Part 3: Personalize Your Catalog Covers
Big data. Net Promoter Scores. Customer Models. There is a lot of information out there. And if we’re doing our jobs correctly, we’re referencing multiple audience indicators to inform our marketing every step of the way. Especially with digital. We can react quickly to customer behavior; turn on a dime based on real-time data; personalize our messages and serve up relevant offers at the 1:1 level. But that’s digital. All too often we forget that print has powerful ways to be personalized and relevant. Take your two most important hotspots: the front and back covers. On those two pages alone is the possibility of the beautiful trifecta that occurs when you marry data + creative + print technology. Are the lead times longer? A little. Is there a little more investment? Sure. But using data-informed creative and personalization on just your covers alone can go a long way to acknowledge and delight your customer, and a proven technique to drive response.
Consider giving your catalog covers an informed and personal spin by using the Three P’s.
Personalize by Place:
The first thing you know about your customer is where they live. Consider localizing your covers to resonate more with your customers. This can be done overtly (showing a regional icon on the cover to demonstrate your brand is at home where your customers are) or in more indirect ways. At a minimum, ensure your product and cover photography isn’t a total regional misfire (say, a Ski Outfit to your Florida customer base.) Another technique to show your customer that you care? List upcoming, brand-relevant local events on the cover or back cover. Have a brick-and-mortar store in the area? Take advantage of ink jetting by geo-targeting your customers and listing the nearest store to them—you can even tell them how many miles away it is from their home. (Creepy, maybe. But it works.)
Personalize by Product:
What we can learn and know about our customers’ product preferences can vary widely depending on the breadth of our offering, the depth of our analytics, and the longevity of the customer. But to the degree you can, consider using the cover hero product as a way to give your customer what they want most from you. This goes one step beyond the merchandising decision of leading with your best seller, your newest style, or your seasonal favorite. Send each segment in your list a cover with the leading product for that segment. Your cover will speak to them more directly, and their purchase will speak to your bottom line. It’s a win-win.
Personalize by Promotion:
Finally, you can power up your personalization by delivering the right offer to the right customer. If a history of testing has provided insight into who responds to what, your promotion can be versioned and tailored to fit multiple segments. Reap the highest response rates across your segments knowing you are providing a percentage off, free shipping, or the right BOGO to the right customer. A versioned dot whack, headline, or inkjet message can deliver a layer of messaging that varies with your customer list. Consider also that the promotion itself doesn’t need to be versioned, but the positioning of it can be tailored. Free Shipping for your entire audience can be positioned as a “Welcome” gift to new customers and a “Come back” message to lapsed customers.
Never underestimate the power of print when it comes to personalization. While digital is perhaps the nimblest of tools in your arsenal, your catalog can also rely on informed creative to resonate with your customers at the 1:1 level.
Tags: Customer Behavior, customers, direct mail personalization, Knowledge-Based Creative, Michele Drohan, personalization, personalize messaging