Segmentation Sells

List segmentation is crucial to any direct marketing technique. Developing a relevant target list will strengthen the impact of your message. Refining your data into highly specialized areas such as industry, home-based business, association membership and even households with children, for example, allows you to refine your message even more; communicating the advantage of your product or service to your targets with a personal twist.

The basic demographic segments are at the top of every marketers mind, but consider the impact some of the following might have on your marketing objectives.
Business
§ Business annual revenue
§ Franchise
§ How businesses spend money
§ New business
§ Trade publications subscribers
§ Trade show attendees
Consumer
§ Bankruptcy & Tax Liens
§ Direct mail responder
§ Investors
§ Lifestyle selects
§ Magazine subscribers

Constant refreshing of internal lists is also a basic requirement for data management. By regular review of the resources we have at our fingertips, you can ensure your list is as qualified as possible. Set aside time each week to flip through industry publications such as magazines and newspapers or scan online Web sites for professional association membership updates, promotions and new project updates. Including this in your scheduled workload will make these changes and updates as commonplace as updating address and email changes.

In the end, accurate identification of your targets and the more details you know about them and their buying patterns will improve your lead to sales ratio as well as your return on your marketing dollars. In some cases, a reported ten time higher response rate. Take the time to know your targets inside and out.

A small list of service providers from which you can obtain additional information or acquire lists is listed here:
InfoUSA, 800-242-5478, www.infousa.com
Mailing Lists Direct, 866-758-1798, www.mailing-lists-direct.com
USA Data, 800-395-7707, www.usadata.com
DirectMail.com, 888-690-2252, www.directmail.com
AccuData, 800-732-3440, www.accudata.com

Pique Interest with Personalization

How many more responses would you generate if your direct marketing campaign was automatically personalized for each recipient by presenting different benefits, offers and demographics based on the information contained in your database? Or customized by the past interests or behaviors of your customers?

Variable-data printing (VDP) is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next without stopping or slowing down the printing process, using information from a database or external file. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and address on each letter.

Frank Romano, co-author of Personalized & Database Printing: The Complete Guide, reports a 500 percent increase in response rates when marketing pitches are customized with information about recipients’ buying habits, hobbies, pets, you name it. Even more impressive, personalization increases order size by 25 percent and repeat orders by a whopping 50 percent. Tracking such customer behaviors is expected but being capable of using this data to influence response and sales is exceptional. Personalize a message and feel confident that you can convert a receptive and highly-qualified lead into a sale. Create an environment encouraging buying behaviors.

Variable data printing allows you to get personal….enabling mass customization of documents via digital print technology. Instead of producing 10,000 copies of a single document—delivering a single message to 10,000 customers, variable data printing could print 10,000 unique documents with customized messages for each customer.

Everything Is Digital...Even Printing!

It seems that our world has gone digital right before our eyes. But the not-so-obvious are the exciting ways the improvements in digital printing can further your efforts to build much stronger relationships with your customers and even open the eyes of new ones. Plus, digital printing will put a much smaller dent in your budget than offset printing!

With digital printing every impression can be different, as opposed to making several hundred or thousand impressions of the same thing from one set of plates; it requires less waste in terms of chemicals used and paper wasted in set up; it is excellent for rapid prototyping, or small print runs.

Five Ways Digital Printing Can Help You?
1. Reduces hidden costs of preparation, warehousing, and distribution by printing shorter runs.
2. Prints lower quantities of brochures, flyers, postcards, business cards, sell sheets, statements and financial reports and more - quickly.
3. Personalizes one to one communication between you and your customers with unique text, images and graphics.
4. Provides opportunity for on-demand, online fulfillment of any printed materials.
5. Increases return on investment (ROI) for your marketing dollars-sell more effectively and get your message to market faster.

PrintGen’s digital printing service promises fast turnaround and brilliant color!