Speak Personally to Your Customers Through Variable Data Print

One way to effectively reach the emotional appeal of your customer base is to speak directly to them using variable data printing. Making your marketing campaigns more personal and directed at an exact demographic increases the chances of the campaign’s success.

Carefully choosing the text, as well as the fonts, colors and images in any marketing piece can energize any marketing campaign to new levels, especially when you bring in the personal element to tie your customer to them. A well-design marketing piece would include some personal information or talk about a specific interest of the customer that will grab their attention and make them feel more valued.

Think about these 5 ideas when implementing Variable Data Print in your next marketing campaign

1. What do you what to get accomplished?
You must start with a clear plan and idea for what you want from the campaign. Are you trying to sell or promote a specific product, learn more about your customer base, or just trying to build brand recognition.

2. Who are you trying to reach with your campaign message?
Think about the specific customers you will be focusing and determine what data will be needed to personal speak to this segment. Will you need to use personal data like first name and what city they live in, or will you need to segment them by how much they purchase from your company or by a specific interest?

3. How I will I get the data for the campaign?
The next step is to figure out your data source. Will you be relying on information that you have obtained previously from current customers or will you need to acquire valuable data from a third party source.

4. What will they get in return?
The most important part of your VDP is not what happens in the campaign, its what happens NEXT. What will the customer receive after your campaign speaks directly to them. Will it give them what they are looking for or will it answer a question or a concern.

5. How will I measure the campaigns effectiveness?
To know how well your variable data is working, you’ll need to track the response to your campaign. Think about whether your customers will scan a QR code, visit a link, like you on Facebook, or send you an order or feedback form—you can use all of these to measure how well your campaign is doing.

Here are a few ways you can use VDP in your marketing campaigns:
• Include special offers or contact information to special offers for customers to feel valued.
• Try changing your color, fonts or image choices to appeal to the different demographics for each of your campaigns.
• Concentrate on demographic details such as age, professional and marital status.
• QR codes are a great way to link different offers to specific customers.
Whether you are segmenting your customers into groups to appeal to each group individually, or you are personalizing each piece for each individual customer, VDP will definitely contribute to increasing your return on investment from your marketing campaigns.

With VDP, you are sending out a personalized and meaningful piece of marketing that appeals to each customer and will make your company’s effort stand out. You will become valued in the customer’s eyes and someone that they will want to read and respond to, resulting in a stronger customer relationship and better profits for you.