Print is still a very useful and effective form of marketing for many businesses. Whether you choose to use print on its own, or you combine print and digital marketing, it can be an excellent way to differentiate yourself from the competition and can be a good option for businesses of all sizes, not just larger companies.
Through the use of variable data printing you can personalise your sales letters, brochures and flyers in many ways to provide a more personal communication for customers. This can often lead to a higher response rate compared to a blanket marketing campaign as you are targeting your message to the recipient.
The technique is quick and cost effective, and you may be able to save money by sending out fewer mailings, which benefits the environment too.
But how should you go about creating a personalised marketing campaign?
Careful planning is essential for the success of your campaign. Everything must be considered, including who to target, how to target them and how you want them to react. You must think about the colour scheme, the text you will use, the special offer that you will include for each target, which could be unique to particular groups of customers.
Personalised print marketing can be more expensive than online marketing, but the costs are often lower than expected. Still, you must prepare a budget for your campaign in advance to know how many mailings you can afford to carry out. Even though it may initially appear more expensive than online, you have to remember that fewer businesses are doing it, which can help you to stand out. If all your competitors are involved in online marketing, a print marketing campaign can help you to get the upper hand.
Variable printing allows you to create documents that are targeted and personalised for specific customers, and you can personalise a wide range of information. Decide on the factors that you will change, including the text, the customer’s name, gender and date of birth, details of special offers, images, graphics and more.
You must still focus on the basics just as you would in any other direct mail campaign, and that means including a compelling headline and call to action.
The headline is the most important part; it must capture the attention of your targets. The more personalised you can make it, the better, but its main aim is to compel them to read further.
The call to action is another key feature. Make sure you tell your targets exactly what you would like them to do. If you don’t do this, you won’t get the returns you are hoping for.
Don’t go for mass mailings hoping that a few will get noticed and generate a response. Instead, plan a personalised print marketing campaign and reach out to your customers, enjoy higher response rates and get a better return on investment.
