News
 Personalized
Direct Mail Improves Relevancy and Response
By Bob Martel
In any direct marketing effort, if the relevance of
the message delivered is the key to building
perceived value and response, why do so many
marketers take obvious shortcuts that negatively
impact results? Okay, that was a long sentence. Let
me try again. Said another way, why are so many
direct marketers failing to achieve stellar campaign
results? As the title suggests, this brief article
shines a spotlight on an often overlooked and
under-leveraged component of any great campaign:
direct mail personalization.
Some would argue that the days of great response are
a thing of the past. Copy was king in the pioneering
days of direct mail marketing, and it’s still
important today. With a powerful arsenal of
personalization tools and techniques, today’s direct
marketers are pioneers of a different kind.
Personalization is more than merging a correctly
spelled prospect name onto an envelope. Today’s
direct marketing technologies make highly
personalized campaigns possible for the small
business market, where great results are essential.
Keep these thoughts in mind before you put pen to
paper. (People do still write with a pen, don’t
they?)
• Don’t overlook the obvious. Start with good list
hygiene to guarantee proper mail addressing. A great
piece won’t deliver, opened, read and acted upon if
the correct person does not receive it, or if the
name is misspelled!
• What is the emotional connection you seek to build
with the prospect? What data are you collecting to
support your effort? Consider list enhancement to
fill in the gaps, and do some homework to understand
the possibilities.
• Personalization is database driven. Match the
level of personalization to the type of campaign and
the customer buying cycle (lead generation, lead
development, retention/loyalty)
• Take your favorite high tech printer to lunch. Are
you aware of the latest document printing
technologies? On-demand digital color variable data
printing is available around the corner from you or
over the Internet. Get smart. The thought leaders in
digital printing industry are trying to educate you
about the possibilities.
• Speaking of printers, why is it that printers are
the worst direct marketers? They have access to all
of this powerful technology they want to sell us,
yet they do not lead by example. So, be sure to
choose a digital printer who “gets it” about
personalized direct mail and can show you samples.
• Remember the power of the pen and the written
word. A handwritten thank you note and a
personalized Post-It note on the letter or on the
envelope (see your mail house for regulations) still
do the trick.
Speaking of the pen, what ever happened to the
handwritten signature. Even if you have 10,000
pieces in the mail, hire a few people to hand sign
them.
Bob Martel is a
marketing consultant, direct response copywriter and
corporate hot air balloon pilot. He can be reached
at (508)481-8383 or (bobmartel@jmbmarketing.com)
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Melissa Data
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