It used to be that personalizing your marketing, whether digitally or in print, was something that made you stand out. It was something your competitors weren’t doing, so your customers and prospects took notice. Today, personalization has become expected so that people notice if you are not personalizing. Instead of being a positive differentiator, it has become a negative one.
While some marketers are still deciding whether to take the plunge into this form of marketing, fully personalized documents have been around for a long time. Back in 2010, InfoTrends found that the overwhelming majority of marketers were using segmented (40%) or fully personalized (21%) communications. That was ten years ago! At the time, only 40% of campaigns fit into the category of “one to many.”
If you are still sending static mail pieces, you’re competing with marketers who are not only speaking to their customers and prospects on a personalized level but who are seasoned at doing so.
The good news is that it’s never too late to get started. Even with a simple basic customer list, you can create personalized pieces that are highly effective. Let’s take a look at three impactful but straightforward strategies.
1. Get creative with names.
Everyone personalizes by name these days, so use the recipient’s name creatively. Integrate it into the design in an engaging, eye-catching way.
2. Use one variable, but do it well.
Sometimes a single variable can have a powerful impact on results if you pick the right variable and use it well. For example, will it help to target the mailing by gender? How about by ZIP Code? Would it help to add a map? (Personalized maps work great for new businesses or new branches or locations.) These are the data you already have. Use them!
3. Add new, fresh variables.
Determine which variables you don’t have, but that would be helpful in your marketing, and add them. List companies allow you to purchase simple variables like homeownership or household income for the names you already have. This doesn’t have to be expensive, and it can boost your marketing effectiveness exponentially.
Even if you are just getting started with personalization, you probably have more options than you think you have. Let’s talk about them!
