Spring is in the air, which means it’s a great time to get your messaging out to a re-energized audience. Your marketing can resonate with people who are in a much better mood than during the polar vortex many of us had to endure, especially if it is hyper-relevant.
We’ve grown accustomed to consuming personalized content that speaks to our individual interests on news sites, online stores, and through social media. Likewise, we’ve come to expect the companies we do business with to be smart about their marketing. They should know who we are and communicate accordingly. Otherwise, a poorly targeted message becomes a wasted impression and missed opportunity.
To that end, here’s my three-point plan to help you snap into action this spring, nurture your audience, and retain your customers:
1. Spring Data Cleaning
Take a good look at your customer database. What data points can you use to better segment your file for more personalized targeting? Let’s start with gender. Copy and imaging that relate either just to females or males will make an immediate impact on gaining the attention of a female or male audience. Purchase history, age, and income data can greatly influence creative strategy as well. What data points can you capture but are not yet securing? Data-driven marketing is essential, and it all begins with your customer and prospect databases. It’s time to clean them up and identify actionable data points.
2. Drive Digital Interaction with Personalized Print
People are quick to pick up mail pieces that “speak” to them. The use of custom images and copy points relevant to your target audience will capture their attention. The creative use of a recipient’s name on the outside of the mailer or envelope will too. Now that you have their attention, engage them with a call to action to visit your website, a personalized landing page, your Facebook page, or some other form of digital media. According to DM News, marketers realize a 10-30% uplift in conversion when combining the direct mail and digital channels.
3. Where Possible, Be Hyperlocal
A mail piece that references a recipient’s location — a town, a neighborhood, a local landmark — immediately pulls rank over non-geocentric mail. If you’re a local marketer, make the most out of being a good neighbor. Consider digital ads on the local town’s website. Offer specials for community members who like your Facebook page. Keep them engaged with local events and news. Run local contests and publish the results on your website. Promoting your brand on the local level is a sure-fire way to build loyalty.
Relevancy is the operative word in marketing today. Now you have the tools to be hyper-relevant through variable-data printing and interactive digital media. The strategic use of this one-two punch will provide an enormous lift to your response over single channel, non-personalized efforts. So spring forward, dust off your database, and nurture your audience with relevant offers.
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