Your Market is Unique. Your Mail should be too!
VDP Variable Data Printing
Also known as One-to-One Marketing, (Digital) Print on Demand, and Personalized Printing, variable data printing, or VDP is a type of printing in which documents are created from a combination of variable text & images that are taken from records in a database.
Why Variable Data Printing?
The look and content of your printed materials can be honed to communicate one-to-one with each intended recipient. Variable data printing is a great tool for conducting targeted marketing campaigns and tailoring your literature to appeal to individuals and small, well-focused niches.
Variable data printing enables the mass customization of documents via digital print technology, as opposed to the 'mass-production' of a single document using offset lithography. Instead of producing 10,000 copies of a single document, delivering a single message to 10,000 customers, variable data printing could print 10,000 unique documents with customized messages for each customer.
There are several levels of variable printing. The most basic level involves changing the salutation or name on each copy. More complicated variable data printing uses 'versioning', where there may be differing amounts of customization for different markets, with text and images changing for groups of addressees based upon which segment of the market is being addressed. Finally there is full variability printing, where the text and images can be altered for each individual addressee. All three types of variable data printing begin with a basic design that indicates which sections can be altered and a database of information that fills in the changeable fields.
The returns for variable printing vary from double the normal return at the basic level to 10-15 times the return for fully variable jobs. This naturally depends on content and the relevancy of that content, but the technique presents an effective tool for increasing ROI on marketing campaigns.
The Levels of Personalization
From the "least relevant" way to communicate with a customer through the "most relevant", here are the different levels of how content can be customized within a document:
Static
This is a "one size fits all" marketing message. Your marketing message is "mass-produced" using conventional offset lithography and every customer will receive the same message, regardless of their relationship or profitability to your company.
Personalized
Each customer's name and address will appear on each document to attract attention but the marketing message is static and exactly the same for each and every customer, regardless of their relationship or profitability to your company.
Versioned
Segmented versions of a document are created to meet the needs of different groups. Your customer base is segmented according to demographic or other attributes, perhaps by a previously expressed interest. For example, investors could be segmented by age or long-term goals, or car owners segmented by the model they own, or geography could determine the version. Customized content is then delivered that best addresses the needs of each particular segment.
Fully Customized
The ultimate application of direct marketing, each document's content is fully customized to be highly relevant and custom-tailored to a specific individual. A full color document is dynamically composed and everything in the document can be varied- the layout, text and images can all be swapped depending on the customer.
