Print products have evolved with the times, and one of the biggest trends in the 21st century is personalization. Personalizing your print materials takes extra time, but can pay off in the end with the connection it makes to your ideal buyer. It can increase brand awareness and extend the length and reach of your campaign. By leveraging customer data (such as names, interests, or personalization tokens) on your print products, you offer your audience the kind of personalization that really resonates with them individually.

Creating Something Memorable (and Shareable)

In 2014, Coca-Cola created a viral marketing campaign with nothing more than a personalized print label and the right hashtag. How did they do this? They prompted customers to buy a Coke that had their friend or co-worker's name on it (an easily personalized print) and then had them give the bottle to their friend and share, sharing the experience on social media using the hashtag #ShareACoke. The ability to create and share content this personalized showed how promotional print products can seamlessly complement your brand's digital efforts. This worked for Coke because even when the company stopped running the ads, the brand awareness continued. Customers were still using the products and sharing the content.

Personalization

Customers want to feel seen, and they want to know they have been heard. Each of them has their own story and their own experience, and this influences how they react to your brand. Personalized marketing improves customer engagement and increases brand loyalty. When a company adds a small detail about the customer (even just a name) to their marketing efforts, this can increase customer engagement. Personalized print products are a surefire way to connect your brand with a customer, as they speak to the customer as an individual.

You need to be strategic in what content you share with what customer, as marketing is never a one-size-fits-all approach. Suppose you're sending out a mailer with a coupon. It's more effective if you use your customer data (variable data printing) to send exclusive offers based on each customer’s spending habits. The offer you send a regular customer should be different from the offer that you send to someone who has never purchased from you. You will need to give your printing partner the customer data you would like used on your personalized print products, whether it's a database of names or more in-depth information like past purchase behavior.

Related: Setting Up Variable Data Printing for Personalization Perfection

Types of Properties that May Be Used for Personalization:

  • Customer Name
  • Interest or Specialty
  • Sports Team
  • Pet Name
  • Brand Logo
  • Custom Hashtag
  • Birthday
  • Favorite Color
  • Charities (support local or national charities with logos and colors)
  • Limited Editions (create small-batch personalizations)
  • Loyalty Tiers (promotional products based on customer engagement)

The Power of Individuality and Branding

Consumers are sent digital advertisements all day long; from social media to pop-up ads, to emails. Personalized print marketing helps you show your individuality as a company and boost your brand. Personalized print products are something to consider, as they are tangible items that your customers can touch and hold in their hands. When you add a customer's name to the product, it adds a personal touch that stays with the customer.

Related: Raise Engagement with Super-Personalized Print Pieces

Types of Personalized Print Products To Purchase:

  • Direct Mail
  • Brochure
  • Catalogues
  • Product Labels
  • Notebook

Personalized marketing creates a connection with customers and goes the extra mile to help them feel seen as individuals. When these promotional items are used effectively and seen by other consumers, it naturally improves brand awareness.

Personalized print products can be something simple, like a mailer or product label with names, or something more in-depth. It all depends on what you know about your customer, the goal of your marketing, and the print products you want to customize. For help with your marketing campaigns, Ironmark has experts at the ready. Give us a call or email any time!

CONTACT US ABOUT CREATING AMAZING PERSONAL PRINT MARKETING

Written by Lynne Kingsley

Lynne Kingsley oversees the digital marketing client services team as well as the marketing strategy division for the company. Since joining the company in 2016, she has increased Ironmark’s digital presence by over 700%, establishing a new lead generation mechanism for the sales team. A certified inbound marketing professional and HubSpot agency partner, Kingsley has been helping companies transform their marketing function into fully diverse and streamlined growth engines since 2003. With agency and client-side work under her belt, Kingsley’s strategic experience spans both the B2B and B2C sectors. Prior to joining the Ironmark team, she served as in-house marketing director for several non-profit organizations. Kingsley is an honors graduate of the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
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