Talk about personalized communications is all around us. Yet, only some businesses are using personalization in their marketing. The reasons vary, from thinking it’s too expensive to it’s too difficult to do. The reality is that neither is true.
Let’s look at three ways to target your marketing communications that don’t require much effort or specialized skill.
- Segment, then personalize. There are easy ways to segment your database to create more relevant communications. For example, you might break out your customers by purchasing from you most frequently and those who haven’t purchased from you in a certain period (say, six months). Create targeted messaging for each group, then personalize by name.
To your most frequent customers, you might send a “thank you” mailer and make them a special offer: “Susan, it’s customers like you that make our business rock. Here’s a special offer to show our gratitude!” For disengaged people, you might send a re-engagement mailer: “Bob, we miss you! Here’s a special offer to come back.”
- Personalize with colors and images. “Personalization” often uses messaging based on demographic or psychographic data such as household income, interests, and past purchases. But something as simple as changing the color scheme can also boost response rates. Try using different color schemes for men and women. For men, you might feature black and silver. For women, you might incorporate softer, more feminine colors, such as lavender, peach, and rose gold.
- Target based on location. Even if the geographic location has little to do with the product, just mentioning the area where someone lives or using imagery that reflects that area makes the offer seem more personal. For example: “Special offer just for our customers in Baltimore!” with an image of the Inner Harbor. Or, if you sell music supplies, “Nashville residents, we’ve got your jam!” with an image of the Grand Ole Opry.
Personalization doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated; it can often be done with the data you already have in-house. So before you write off personalization as too difficult, talk to us. Let us show you how easy it can be.