In today’s world of marketing, data is king. The more information we have at our fingertips the better we can narrow the offer so that each person marketed to can feel that they are being talked to directly.
More than 10 years ago we were creating a birthday card direct mail program for a casino, the response rate, based upon variable offers was consistently in the 40+ % range. Why? DATA!!!!!!!!!! We knew when these people came in, how long they came for, what types of games they played, how long they spent playing and how much they won or lost on a per visit basis. If we were able to tie husband and wife loyalty cards together, the data was stronger and so was the response based upon being able to provide an offer that benefited both parties.
Think about how much information is available to you, as a business, if you take the time to collect and analyze it. How much better could you forecast trends and pre-empt customers from shopping at your competition through timely marketing offers?
There is a story of a certain car company that “found” the leasing information for one of their competitors. They not only had names and addresses, but they had colour, make of car and when lease was up. The story goes that you would receive a direct mail piece that would have your name on it and it would say, wouldn’t you rather be in car brand X. On the front would be a version of the latest model year of the type of car you owned, but their model. I.e., if you had a red two door soft top, that would be the picture which would be on your postcard. The call to action was strong and so was the response rate. In other words: great data + great offer + great marketing program = great ROI!!!!!!!
Here is a great example that was done by a hospital group in the US. They realized that there were other places for potential clients to go when they needed medical services, so they found a way to make it easy for people to think of them.
This is a variably printed fridge magnet. 70000 + were produced, each one has a different map that takes you from YOUR house to the closest facility that they own. Think of what this does to the end consumer. They have a visual on their fridge at any time that shows how easy it is to get medical help when needed. Notice how each magnet is unique to the address it is being mailed to? This is a true value add!
Think of the options that are available using this technology and the variety of different businesses that could attract long term clients using this medium. Yes, the cost per piece is higher than other mediums, but so is the return on your investment. If you have a high life time value of every customer acquired, this is a marketing tactic that should definitely be part of your overall marketing strategy.
The next step in this process is the development of PURLS, Personal URLs. With this technology, you have driven your customer to a website that is specifically designed for them. It allows you to cater your information to their individual needs and provide each and every client with offers that are relevant to them.
So take the time to understand what data you have on your clients, what data you would like to have and how that proper use of data can help develop your brand long term and see how we can Get YOU Noticed!