my daughter, Claudia, and myself. I was in a rush to get back to what I had been working on. As I handed Claudia her bowl, her enthusiastic thank you was followed quickly by a disappointed, “Hey, where’s the whipped cream and sprinkles?” In my rush I had neglected to “personalize” her dessert based on her known preferences. Marketing is just like that.”
Show Customers They are Not Interchangeable
If you really want to capture the attention of your audience, a “one flavor fits all” campaign just won’t cut it. People like to know that they are not interchangeable. Personalizing content with something as simple as their name shows a customer that they matter.
This applies especially to direct mail campaigns. Did you know that 73% of consumers actually prefer mail over other advertising methods? Using direct mail is a great opportunity to get the attention of potential clients. Don’t waste it by putting “CURRENT RESIDENT”. Marketing strategies like these ultimately fail because they make the potential client feel interchangeable and undervalued. Ironically, nothing makes a person feel less like a “Valued Customer” than a letter addressed, “Dear Valued Customer”.
Though it seems simple, directing your next mail campaign to specific recipients can have a powerful effect, as a study of 650 multi-channel marketing campaigns proves. In it, personalized campaigns consistently received an impressively higher response rate than static campaigns. (Source: MindFire)
Show Customers You Know Them
If you really want to go the extra mile and increase customer engagement, don’t just put their name on the package. Customize the content too, so that it matches their preferences. Like with the ice cream example above, it’s a great first step to know that your customer likes ice cream, but adding the sprinkles and whipped cream guarantees the customer’s happiness.
Need a Personalized Direct Mail Campaign?
At Alexander’s, our digital printers allow for variable data. This means you can print hundreds or thousands of copies of your direct mail piece, but each can be addressed to a different, specific person. We can even change messages and pictures. Contact us to learn more.
