Variable Data Printing (VDP)
Personalization is a trend that you can’t ignore. Today’s consumers crave personalized experiences more than ever – think about the on-demand features of Amazon Prime, or the customization brought by Netflix.
Using this trend to your advantage is as easy as utilizing the information you already have about your customers to transform generic promotional efforts into stronger marketing tools – all while building on the identity, demographics, or interests of your recipients!
What is Variable Data Printing (VDP)?
A printing process in which elements such as images and text can change from one printed piece to the next, using information from a database.
Why is Customization Important?
Through the process of personalization, you are collecting more and more information about your target audience, and your audience is having a much more positive interaction with your company.
And the statistics don’t lie…with personalization at the helm of your digital and print strategy, companies report a 32% increase in profit, a 35% faster response rate, and a whopping 48% increase in repeat orders.
How You can get started with VDP
1. Research Your Target Market
The more you know, the more you can personalize. If you’re targeting twenty-somethings living in Baltimore, find out all that you can about that segment: i.e. their buying habits, where they like to shop, what they do in their free time – this all leads to a richer and more meaningful personalized approach when you advertise directly to them.
For instance, let’s say you are a clothing store in Fells Point. After doing your research, you learned that 27-year-olds living in a 2 mile radius from your business (a segment of your target audience) tend to hang out in cafes after work. With this specific information, you could design a postcard featuring young women in a coffee shop, wearing your clothing and drinking coffee.
2. Collect Information
Collect rich information about your audience members for this campaign to work to its best ability. Vital information used in most VDP projects include: first and last name, company name, position, and zip code.
Now that you have collected the zip codes of individuals within your target audience, you are able to customize each card even further. With VDP, you are able to specifically target customers in different neighborhoods in one campaign. Therefore, you can expand your postcard production to include potential customers living in Canton as well.
You know (through research, see step 1) that twenty-somethings in Canton like to meet friends for dinner after work. Each person on your mailing list in Fells Point will still receive the café image, but those who reside in Canton will now receive an image of friends meeting after work for appetizers…all the while, wearing your clothing. Each individual on your mailing list will receive a postcard in the mail that speaks directly to them.
3. Select a VDP Software that Works for Your Business
We can help you find variable data printing software that works for your business. And to make it even better, we’ll even help you gain the ability to print these jobs in-house. Fill out the form below to talk to a specialist at Advance about your personalized print options!