A CASE FOR PERSONALIZATION. Proof that Relevant Content is King

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1 A CASE FOR PERSONALIZATION Proof that Relevant Content is King

2 RELEVANT CONTENT IS KING No one likes being ignored, lumped in with the masses or seen as anything but the individual that they really are. Many people would argue that a one-size-fits-all approach in marketing is ineffective and a waste of time, money and resources. Well, in most cases, they re right. Highly personalized direct marketing efforts direct mail, printed collateral, and personalized landing pages have been proven time and time again to improve response rates, boost sales and motivate an action on the part of the consumer/prospect. A 2007 InfoTrends/CAP Ventures personalization study found that highly personalized color direct mail generated a 6.5% response rate much improved from the 2% response rate nonpersonalized direct mail is said to generate. This is just one example of many that shows how adding personalization to your marketing campaign can dramatically increase ROI. Variable data technology is making it easier, more effective and cheaper than ever to include personalized data on direct mail pieces, printed collateral, in messages and on landing pages. Each element within a direct marketing campaign may be personalized with information such as an individual s name, recent purchase activity, special promotional offers, variable messages and images making the experience unique and relevant for each customer and/or prospect. Even elements used to track response behavior and measure campaign performance can be personalized. A PURL (personalized URL) is a dynamically generated web address that contains information unique to each individual, like a name or offer. PURLs lead responders from one source, like a direct mail piece or printed catalog, to a personalized landing page tailored specifically for that individual. According to the DMA, close to 33% of consumers go online to respond to direct mail. This response rate is increased by 20 to 30% when personalized URL addresses and landing pages, are used. PURLs allow marketers to speak directly and specifically to each individual, capture valuable consumer data and track conversions. Consider these statistics regarding personalization: A recent survey conducted by Prospectiv and published in Brand Week revealed that 80% of consumers stated that personalized coupons tailored to their interest would increase the likelihood of coupon use. 42% of consumers read direct mail that addresses their unique needs. (Customer Focus : Direct Mail Study 2007) Approximently 20% of consumers read marketing when messages respond to their needs. (Customer Focus : Direct Mail Study 2007) According to the Winterberry Group s 2007 review of multiple reports, surveys and communications with marketing-industry executives, the top factors in driving response rates included timing, relevance and personalization of the marketing message. Marketers within any industry can benefit from finding ways to personalize direct marketing content in order to address their customers and prospects specific needs. By working with all the available data, both in-house and external, marketers have the power to personalize and capture the audience s attention. The result is undeniably improved ROI QuantumDigital, Inc.

3 QuantumDigital, Inc. Case Study: QuantumDigital Lead-generation Campaign for Move, Inc. CUSTOMER: Move, Inc. s Top Producer 8i Software MARKET SECTOR: Real Estate CHALLENGE: Generate more listing business in defined geographical areas for real estate agents and brokers Fully automate the previously tedious and complex manual process of a timed, multi-touch prospecting campaign Incite prospects to begin communication with agent or broker Track and measure responses to lead-generation activities in real time SOLUTION: Create an automated and fully integrated direct mail lead-generation program to work as part of the Top Producer 8i marketing system: Create custom front-end application to build and manage prospecting efforts in targeted areas Utilize variable data technologies to produce highly creative, relevant and personalized postcards to drive traffic to web landing pages and to affiliate sites such as Realtor.com Integrate platforms and processes in order to automatically track responses, collect prospect data and report campaign results in real-time Maintain flexibility to allow for future growth and/or campaign additions BRIEF: Real estate marketing service provider Move, Inc. wanted to provide their affiliate brokers and agents with the ability to easily create and send highly personalized direct mail postcards to prospects within defined geographical neighborhoods. The planned goal was to increase personalized and targeted direct marketing efforts in order to drive prospects online and generate more listing business for Move, Inc s real estate clients. For this challenge Move, Inc. turned to QuantumDigital an online service provider for targeted direct mail, on-demand printing and emarketing to bring the Top Producer Market Builder concept to reality. By using variable data technologies, QuantumDigital efficiently integrated multiple real-time data sources and was able to automate targeted, on-demand direct marketing. Furthermore, this robust capability allowed Move, Inc s clients to include unique data on marketing materials and preview the finished product within a matter of seconds. STRATEGY: Real estate professionals typically use a farming strategy to generate new local business. This strategy consists of continually marketing to a defined geographical neighborhood in which the broker or agent wants to specialize and/or develop more business. A majority of farming efforts include sending direct mail to targets within the farm area (the

4 defined neighborhood.) The challenge in finding prospects via this method is that, often, the space is highly competitive with more than one agent and brokerage trying to reach the same targets using that same method. To distinguish an agent s direct mail postcards from the masses, Move, Inc s Top Producer module was designed to offer unique and personalized data specific to each potential prospect printed on the agent s mailed postcard. Additionally, each postcard presented a unique passcode to the recipient. Recipients could go online to a personalized landing page to access more comprehensive and real-time MLS data such as adjacent home values, community information (entertainment venues, shopping and groceries, places of worship, etc.) and school district details. The agent, in turn, was able to collect more information about the prospect, such as phone number and/or address, to use for follow-up communications. The information printed on the direct mail piece was leveraged to capture the prospect s attention and motivate action. QuantumDigital s task was to automate the entire postcard production process which involved assembling the card design based on the agent s creative template selection, consolidating data provided by various sources, personalizing content using variable data capabilities, collecting and verifying mailing addresses, printing the postcards and funneling them into the mail stream. Additionally, QuantumDigital provided a simple and easy-to-use interface for agents and brokers, allowing them to quickly enter campaign parameters and preview the final postcard proofs assembled on the fly. FRONT-END PROCESS: THROUGH THE AGENT S EYES Through a customized web-to-print marketing portal, real estate agents select a geographical region based on zip code, street address or they may upload and use a custom mailing list. After designating a target farming/prospecting area, agents choose a postcard design from a library of creative templates. They then are able to change various assets logos, photos, background images to personalize their mailing campaign. A preview is assembled on the fly, giving real estate agents a visual proof, allowing them to see what the final product will look like. QuantumDigital s web-to-print platform, the robust capabilities of variable data technology and the on-demand printing capabilities offered a direct marketing solution for Move, Inc. that delivered meaningful results. RESULTS: Over 3 million pieces printed since inception, with steady increases in monthly volume despite a struggling real estate market (an excess of 100,000 unique pieces on a weekly basis) Double-digit response rate for leads driven online and motivated to action by relevant incentives Loyal, repeat customers for Move, Inc. Month-over-month revenue increase as a result of rapid agent and broker adoption of program QuantumDigital, Inc.

5 LEARN MORE QuantumDigital is your complete online service provider for direct mail, on-demand printing and emarketing. To learn more about how our products and services can help you retain and grow business, contact us: quantumdigital.com Get your daily fix for direct marketing news, tips and commentary by visiting: thedirectmarketingvoice.com QuantumDigital, Inc.

6 2009 QuantumDigital, Inc quantumdigital.com