Tips for personally addressing your target audience

These days, the Internet is the place to be for advertising. But as a company, how do you make a difference in a field that is already largely taken? By looking beyond the confines of digital marketing, of course: in your customers’ mailboxes are a lot of opportunities to stand out with tangible, personal communication. Here with that paper!

Today we are knocked around the head with commercial messages online. You open your mailbox and hop, half of your received emails are meant to be advertisements. You visit a Web site, but first have to get past a banner or two. Or you go through your social media, which seems to consist mostly of ads. We live largely online, which means that most of our marketing actions are also located there.

Jump straight to your favorite topic:

Print media are popular: people WANT mail

How much importance do we give to the contents of our mailbox today? That was the big question of a survey at Bpost. What turns out: a lot more than you might think. Eighty percent of respondents said they were curious about their mail. Eighty-seven percent even rush to empty the mailbox every day. Twenty-seven percent of mail read leads to action. When you know that on average we receive barely four direct mailings – print media such as a letter, leaflet or postcard – per week, the conclusion is clear: There are tremendous opportunities in the mailbox to reach people.

Tip: Target your audience through targeted targeting

The same research also indicates another phenomenon: SelectPost, a feature similar to the popular selection criteria on social media. People create a seller profile at Bpost. As a business, you can gain insight into this to then send them targeted ads in accordance with their interests. So combine this info with the science from above and you can get started on your target audience very efficiently!

Just an example for some additional clarification. When a child has a birthday, toy store Dreamland sends a playful, personalized birthday card with a coupon. An action that works: more than twenty-one percent of recipients who already received such a card in the mail actually used the voucher during a visit.

“Adding direct mail to your media mix increases your ROI by 20%.

Combine digital and print media

Alone is just alone. Of course, we don’t dismiss the communication mix either. On the contrary. If you want to be effective in your communications, you must use both digital and print media. So look beyond the possibilities of the Internet, but instead target your audience through different channels!

A personalized message touches

To be effective, communication must touch. If we can give one tip: Address your client personally. Use the first name when addressing your letter. Or reference the last purchase to show that you know what your customer is doing. Research* shows that print media such as direct mailings are the way to forge an emotional connection with your customers. Still need some affection? Our HP Indigo is a relationship expert par excellence. He makes it possible to incorporate variable data within the same design: a different photo, different first names, different colors, you name it. The super powers of our printing press are endless to approach your audience in a unique way.

*See: The neuroscience behind the response-driven power of direct mail, Canadian Post, 2015

Impress, surprise and excite the senses

Jump out of the band! Standing out is done by thinking differently from the rest. So get rid of that same boring, ironed paper every time. For example, go for paper made from grass or wheat, a special cap shape or a laser cut. Choose letterpress or soft touch varnish, or combine colors, printing techniques and finishes so your message speaks even more. The potential of print media as an enticer is endless.

Got enough inspiration? Ready to give your customers a ‘letterbox moment’ to be delivered? We execute your ideas to perfection. Still a question here and there? Pop in (or schedule a meeting via MS Teams), and together we’ll find a solution tailored to your needs. Connect with us through Jesse.