By Cassandra Carnes

Part 1 of 3

Digital print technologies open the door for a variety of new and expanded opportunities. With the use of customer data and associated segmenting and mining tools, mass communication is transformed to speak directly to individuals through a high-value marketing campaign, targeted to recipients most apt to respond favorably.

There are steps print providers can take to ensure the best results for their customers. Effective campaigns must start with healthy data. Also, thorough education of the sales team, operations, and customers help manage expectations.

Every one-to-one marketing campaign should begin with a complete data analysis. The most successful campaigns include much more than a person’s name. Many organizations already possess a lot of information on their customers, even if it is stored over a variety of siloed repositories. It is also acceptable to fill in data gaps with external resources to generate a complete picture of the target customer. "A lack of actionable insight is the biggest detriment to successful one-to-one marketing," warns Andy Roussel, director, strategic marketing, Pitney Bowes Management Services. "Targeting technologies have been available for many years, yet are hampered in effectiveness by available data more than any other factor."

Edward Ickowski, director, sales and business development, DirectSmile, offers five words of wisdom in terms of one-to-one best practices. "Listen, think, ask, empower, and believe. All campaigns are based on a story with a single purpose—interrupting a customer’s stream of consciousness."

This sentiment encompasses the core meaning behind promotion, marketing, and advertisement—grab the consumer’s attention to subtly make a lasting impression. To do this, graphics of all forms must be visually appealing with the end user in mind. It is not only important to get the right message to the right person, it should be in the preferred format and timely.

"Companies want an interactive experience in which service providers are helping them proactively anticipate their customers’ needs and budgets, and enabling them to provide real-time value," says Scott Draeger, product manager, Enterprise Software, Hewlett-Packard.

To achieve this, print/marketing service providers must be sure to incorporate a series of best practices when communicating with their current and prospective customers. Quality data ensures the right person is receiving the message. Siloed information should be integrated whenever possible to achieve a holistic view of the audience. It is also important to maintain consistent growth, andtracking and adapting communications based on past experiences. Finally, it is important to make it easy for customers to respond.

Campaign measurement should also be a top concern. "Every one-to-one campaign must include the ability to measure and review the results, and adjust the next campaign based on those results," says Pat McGrew, data-driven communications segment evangelist, Eastman Kodak Company.

The overall analysis should also look at the logistics of a campaign. "Measure your success versus the plan once the campaign is launched," suggests Wrich Printz, president/CEO, L2, Inc.

Determine any problems meeting deadlines, either on the provider’s or the customer’s end. "Show a real interest in what it takes to get the campaign out of the door on their end," he adds.

It is also important to manage expectations. "Don’t go in the door and expect the first campaign to be anything other than a difficult—and perhaps beautiful—failure. If you blow the doors off the responses the first time great, but do not think it is the norm," says Printz. "Your job is to give it as high a probability for success as possible, and to make sure that the second campaign learns from the first."

Before implementing a one-to-one campaign, it is important to consider each of these tips. Print/marketing service providers that act as a knowledgeable partners in furthering their client’s profits and reaching campaign’s goals are more valuable to the customer—leading to new business and opportunity in the future.