Variable Data Printing to Catch Your Eye
You already know that utilizing your customers’ data in your digital and print advertising campaigns is crucial for response rates which will translate into sales, but how can you make that happen?
Let TAG introduce you to your new best friend, Variable Data Printing, also known as, VDP! And, every best friend must have a sidekick, so meet the data experts of TAG who have known VDP for years.
VDP is the marketing technique that enables you to produce large quantities of high-quality advertising pieces, yet still, have each piece personalized for every customer. It’s called 1:1 (one to one) marketing. It’s easy because TAG can handle all your business’ VDP needs! All TAG needs to create a successful direct mail campaign is data about your customers and your business goals. Whether you want to target new audiences or get your current customers to spend more, TAG can not only make your goals a reality but also expand upon them.
VDP works by applying data about your customers to direct mail and using it to create personalized pieces. Some common uses of VDP are direct mail addressing and the personalizing of loyalty program communications. Addressing a piece used to require the original printed piece to be put through an additional piece of equipment to inkjet an address. With variable data printing, this basic requirement is 100% eliminated. Addresses are the original personalization data. There’s a huge cost savings in this approach. However, that’s just the beginning, VDP gives direct mail the ability to become personalized in any way you need. For example, if you know Jason just bought a bicycle then you can send him advertising for bike helmets. Or, if you know Sarah recently viewed an online ad for your business then you can mail her a coupon for exactly what she viewed online.
VDP is what allows you to tailor your communications with your current and future customers. Being personal gives them a reason to interact with your brand. TAG can send a flyer with a coupon to millennials in the area or use a local image on mailings to people in a specific city. It’s no secret that a little personalization goes a long way, so it should be no surprise that personalized ads result in higher response rates than general ads do. A study done in 2016 by InfoTrends which was noted in Target Marketing, found that people who were given a direct mail piece which had some personalization were 29.9% “much more likely” to open it and read it and 55% “more likely”.
When seeking higher response rates, it is important that you reach the right customer with the right message. Nobody feels special or motivated to act when they read another generic and vague advertising message. When TAG allows you to call your customer by their name (literally) and present them with a message and image highly related to the customer as an individual, they are much more likely to respond.
There’s no limit on the uses for VDP! VDP can benefit businesses in all areas, for example, TAG recently used VDP to automate the merchandising system of price tags for leading wine and spirit distributors. It wasn’t 1:1 marketing, but the ability to automate the production of tags for 80 stores and over 11,000 SKUs saved hundreds of hours of art preparation and data work.
If you’re worried you don’t have enough data to create a successful VDP campaign, well, think again! A little data can go a long way. VDP campaigns don’t need overwhelming amounts of data to be successful. Even data as simple as your current customer and transaction lists can be enough to build a beneficial VDP campaign for your business. TAG can be as creative as you need them to be in order to create a campaign which is tailored for your needs and built within your data frame.
VDP won’t just get you in contact with customers, it will create a unique relationship between you and every current or future customer. In a world where every industry is becoming more and more competitive, little decisions like choosing to use VDP, are what will set you apart from the crowd and lead to big successes! And, we all know millennials are demanding a personal experience and relationship with brands. This audience loves the VDP touch.
To learn more, download TAG’s VDP guide and see what VDP can do for you!
