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Help keep your cross channel marketing personal with Neopost
Personalised marketing communications are continuing to shape the way
businesses interact with their customers – and no matter the size of your
business or market sector, failing to tailor everything from promotional emails to
a monthly newsletter risks leaving customers in the cold.
With O2’s recent ‘The Rise of Me-tail’ study suggesting over half (56 per cent) of
consumers would now be inclined to buy from a retailer if they offered a good
customer experience, businesses can no longer afford to take a ‘one size fits all’
approach to their marketing communications.
Far from being reserved for high street giants however, the benefits of
personalised marketing are easily attainable for SMEs too!
Personalisation: more than just name-dropping
Although some businesses may still view personalised marketing as an optional
extra to their communications, the reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
As we emerge from the recession, the rise of everything from comparison
websites to word of mouth on social media has meant consumers are savvier
than ever.
Amidst this increased consumer awareness and fierce market competition, if you
can’t demonstrate understanding of your customers’ needs and preferences, it
could have can have a serious effect on customer loyalty.
As well as helping to boost customer loyalty, personalised communications can
also help your enterprise increase revenue.
With around 64 per cent of consumers saying they would spend more money
with a company that uses their data to create relevant offers and a good
service1, it pays to stay personal. To put this into perspective, take a channel
1
http://dma.org.uk/sites/default/files/tookit_files/print_tracking_2013_report.pdf
like direct mail – nearly half (48 per cent) of consumers will simply open an item
of post if it is has been personally addressed to them2.
Don’t get left behind!
Far from a dark art, some of the most effective ways of personalising your
marketing are also the simplest. But although personalised marketing can help
strengthen your relationship with customers, many SMEs still seem reluctant to
implement it.
A Direct Mail Association (DMA) study into response management recently
discovered that only 45 per cent of companies personalise their responses3, too
many businesses are risking alienating their customer base through generic
messaging.
But what is their loss could be your gain!
Depending on the size of your business, the way in which you will personalise
your marketing activity may vary. But while the scale of the emails or direct mail
items you send might change, the fundamentals of personalised marketing stay
very much the same.
Top personalisation tips
From SMS to cleverly crafted direct mail, subtle personalised changes across all
of your marketing platforms can be extremely powerful. To give you an example
of some of the effective changes you can bring to your marketing
communications, the DMA’s ‘From letterbox to inbox – building customer
relationships’ report, revealed some telling insights into what people really care
about:
1. Get the basics right - A staggering 74 per cent of people listed accurate
naming as the most prominent reason they opened post. Before any
element of mail piece design, ensure your marketing communications
always implement up-to-date and accurate customer data.
2
http://dmablogs.org.uk/index.php/smart-use-of-data-and-personalised-communications-boost-consumertrust/
3
http://dmablogs.org.uk/index.php/smart-use-of-data-and-personalised-communications-boost-consumertrust/
2. Talk to ‘me’ – Just under half (43 per cent) of people surveyed listed
having their name in the letter message as the most important aspect of
personalisation in addressed post. It’s a small touch, but one that can
make all the difference to response rates.
3. Acknowledge previous dealings – Around 31 of people are more likely
to respond when their previous dealings with a business are mentioned
within marketing material. Helping to build trust and confidence, this can
help add real value to the business-buyer relationship.
4. A picture is worth a thousand words – Images bring marketing
communications to life – but with nearly a quarter (23 per cent) of people
listing ‘images that they can relate to’ as the most important aspect of
personalised marketing, if you’re looking to target different age ranges in a
campaign, be sure to reflect this in the imagery.
5. Let’s talk about sex! – Targeting your customer base by gender might
not have been something your business has previously considered. But
with 23 per cent of people listing gender-specific marketing
communications as an important element of personalisation, segmentation
via gender could pay real dividends.
Adding personalisation to your cross channel marketing campaigns is an
essential step in giving your business the edge in 2014 and beyond. No longer
an optional extra, personalised marketing communications are now an essential
aspect for organisations looking to interact and build advocacy with customers.
With the help of Neopost’s powerful OMS-500 output management software,
businesses can produce enriched, compelling and personalised documents – all
of which can be sent out to the right person, at the right time, through their
preferred channel. Click here for more information.
About Neopost
Neopost is the European Leader and the number two world-wide supplier of Mail
Solutions, as well as an increasingly significant player in the area of
Communication and Shipping Solutions. A specialist in mailroom equipment,
Neopost offers the most technologically advanced solutions for franking,
folding/inserting and addressing, in addition to a comprehensive range of
services, including consultancy, maintenance and financing solutions. Neopost is
also gradually developing a portfolio of new activities with the aim of reinforcing
its offering and the services provided for its clients in the areas of Client
Communications Management, Data Quality and Logistics Solutions.
With a direct presence in 30 countries and 6,100 employees, Neopost generated
full-year sales of €1.1 billion in 2013. Its products and services are sold in more
than 90 countries.
Neopost is listed in Compartment A of Euronext Paris and belongs notably to the
SBF 120 index.
Press contact is Claire Dodds at Neopost Limited
Tel: 01708 714143
Fax: 01708 714050
Email: [email protected]