Insight

best practices in MARKETING ALONG WITH HIGHER RESPONSE RATES generated by print personalization, digital materials featuring personalization also achieve increased user engagement and return. According to a recent study from PODi, a leading authority in digital printing, marketers using a personalized URL to drive web traffi c enjoyed a visit rate of 21.8% and a mean response rate of 18.5%—compared to average direct-mail response rates of 3.42 percent for a house list and 1.38 percent for a prospect list. ADDING THAT SPECIAL SOMETHING Everyone wants to feel special. As a marketer, "The concept of leveraging technology to deliver more effective business results has become a personal passion. I see the blend of social, mobile, online, and print media changing communications forever."—Barbara Pellow, group director of InfoTrends. you want the people you're trying to reach to feel as if you know them and care about the things that are important to them. You've probably received direct-mail pieces addressed to "Resident" or "Occupant"— maybe even some that made an attempt at personalization but misspelled your name or even got your gender wrong. You probably tossed the card or magazine in your recycle bin without even opening it, right? Now imagine receiving a magazine in the mail that seems to speak only to you; it's like the sender knows exactly where you are in your life and what matters most to you at this moment when it comes to your health, fi nances, and family. That's variable data personalization (VDP). "Customized communications and variable data marketing are fundamental to penetrating new markets and farming existing ones," says Barbara A. Pellow, group director of InfoTrends. "As the economy heats up, marketers are faced with tougher challenges, and relevant messaging is essential to acquire new customers, as well as retain and grow your share of existing clients. If executed effectively, variable data-driven marketing combines data, structured and freethinking analysis, and creative planning to perform a host of valuable functions." When it comes to VDP, your ROI won't lie—response rates from VDP campaigns have registered as high as 45 percent, while traditional campaigns typically top out at 2 percent. If you haven't investigated what VDP can do for your organization's marketing efforts, don't delay. You'll regret it if you let personalization pass you by. 21 insight: sharpening your healthcare marketing vision

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