Engage Customers with Personalized Video Marketing

Everyone likes to feel special. Whether it’s in our daily lives, checking our email inboxes, or receiving marketing material, it’s no secret that a personal touch can do wonders. It’s also apparent that a recent transition to video marketing remains very popular in today’s world. To illustrate, take a look at these statistics from a recent Forbes article:

  • 82% of Twitter users watch video content
  • More than 500 million hours of video are watched on YouTube every day
  • Almost 50% of internet users look for videos related to a product or service before visiting a store
  • People spend 2.6 times longer on pages with videos than those without

In today’s world of constant media overload, one of the best techniques for engaging customers is to combine a personal touch with the proven method of video. In this article, we discuss what personalized video marketing is, why it’s shown to be so effective in today’s marketing world, and how it can be maximized to its fullest potential.

What is Personalized Video Marketing?

Personalized video marketing is a relatively new strategy in the marketing world. The approach leverages user data to deliver individual messages to current or prospective customers. For example, a marketing team can create a short video with a customer or businesses name on it, or a video that is specific and tailored to meet a company’s needs.

Personalized videos also allow marketers to leverage technology to deliver many personalized elements into one video. This means that one video can be sent out to hundreds, or even thousands of recipients, yet still make viewers feel like it was made from scratch – and personally for them.

If you’re like many consumers and do better watching rather than reading, take a look at this recent Ted Talk that discusses how individuals react to personalized videos.

Why Personalized Video Works?

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with various types of marketing materials, marketers and salespeople are finding it more and more difficult to reach new audiences, keep their customers engaged, and build meaningful, long-lasting relationships. By adding that personal touch and treating consumers as individuals, personalized videos are allowing marketers a novel and particular way to connect.

In addition, personalized video marketing offers these benefits:

  • Increase customer retention and revenue from returning customers
  • Break through the noise
  • Drive better sales calls and enables sales to have better conversations
  • Improve lead nurturing
  • Increase conversion rates
  • Build stronger, more impactful email campaigns

In short, it makes consumers value your video content more because it was created for them – it’s makes them feel special.

How to Use Personalized Videos Marketing 

Below are three effective and simple ways that you can begin using personalized video in your marketing strategy.

  • Real-Time Personalized Videos

Real-time personalized videos are individually created, and requires data to determine a personalized message tailored to that video. Although real-time videos are hyper-personal, they may not have the benefit of reaching a larger audience (e.g., through large-scale emails). However, if these videos are used on a website landing page requiring users to fill out a form, for example, cookies can track this data and it will be automatically included in a personalized video the next time the user visits the site.

  • Email Marketing

Differing from real-time videos, personalized video is also very effective when used with email marketing. Generally, consumers find value from products as long as they use it, and email marketing is a great way to convince consumers to use your product more frequently. Personalized video messages that interact with viewers and discuss their product usage will keep them engaged and more likely to use your product.

  • Follow-ups

Personalized videos are also a very effective way to cultivate a prospective consumer that you’ve done a sales demo for, but have to close the deal. Personalized videos can highlight answers to some of the key questions a consumer may have had during the demo, to reiterate your brand’s value, and to give the consumer the personalized touch they expect from products they use.

5 Tips on How to Effectively Market Your Nonprofit

Unlike many businesses, nonprofits face some unique challenges when it comes to marketing. Although many assume that updating a webpage and sending out a newsletter is sufficient, getting the most out of your organization takes much more. Nonprofits need to develop strong relationships with donors, volunteers and even the media in order to pursue its mission effectively. And to do this, they must have a strong marketing campaign. 

In this article we discuss five of the best tips on how to effectively and easily market your nonprofit.   

 

  • Know Your Organization 

 

Yes, it does seem obvious. However, just like any product or business that is being marketed, it’s crucial that the ones doing the marketing fully understand what they are marketing. And because nonprofits often fulfill specific and particular missions, gaining a true understanding of the organization is even more important. 

What is the nonprofit about and what purpose is it trying to fulfill? How large is the organization? Where is the organization located and does it have multiple locations? Why was the nonprofit created, and did its current purpose grow organically as the organization evolved? Who is involved and what type of funding is the organization seeking? 

Many of these questions may have already been answered, but how clear are they and have they changed? Without a complete and comprehensive understanding of the organization, a marketing campaign cannot be fully developed to the greatest extent. Take some time to fully understand your nonprofit before you embark down the marketing road. 

 

  • Target Your Audience 

 

Aside from understanding your organization, knowing your audience can be just as important. Marketing a nonprofit is different from other types of marketing in that your organization is targeting multiple groups, including volunteers, donors, and constituents. Understanding each of these personas is crucial to developing a successful marking plan. 

An easy method for organizing your different audiences is using a CRM to segment each group, then tailoring marketing strategies to meet the respective group’s goal. By separating contacts with tools such as tags and lists, you can then easily send marking messages to the appropriate groups.  

 

  • Use Online and Offline Tools 

 

Online marketing tools are some of the most effective way to create a comprehensive and successful marketing plan. Developing a full responsive website, creating a strong database to plan marketing initiatives, and integrating social media are just a few ways you can leverage the internet to help showcase your organization. Additionally, utilizing analytics tools such as Google Analytics to track website traffic and digital marketing campaigns can help you recognize where your marketing plan is thriving, and where it could use some help. 

However, many marketing teams go straight to online options and skip valuable offline tools at their disposal. Recent studies show that direct mail is the second-most used medium (57%), tied with social media, and offline marketing pulls a higher response rate than any digital direct marketing medium. Utilize both online and offline tools to gain maximum exposure of your organization. 

 

  • Set Measurable Goals 

 

As we briefly mentioned above, tracking data on your marking campaigns can be very beneficial to show how well (or not-so-well) you are doing. However, unless you have initial goals that you need to meet, you will not have a benchmark upon which you can compare the data you are tracking. 

Having measurable goals provides you with a way to evaluate what is working and what needs to change. These goals should be practicable and realistic, and should make sense for your organization and its mission. Some goals may include donor/member retention, new donors/members, yearly initiatives you want to achieve, email and direct mail sign-ups, etc. 

Once you set your goals, the marketing team can determine how the organization will measure progress toward reaching them.

 

  • Track & Showcase Your Results  

 

Aside from providing the mission and benefits of your organization, it’s equally important to show potential donors or volunteers show successful your organization has been in the past. By providing tangible results for viewers to see you are showing that your amicable goals are realized by a large audience. 

Success stories motivate current members to stay involved, attract new members, and even create an interesting angle for media coverage. Share information about your fundraising successes, the people or places that have benefitted from your organization’s work, or other distinct measures of success.

Benefits of Predictive Models in Higher Ed

Like most areas of the educational world these days, technology is forcing higher education institutions to do more with less. Institutions are under increasing pressure to admit more students, retain these students, and do their best to ensure student success. Facing this pressure, tech-savvy institutions can benefit greatly from predictive analytics and predictive models to help achieve their goals. 

This article provides an overview of predictive modeling and how it can be used to assist higher education institutions in predicting certain behaviors, specifically regarding enrollment. It also discusses the common types of predictive models, and what institutions that utilize these models can expect if data is applied correctly. 

 

What is Predictive Modeling?

At its highest level, predictive modeling is a statistical technique that is used to determine the probability of an individual performing a certain desired behavior. In terms of predictive analytics, it’s one such statistical technique that analyzes current or historical facts to make predictions about the future, along with machine learning or data mining, for example. 

For higher education institutions specifically, predictive models can help make predictions around enrollment, fundraising, marketing, and student success. Take enrollment for example:  institutions can analyze the behavior of previous students and identify variables that influenced their enrollment behavior. Once institutions identify the relevant predictor, independent variables can then help construct a statistical model that will predict future behavior. 

Once this predictive model is developed, it’s applied to prospective or enrolled students to determine the likelihood that they will exhibit a desired result—apply, enroll, graduate, etc. Institutions can then tailor their marketing or recruitment in ways that will maximize human and financial resources. 

 

How can it help in Higher Ed?

In addition to maximizing resources when it comes to enrollment as discussed above, predictive modeling also helps colleges and universities identify students who are likely to succeed, as well as students that are more at-risk of not doing well. Armed with this knowledge, institutions can target support accordingly and not made assumptions about behavior. They can use data to their advantage. 

This was the focus of a recent New York Times article on the subject. In it, the Times points out that while a little less than half of college students graduate in four years, the number only increased to 60% after six years. This is putting more pressure on schools to bring up their graduation numbers, and predictive modeling is helping with this. 

Specifically, the article points to Georgia State University, the University of Arizona (UA) and Middle Tennessee State University as examples using various methods of predictive models. Georgia State is using it to help nursing students who are at-risk of dropping out; at UA data showed that English professors needed to develop more resources to writing. And at Middle Tennessee, predictive models determined that a D in a required history course was the most common denominator of students who didn’t graduate, so the school devoted more resources to this area.   

 

What Tools are Available?

The use of predictive models in higher education is becoming increasingly popular throughout the nation, with a number of vendors helping to build models and predictive tools. However, this doesn’t mean that there is a one-size-fits-all option for most institutions. In fact, it’s quite the opposite and institutions must be weary as to which service they decide to use to help build their models. 

Although many vendors are transparent about their models and algorithms, and allow institutions to have direct involvement in the design process, not all vendors take this approach. Institutions must be very familiar and with their current practices and know exactly what they want to achieve, and should become knowledgeable about predictive models and analytics before partnering with a developer. 

One tool that works very well and is widely used at many institutions is Einstein Analytics. This application automatically analyzes billions of data elements to provide a portfolio of relevant, self-service apps to unveil insights of student behavior based on previous data. Envision is another great option, as it’s widely viewed as the most accurate predictive models in the industry. 

3 Direct Mail Tips for Digital Marketers

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It’s probably an understatement to say that most marketing teams put more focus and energy into their digital campaigns. And why shouldn’t they? Most of their intended audience spends hours a day online, either surfing the web, checking social media, or sifting through emails. However, marketers that focus solely on the digital aspect and forget about the age-old practice of direct mail are missing a substantial opportunity to connect with their consumers. 

Below are 3 tips for digital marketers that may fit into the category of those not giving direct mail campaigns their due. Digital marketers that take heed to these tips and learn to utilize both marketing formats will see a substantial increase in their bottom-line and end goal. 

 

  • Recognize the Importance of Direct Mail

 

The first tip for digital marketers is to recognize the importance of direct mail and how it can contribute to the success of a digital marketing campaign as well. To drive this point home, here are some stats:

These are just a few of the many reasons that direct mail marketers should recognize the importance of direct mail in their campaigns. Although more traditional and considered “snail mail” by most of the population today, it’s still an incredibly effective and efficient way of reaching your intended consumers. 

 

  • Integrate Direct and Digital 

 

Now that we’ve hopefully convinced you of its significance, the second tip is to understand that it’s not a “this vs. that”. Think of direct mail and digital marketing as more of a partnership. Each must give and take, but when they function properly together, they’re unstoppable. 

A few of the best ways to integrate the two mediums is through display ads, social media ads, or email. For example, you can match your direct mail data file to an IP address file, then target specific consumers on your list. Similarly, you can match your direct file to Facebook. Increasing your exposure to consumers and prospects by using direct mail and digital aspects in tandem will increase response rates, and in turn, profit margins.   

 

  • Don’t Ignore Data

 

Believe it or not, direct mail is one of the most effective methods for gathering important data on current and prospective consumers. Marketing teams can measure the response rate from direct mail campaigns through a number of sources, ranging from standard call-tracking to trackable URLs to coupon or QR codes. This tracking can eventually be put into categories and overtime a substantial database is being developed. 

Before these data-collecting tools are implemented, however, marketers should develop a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that will show how well a campaign is reaching set goals. KPIs such as response rates, conversion rates, average order size, ROI or cost per acquisition are some of the most effective KPIs for direct mail. 

The best marketing strategies not only recognize the importance of direct mail, but understand how to effectively make direct mail work together with a digital marketing strategy. Once your team understands the importance of these two mediums, use the large amount of data that will come from them and tailor your strategies accordingly. 

10 Low Budget Methods for Effective Small Business Marketing

Every successful business, no matter how large or small, knows that in order to have success you must have a successful marketing campaign. While this is easy for large profit corporations, it’s often quite difficult to small or start-up business. However, difficult doesn’t mean impossible. 

Below are 10 cost-efficient marketing methods that your small business can develop to sustain an effective and powerful marketing campaign.

 

  • Set up a Google My Business Account

 

Setting up a Google My Business account, or GMB, is arguably one of the most effective free marketing tools available. As “Googleing” has become synonymous with virtually every aspect of our lives, it makes sense that setting up a GMB will lead to greater public exposure. 

Additionally, a GMB means that your business will show up in Google Maps searches, allow customers to give your business star ratings to boost appeal, rank higher in Google searches, and earn trust from your customers. And it’s all free. 

 

  • Local Networking

 

The value of local networking is often overlooked by many small businesses, and consequently, these companies are missing out on a very proficient opportunity. Thinking locally and leveraging your community not only increases brand awareness, it also gives you the opportunity to associate your brand with positivity in the public eye.

Sponsoring an event, such as a Little League team or a 5k charity run/walk are great ways to engage with the community. Also, attending local events or small business association meetings shows your businesses commitment to the community as well as expanding your customer base.   

 

  • Leverage Social Media 

 

By now, we all know the power of the Internet and social media (see #1, above). If you haven’t created a social media account for your business, such as a Facebook page or Instagram feed, you’re already behind. Do this now. 

However, for most businesses that have already checked this box, the next step is to leverage these outlets. Social media contests are a low-cost way of building your brand awareness and generating leads. Requesting a call to action to enter the contest such as liking your page or tagging your business in a post will also increase your online views.  

 

  • Engage and Comment on Relevant Blogs

 

Here we are again using the Internet as a low-cost method for effective marketing. This time we suggest becoming active in online communities that are relevant to your business. This can mean commenting on blogs that discuss a similar product you sell or placing a link to your business on a YouTube video that is in your businesses area of expertise. 

Forums are also a great way to connect with potential customers that share similar interests as you, as well as increase your brand awareness. Engage with others and let them know how you and your business can help them address any needs they may have. 

 

  • Free Trials and Coupons

 

We saved this one for last because, perhaps aside from Google, it may be the most obvious marketing tactic, as well as the most overlooked. This is unfortunate. 

It’s well documented that if given a free sample or trial of your product, consumers are more likely to make purchases in the future. Not to mention, people love getting free stuff! Let this work for you and take advantage of this often missed opportunity. 

Running and operating a small business can be difficult, and developing a marketing campaign on a shoe-string budget doesn’t make it any easier. Let the techniques mentioned in this article work for you and in no time you’ll notice how you can create and effective and sustainable marketing campaign with little to no capital required.

Strategies to Improve Your Real Estate Leads and Boost Your Conversion Rate

If you are considering using direct mail, you are on the right path.  However, the specific direct mail strategies you employ will ultimately make or break this approach to marketing.  Direct marketing strategies are particularly important for those who work in real estate. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways for real estate professionals and others to use direct mail.

Begin by Recognizing Direct Mail is a Numbers Game

The aim of a direct mail campaign is to encourage targeted customers to respond.  A direct mail campaign with a low response rate is a failure. In general, response rates to direct mail campaigns tend to be between half a percent and 1.5 percent.  Leads should convert at around the three percent rate. Shoot for a response rate of around eight percent. Continue to build toward this goal as you refine your direct mail strategies.

Establish a High-quality List

The quality of your target list is essential to your direct mail campaign’s success.  Be careful when whittling down the group of candidates. Be picky, zero in on those most inclined to need your services and you will maximize the time, money and effort you invest in your direct mail campaign.  

Keep in mind response rates will almost certainly be at their peak when the initial mailing is performed.  The response rate will gradually decrease yet you will likely have your fair share of quality leads. These valuable leads are the primary difference between direct mail success and failure.  Above all, be completely forthright when interacting with your target clients and they will be that much more inclined to review your marketing materials.

Perform Testing

Testing is essential to direct mailing as well as every other type of marketing.  Direct mail allows you to test the copy as well as the images and even the postcard style prior to transmission.  In some cases, using the same postcard facilitates quick, easy and accurate testing. Once testing is performed, you can apply the findings and observe the difference.

Use Additional Marketing to Supplement Direct Mail

It is a mistake to assume simply contacting target clients through direct mail will suffice in and of itself.  Follow up with a phone call, social media ad or another form of outreach. Maintain a number of touch points and your direct mail effort will prove that much more meaningful.  Keep in mind, you will need client contact information such as phone numbers and emails so be sure to prominently feature a “Contact Us” form on your website to ameliorate data collection efforts.

The Most Important Elements of Direct Mail Marketing

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Direct mail has reached a mainstream tipping point for good reason.  The strategic use of this marketing method connects you to those most inclined to spend for your services.  In fact, direct mail marketing response rates have never been higher. There is clearly a shift in the manner in which consumers view advertising.  People are trusting less of what they view online and more of what they can touch with their own two hands.

Idea Elements Separate Your Direct Mail Materials From Others

The creative decisions your team makes when designing direct mail marketing materials dictate whether these items are discarded or stand out from the pack.  Choose your design elements wisely and audiences will easily distinguish between your mailer and the rest of the envelopes in the daily mail pile. There are all sorts of options for direct mail marketing, ranging from QR codes to polywrapping, wallets with inserts, snap apart mailers, etc.  Pick the best idea elements and people will be more likely to open your mailer and respond.

Consider the Mailing House

No two mailing companies are the same.  Take some time to find the mailing company with the best services for your unique needs.  Consider whether the company is ISO compliant and the types of accreditation they have. This information will provide insight into the company’s standards.  Furthermore, the mailing company you select should have the know-how and experience necessary to assist with your marketing efforts. Find out whether the mailing company you have in mind provides account management and whether they are trained for full GDPR compliance.  

The Print Elements

Print type is important for mass appeal and extending your company’s reach.  Furthermore, a prudent print type selection will help keep costs down. If you are looking for mass mailings through high-volume printing, lithographic printing is ideal.  Those seeking small volume prints will find digital printing is the best choice.

Data Elements

A number of different data management services are available through the various mailing houses.  Those properly trained to handle data will guarantee clients are segmented based on priority. Find out if candidates provide prospect matching services or customer profiling so you do not have to worry about whether your message is being delivered to the proper parties.

Measuring

Every direct mail marketing campaign should be measured for success.  Fail to measure the campaign’s success or failure and you will have no idea if it worked as planned.  Response handling is typically added on as an extra service. However, you should make sure all measurement elements are accounted for so you can proceed without worrying about whether you can gauge the campaign’s success.

Consider Adding a Promotional Element

Mixing in a promotion will go a long way in keeping your target customers interested.  Anything from a discount to a freebie will help you get off to a solid initial start and keep clients interested.

Mind the Cost

Do not lose sight of the cost in your quest to make lasting connections with your target clients.  Lean on a mailing house for assistance and you will enjoy a bulk mailing discount. These groups can even let you know what will impact costs as time progresses.

The Time has Come for Marketers to Reconsider Their Channel Mix

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The arrival of the digital era has provided marketers with an abundance of channels to connect with prospective customers.  These breakthrough methods of communication certainly have their merits yet there is opportunity beyond online marketing. Email is now one of the most revered avenues to connect with customers.  The challenge lies in getting those on your email list to open your messages and spend more than a couple seconds engaging with the content.

A Quick Look at GDPR

Companies far and wide are tasked with adapting to GDPR.  This is an acronym that stands for General Data Protection Regulation. Adapting to the specifics of GDPR requires companies to critique their marketing strategy. This is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of direct mail.  GDPR is meant to return control over individual data back to everyday people. Though reaching full compliance certainly requires a considerable amount of effort and resources, compliance ultimately means transparency and improved customer relationships.

In the end, companies that adhere to the nuances of regulations will ultimately enjoy higher quality relationships with clients that prove mutually beneficial to both parties.  However, GDPR is not the sole data regulation that will affect marketers. Once 2020 arrives, the ePrivacy Regulation will be in full force. This regulation establishes guidelines for digital marketing.  Stay tuned to see how the details of this legislation impact direct mail marketing.

The Power of Direct Mail

Direct mail can be used in accordance with the rules established byGDPR.  In fact, some consider direct mail to be just as effective as email marketing.  A number of studies show direct mail really does resonate with the target audience, especially those in the millennial age cohort.  Though some millennials seem to be handcuffed to their screens, the majority of these young adults react positively to a personal card, letter or other item received through traditional mail.  The arrival of such an item is quite the refreshing surprise after receiving an influx of emails on a daily basis.

Direct mail is also attractive to marketers in that it presents an opportunity for brands to put their unique style and creativity on display.  There is no exact dimension to fit or a specific space to fill as direct mailings can feature their own unique style. Companies that experiment with alterations to the size, shape and color of direct mail will find it is easier to establish inroads with prospective customers.

Consider “Viewability”

Viewability is a term that refers to the frequency and ease of viewing specific materials.  Email marketing is rife with viewability shortcomings. The vast majority of marketing emails go unopened.  Alternatively, two-thirds of direct mail transmissions are opened. The bottom line is people really do look forward to opening tangible mail as opposed to electronic mail.  

So don’t buy into the hype about consumers, especially young ones, always favoring electronic ads.  Brands can make a meaningful impression on buyers of all ages and other demographic cohorts through a strategic direct mail marketing effort.  The moral of this story is tangible items such as letters, postcards and boxes really do make a more meaningful impression on the human brain than electronic transmissions.  Use both forms of communication in a highly strategic manner, diversify your channel mix and you will make the most of your marketing budget.

How Graphic Design is Used for Content Marketing

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Graphic design is essential to content marketing.  Carefully crafted visual content has the potential to prove quite engaging and persuasive when presented by true professionals with extensive industry experience.  So don’t think of graphic design as drawings; this line of work is more about communicating in an artful manner with visually appealing images. From the perspective of a business owner or manager, it is best to think of graphic design as a bridge that connects the company to prospective clients.  Here is a look at how graphic design is used in the context of content marketing.


Graphic Design: Blog Images

Blogs have quickly become quite the important tools for connecting with potential clients.  However, blogs are rife with words that the human brain does not process as quickly as images.  Enlist the assistance of an experienced graphic designer and he or she will set the stage for the presentation of your blog content in a truly artful manner.  Even the use of a single graphic in a blog post has the potential to keep a substantial percentage of visitors on the page and engaging with the content. Furthermore, the best graphic designers know how to strategically implement images to break up those extended sections of text and keep readers interested.

Graphic Design’s Role in Calls to Action

Calls to action, commonly referred to with the acronym of CTA, should feature a graphic that makes an emotional impact on the audience.  Such an image proves indelible, linking the target customer’s emotions with your company for the long haul. Ideally, the CTA will be presented in an artful manner that inspires readers to complete an action such as clicking the link, entering contact information, subscribing or leaving a comment that opens the door for additional interaction.

Infographics

The best designers understand just how important images are to content marketing.  Infographics are visually pleasing as they command attention in a way plain text does not.  A carefully selected graphic or photo really will generate ample interest and engage the audience.  These images are especially important if the text in question is somewhat dry.

The Prudent use of Graphics Creates Lasting Connections

Visitors to your website, blog, social media, emailed newsletter and other online content will feel that much more connected to your brand if your web presence is handled by a skilled graphic designer.  Elite design shapes the audience’s experience with your brand and ultimately steers clients through the sales funnel on the path to conversion.

Benefits of Using Variable Data Printing

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Direct mail can be cheap and impersonal, or it can be cheap and personal. Generic campaigns put you in front of your customers, but do you capture their attention? With variable data printing, small businesses and marketers in niches can vary their marketing campaigns to target the specific needs of a diverse audience without having to create multiple pieces that may only be useful for one campaign.

What is variable data printing?

Variable data printing is a printing method that allows for some parameters to be changed, such as text and images, within an entire output as many times as desired. This is most often used in direct mail to change names and addresses. The software uses a spreadsheet created by the user or the mail house to determine what input goes where on the material. While it certainly makes creating large scale direct mail campaigns much easier and cost-effective to print, it can be used to further customize direct mail to a customer’s preferences and buying history, personalizing direct mail so that it appears that the it was made just for that customer.

How can variable printing help your direct mail marketing campaigns?

1. One print run. One direct mail campaign can be changed to target specific demographic groups with just a few tweaks. One campaign, one print run, one template. This makes small print runs affordable, and all print runs with a faster turnaround time.

2. Make it personal. If there’s one thing anyone is going to read on your direct mail (besides the word “free”) is their own name. This much variable printing can do, but to further capture a customer’s interest, a mailing, flyer, or catalog can be printed with targeted advertisement so that this customer is receiving what appears to be custom-made letter.

A campaign can target demographic groups or individuals by changing any content to appeal to that group. This would not only increase your return on investment, but allow you to experiment and create test campaigns smaller and more targeted than A/B tests.

3. Eye-catching images, fonts and colors. Customizing fonts, images, and colors allows you to completely transform your direct mail so that one campaign actually functions like many smaller, exclusive, niche campaigns. You could even use the same template over again and simply change the parameters to suit your needs.

4. Make it local. Do you have a storefront, or two? Do you sell your products in brick and mortar stores, at the farmer’s market, a festival? Let your customers know where to find your wares with maps and custom-printed lists of stores, hours, and directions to the places where they can buy your products.

5. Urgent message? A holiday-only sale? Moving locations? Opening a new store in a certain area? Announcing a new product line that a certain section of your customers would be interested in? Variable data printing can help you launch that direct mail with a few changes to an existing template so you can put the news out there immediately.

Creating custom information doesn’t have to be time-consuming and is not only available to those with huge print orders. With variable data printing, you can create multiple, personal, and tailored direct marketing pieces to appeal to each of your customers as individuals.