A key question that must be asked and answered when considering a one-to-one marketing campaign using variable data printing is:
What do you know about our customers and prospects?
In order to answer this question, you’ll need access your company databases. By now you have probably heard the word “big data”being used to describe the mass quantity of information flowing throughout different databases. These databases can be consolidated in one place or spread out over multiple departments in your company. You’ll need to do some digging and will probably need the help of your company’s IT department or, if you are a smaller company, your “computer guy”. If you outsource your IT or use prepackaged software, you’ll need to contact the vendor to get help.
Your top 8 databases to use!
1) Accounting Databases—Look at your current customers and see who bought what, when and where. This data can be used to sell them more or to cross sell other products.
2) Marketing Databases— You’ve gathered info on customers and prospects over the years, now look at the data. What trends do you see? What segments can you pull out and create a one-to-one pitch around? Remember: customers respond better when you speak directly to them.
3) CRM or Customer Relationship Management Systems—These are systems used to manage customer service and sales departments. CRM systems like Siebel, SalesForce, and Microsoft CRM are leading the way in producing information such as sales history, contact information, customer interests, demographic information, etc. CRM systems can be centralized or dispersed. You may have to contact your sale reps directly and get their individual databases. It will be worth it though; CRM systems are often the best sources of information on your customers and prospects.
4) Your Company’s Web Site— The amount of data collected via web sites over the past few years has exploded. If you are not happy with the data or are unable to make it actionable, change your website and start collecting the right data. Google Analytics has the best tools to help you determine who is visiting your site and how they find you.
5) Customer Satisfaction Surveys— Many companies poll their customers after they have bought. These surveys are great ways for customers to tell you what they really want, giving you insight on how to adapt for the future.
6) Warranty Registrations— Don’t just use this data for warranty information. Warranties are also good sources of information for marketing, particularly when you are a wholesaler or sell through a third party and do not have direct contact with the end buyer.
7) Third Party Sources— Many companies buy lists and information from third parties. Make sure you are dealing with a reputable company and that you are getting a good quality list. Don’t cut corners—cheap lists are often inaccurate. Also, look for a list with more than just a name and address. Look for key data about your prospect that can help you tailor your message. Instead of going to a traditional mailing list source, an alternative is to approach a company that sells a related product (but that is not in direct competition) or a company that sells to the same customer profile and offer to trade customer lists. Example: if you manufacture rims for autos you could approach a tire manufacturer.
8) Social Media- This last method of obtaining customer data is of course only relevant if you are active on one or more social media sites. Individual sites offer their own analytics, such as Facebook’s Insights. Social media management dashboards like Hootsuite also provide reporting methods that supplies you with relevant data. Again, Google Analytics is a good source for telling you how social media is driving prospects to your website.
If you are unhappy with the data within your organization, start collecting it. Use direct mail to gather information. Then use the information to conduct a one-to-one (variable data) marketing campaign. Information is the most valuable asset in marketing, so start collecting!
