Throughout the week, we’ve discussed the importance of sending relevant content to your target audience.  Today, we’re going to focus on how print can be highly targeted and reach a specific portion of your target audience.

Personalized Direct Mail. Through both database management and Variable Data Printing technologies, you’re able to produce individualized printed messages in one print-run through digital printing.  Personalized direct mail offers the marketer a way to cut through the digital clutter — with more and more digital mediums vying for each consumer’s attention, print offers an avenue that breaks through those messages and is ultimately seen and responded to by your audience.

By segmenting your database into like-minded groups and creating targeted message for each group in your database, you will see an increase your response rates.

Trade Magazines. While being able to personlize your direct mail piece is highly effective, there are more ways that print can be highly targeted.  Trade magazines have very specific audiences, find the right trade magazine and your message will be seen by your core audience — and when the average person will spend approximately 45 minutes reading a magazine and is highly engaged, your message is likely to be responded to by potential customers.

In an article by Joe Pulizzi on LinkedIn, he stated, “The evolution of the internet doesn’t kill off these channels… it makes us look at them differently because they are used differently by consumers.”   Just as radio didn’t ‘die off’ when television was introduced, print will not be replaced by digital media, it will simply be enhanced by it and visversa.

Timothy Freeman
President
Print & Graphic Communications Association