Personalized Direct Mail: Boost Engagement, ROI, & Customer Experience
Personalization is a key characteristic of successful direct mail campaigns. Audiences no longer respond to generic send outs—they expect targeted content and unique experiences to convince them to take action. Personalization can be applied to direct mail campaigns in a variety of ways depending on the audience—think about what matters to them and what they would want to see.
What is personalization in print?
Personalization in print is the way in which a brand targets specific audience members based on gathered information. There are various ways of doing this but the same goal always applies—to be as targeted and intentional when speaking to your audience as possible.
Brands incorporating personalization in their direct mail are reporting higher engagement, increased brand loyalty, better ROIs and a more memorable experience for the reader.
Hyper-Personalization
Hyper-personalization takes things one step further by targeting the audience through specific consumer data. It goes beyond just changing a name or address, instead tailoring the entire experience for each member of your audience through content, special offers, images, and even layout. These decisions are based on consumer insights like browsing history, sign-ups, and major milestones.
At first glance, hyper-personalization may seem timely and expensive, but with the help of technology and automation, it can actually be more cost-effective than traditional personalization and sustainable long term. It also helps boost open rates, increase reading time, and generate more response rates than generic direct mail.
Types of Personalization & Hyper-Personalization
Personalization and hyper-personalization can be used to target individual members of your audience through:
Customized personal details like name and geographic location
Storytelling about what actually matters to them
Targeted direct mail design and images
Special offers based on past behaviours
Personalized URLs (PURLS), QR codes, and landing pages
Wondering what type of personalization or hyper-personalization to incorporate in your next direct mail campaign? Get in touch with us today for a free print quote!
Why is personalization so effective?
A unique experience for the reader - It’s no secret that marketing spaces both online and in print are busy. In order to stand out, your brand needs to craft a personal experience for the reader that specifically speaks to them. Personalization tops generic every single time!
Brand trust and recognition - When an audience sees your brand listening and paying attention to their wants and needs, they are more likely to trust you and recognize your brand at first glance. They may even look forward to receiving your mail if it’s sent on a regular schedule.
Tangibility and intentionality - Personalized direct mail is a physical material that audiences can hold in their hands and share with others. The key details that you add based on the reader’s information creates a uniquely intentional experience that the reader can feel through every element. If they have a community who shares similar values, they may be more likely to share the physical mail with others who will also resonate with your content.
Eliminates digital fatigue - While print spaces still tend to be busy, digital spaces are on a whole other level. Many people in this day and age are facing digital fatigue and are actually turning to communication and activities that don’t require screens. Trends are suggesting that people are looking back to the 90s and early 00s when technology didn’t rule our lives. Because of this, personalized print is becoming increasingly important as a form of communication that boosts open rates, reading time, and even response rates.
Better ROI and engagement - Personalized direct mail often results in a better ROI and overall engagement because the mail is hyper-targeted to the specific reader. It’s also less wasteful and allows brands to test different methods in smaller print runs as they see what personalization techniques work best.
Ready to incorporate personalization in your next direct mail campaign? Reach out today for a free personalized quote!
Collecting & Using Data
Personalization and hyper-personalization only work if your brand has clean and accurate data on the demographics, behaviours, and recent actions of your audience. Ensure your data is collected and organized in such a way that it pertains to specific groups or members of your audience to target the right people at the right time. You don’t want to be using language that targets someone in Toronto, ON when they really live in Thunder Bay, ON.
Responsible Data Collection
As technology continues to advance, the world is watching to see how our private lives will be protected. As a brand, it’s your responsibility to protect your members and only collect data that you’ve received permission to collect. Sometimes this can look like putting a disclaimer at the bottom that you will be collecting the reader’s data and providing the choice to opt out. Other times, it may be adhering to provincial and national standards that offer guidance on how to navigate this. Two things remain the same—do not collect or use data you’re unsure about and always be transparent with your audience to maintain their trust.
Use healthy data to personalize your next direct mail campaign! Get in touch with us today for a free personalized print quote.
Audience Segmentation
Segmentation is a helpful way of organizing your audience based on their personal data. For example, grouping all of your members that are between the ages of 25-35 years old, live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and care about the environment is helpful when doing a targeted direct mail campaign. You can adjust your messaging, images, and design for these people based on their specific data to create a memorable experience.
Consider how you will want to segment your audiences. It doesn’t always have to be as specific as above and may prove helpful to have them segmented into general groups in your database. That way, when you’re looking at who you can target with your next campaign, a quick search will show you all the readers that apply. Just be sure to keep your database organized to reduce the chance of using inaccurate data.
Send segmented direct mail as part of your next campaign! Contact us today for a free personalized print quote.
Personalization in Practice
There are endless opportunities for personalization in your direct mail campaigns when you know your audience. Check out some examples of real world personalization that you could use in your next campaign.
Your educational institution sends out personalized event invites that include the reader’s name, program or relative class, and imagery that specifically speaks to them.
Your nonprofit organization is doing a direct mail campaign that includes fundraising efforts that matter to a specific group of readers and a unique QR code that leads them to a custom landing page where they can donate.
Your retirement home sends out a monthly newsletter that includes messaging specific to the community member, a design that is easy for them to understand, and upcoming activities that they attended before and may be interested in attending again.
Use personalization for your next direct mail campaign!
Personalization and hyper-personalization should be a standard part of your direct mail campaigns. By targeting specific readers and segmenting your sendouts based on healthy data, you’ll ensure your direct mail isn’t just something that’s tossed on a kitchen table, but rather something that’s read fully, shared among communities, and easily actionable.
Let’s bring your ideas to life and create print solutions that work for your brand. Contact us today for expert guidance and a free quote!