Get Personal
With variable data printing, in-plants can customize documents for individual consumers, increasing response times, average order size and repeat orders.
One of the fastest growing trends in business today is the adoption of Customer Relationship Management. Its focus is to identify, acquire and retain the best customers in order to produce profitable growth. To achieve this goal, organizations must communicate with customers in an individualized manner.
Customer-specific messages and offers are the crux of relationship marketing, according to industry consultant Brian Woolf, author of Customer-Specific Marketing. His premise, that all customers are not equal contributors to retailers' profits, drives his thesis that the key to marketers' success lies in their ability to differentiate deals.
"Why have we treated [all] customers the same and offered them merchandise at identical prices?" Woolf asks. "The answer, quite simply, is because we didn't have a cost-effective system to make different offers to our different customers. But that has now changed because technology has given us new tools."
With the technology now available to create variable data printing, in-plants can attract more business by supporting this move towards Customer Relationship Management and one-to-one marketing. With variable data printing, in-plants can customize documents for individuals, which, in turn, can drive increased response times, average order size and repeat orders.
Not Just For Direct Mail
Now, you may think that variable data printing only complements direct mail campaigns, but it can complement all marketing mediums, including the World Wide Web, telephone and face-to-face meetings. For example, customized documents can be sent to a consumer based on selections made at a company's Web site.
To illustrate this, imagine a college brochure that has been customized for a prospective student in response to selections the student made on the university's Web site. The text and images could be varied to meet the needs of the student. For example, if "tennis" were selected as an athletic interest and "chemistry" as a possible major, the brochure could incorporate images of test tubes and tennis courts.
Variable data printing also can play a big role in sales meetings where the salesperson can tailor documents for a particular customer. With personalized information, the chance of a successful outcome to the meeting is increased.
Call In And Win
Another example of the responses variable data printing can achieve is the Dutch "Toets 9220" (in English: "Dial 9220") campaign. It has inspired nearly one-fifth of the Dutch population to pick up the phone. KPN, the Netherlands-based telecommunications company that owns both the Dutch phone company and the Dutch Post mail system, wanted to create a service that enables consumers to request information about products and services via an interactive voice response system and then receive a customized catalog in the mail within 48 hours.
The Toets 9220 campaign permits consumers to access the service via telephone, Internet or Interactive Teletext and opt to receive information on a range of products and services. Within 48 hours, a four-color, personalized catalog is delivered to their door. For the price of a phone call, the consumer receives a customized selection of articles, including expert advice, manufacturers' specifications, comparative test reports and local supplier addresses for requested products.
By integrating database, print-on-demand and telecommunications technologies, Toets 9220 allows KPN to gather consumer data while simultaneously meeting the consumer's need for personalized information via targeted catalogs.
The Latest Information
"Consumers are in control of the information they want to receive," says Atie de Heer, Toets 9220 project manager. "Also, advanced print-on-demand technology means that information is always up-to-date, as the information booklets are only printed after a request has been received."
If a customer requests information on electronics, for example, all the products and services that fit the customer's electronic profile are selected. This variable data is then sent to a Xeikon printer and customized catalog pages are produced. When complete, pages are folded, trimmed and perfect bound. The finished catalog is then delivered to the Dutch Post for overnight or same-day mailing.
"Since we launched Toets 9220, we have been approached by banks, publishers, car manufacturers and travel companies who are extremely excited by the advantages which this service can provide," de Heer says.
So it stands to reason that in-plants serving companies such as these can also aid their organizations by offering variable data printing.
As you can see, the key to selling variable data printing is selling marketing solutions, not printed pages. Learn what the goals and needs of your organization's clients are and base your approach on that. For instance, perhaps your company wishes to increase business from its current customers. Variable data printing can help build customer loyalty and increase customer orders through the creation of unique offers based on past purchasing history. If your company is concentrating on increasing new customer acquisition, variable data printing can also drive this by communicating with potential consumers on a one-to-one basis.
By centering on the solutions variable data printing offers, you should be able to convince your customers to utilize this technology.
The Print On Demand Initiative (PODi) is a non-profit strategic marketing and educational initiative focused on educating the market about the opportunities in digital printing technology and services. PODi creates market demand by educating print creators and buyers about the benefits of digital color printing, through the publication of articles, independent market research, industry seminars and special events. To learn more about implementing a variable data printing program contact PODi at (716) 239-6063 or at:
info@podi.org
Quick Look
• To identify, acquire and retain the best customers, businesses must communicate with them in an individualized manner.
• With variable data printing, in-plants can help attract more business.
• Customized documents can be sent to a consumer based on selections made at a company's Web site.
• Salespeople can have documents tailored for a particular customer.
• One campaign lets consumers request information about products and services via an interactive voice response system and then receive customized catalogs in the mail.
- People:
- Brian Woolf