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Collecting Relevant Customer Information Results In Successful Relationship Marketing
When marketers talk about producing "personalized printing" or 1:1 printing, they are talking about printing that communicates with a customer in a way that static direct mail cannot. By definition, this approach is based on knowing something about each customer, even if it's just a name and address. But when done correctly, 1:1 printing is more than just “personalizing” a document.
After all, you can personalize something well or you can personalize it badly. There is an industry pundit who is fond of telling the story of receiving a personalized marketing pitch from a hotel in Las Vegas. The mailer was fully personalized based on the details of his recent visit. In its marketing, however, the hotel had assumed that the man stayed in the hotel alone because he was single. In fact, he was married, and his stay there had been tied to an industry event. When the mailer arrived, it featured a scantily clad woman on the front of the card, paired with a salacious invitation. Unfortunately for the marketer, the pundit’s wife collected the mail that day, and needless to say, the invitation never made it inside the house.
Personalization Doesn’t Stand Alone
Personalization alone doesn’t create relationships or sell products. Relationships are developed by a company taking an interest in its customers, knowing its customers and sending out relevant communications that pair its products with its customers in an
appropriate and beneficial way. Enter the concept of "relationship marketing."
Relationship marketing is a form of marketing that takes a long-term view of the customer by emphasizing customer loyalty, retention and satisfaction over individual transactions. For this reason, relationship marketing is different from traditional "offensive marketing" in that, instead of saying, "Hey, you! Here's my product and why you should buy it!" it communicates with an audience based on their interests, preferences and needs.
Relationship Marketing...in Action
What might this look like in action? Let’s say you own a small shop selling running gear. Any time a customer purchases a product, you ask if they would like to be on your mailing list. If so, you collect their name, address, e-mail address, age and typical length
of run. Based on your sales receipts, you know their shoe size and other buying habits.
Once a month, you send out a customer newsletter incorporating this information. In the base newsletter, you might provide running tips, healthy eating suggestions and information on local races. Then you might personalize the newsletter with appropriate cross-sells and upsells based on each customer’s stated preferences and sales history. In the winter, you might offer distance runners special “wicking” gear that moves moisture away from the body, keeping them warmer. In the summer, you might offer runners with an interest in tennis a discount on crosstraining shoes.
You can also turn this into a two way conversation. Occasionally, you might do a customer survey or ask for customer feedback. This makes the customer feel valued and, at the same time, provides you with even more valuable information. If there are problems, you can address them. If there are new product opportunities, they might come to the surface. And it gives you more information to further personalize future mailings.
That's relationship marketing. Contrast that with offensive marketing and which type of marketing would you be more likely to respond to?
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