Let’s take a look at one-to-one marketing and how you can integrate personalized marketing into your direct mail. I’ll use a real world Example Direct Mail Marketing campaign I developed to promote my firm’s small business web design services.
Screenshot Of The Attached One-To-One Marketing PDF
What Is One-To-One Marketing?
It’s really as simple as it sounds. One-to-one marketing is simply using information you have about customers, your target market and target industries to create personalized marketing. So, instead of blasting a wide audience with a generalized marketing message like, “Buy widgets from ABC Company,” we can now speak directly to one person and say, “John, buy ABC’s red widgets because they work perfectly with your Hotshot red widget machine.” By using customer information that you already track, or by digging up specific information about target markets, you have an unprecedented ability to customize your marketing for each recipient.
An Example One-To-One Marketing Campaign
Download the PDF containing an Example Direct Mail Marketing piece (1.21 MB file size) I used in a personalized marketing campaign. Take a quick look and then read on for a detailed explanation.
Campaign Background
The sample direct mail piece was used to promote my firm’s small business web design services to new businesses in Chicago and surrounding states. The mailing list was compiled from recently registered small businesses filings. I used further research to build a database of our service’s features and benefits for individual industries, based upon the recipient’s SIC Code (Standard Industrial Classification Code). Additional variable data fields were also added to the database, based on SIC Code, that would be used to populate different sections of the personalized marketing direct mail template.
The Finished Direct Mailer
The end result — each new business owner received a mailer that was tailored to their specific industry and needs. So, for example, a landscaping company received a mailing with information directed at how a website can help the landscaper attract new clients, and detailed the specific features and benefits of having a website for a landscaping business. While a dentist received a personalized marketing mailer with key benefits of a website to promote their dental practice to new patients.
In the sample one-to-one marketing PDF, everything highlighted in pink was customized with data from the database. Think of it as a giant personalized marketing mail merge. The “shell” or direct mail template file with static images was printed using traditional four-color printing, while the variable data fields were then printed with a high-speed laser printer.
Campaign Goals
The goal of my direct mail piece was to entice the reader to visit the Formulis website via a personalized URL. I talk a little bit about personalized URLs and their awesome impact on direct mail marketing in my post: Example Sales Letter Autopsy. But to provide you a quick overview, a personalized URL is simply an extension of your website domain name that is personalized for each person, and, directs visitors to a personalized version of your website. So, for example, if you’re sending a direct mail piece to someone named John Smith, the personalized URL for the Formulis website would be: www.Formulis.com/John.Smith.
Now We’re Cooking With Gas!
When you combine custom direct mail with a personalized website, you can see how two very different mediums are integrated to create a cohesive one-to-one marketing campaign. Not only was the direct mail piece personalized with industry variables and type of business, but now each recipient is directed to their very own personalized version of my website!
Using the same tactics as the direct mail piece, the Formulis website contained dozens of how-to and educational articles — and each one used personalized text, content and photos based upon the industry and type of business of each recipient. Pretty cool personalized marketing, huh?! And even better, once the visitor stopped by the website, I was able to track everything that they looked at without prompting them to login or register on my website — which provided a treasure trove of information for follow up marketing and to pass on to my sales team.
One-To-One Marketing Results
It all boils down to one thing — results! The standard industry response rate bandied about by direct mailers is a paltry 1%. Using the one-to-one marketing campaign above, I rocketed past those figures! Depending on the mailing lists used, I was able to generate a response rate of between 3.8% and 5.5% on multiple mailings of 10,000 pieces – an obscene figure for direct mail! Unfortunately, I’m not going to give away the store here, especially to the prying eyes of other small business web design firms. So I’ll have to keep mum on financials. But to give you a taste… ROI for this one-to-one marketing campaign was over 500%.
Give us your two cents! Let us know what you think about the above article on how to use one-to-one marketing and personalized URLs in direct mail. Have a question? Ask away! Thank you for reading and be sure to check out some of our other articles on direct mail!
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