Variable Data Printing

Can you create accurate PMS colors using its 4-color build?

2011-11-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

The answer is….sometimes. This is a common problem and when designers go to choose colors for a job a swatch book not only gives a pantone color, but also the correct blend of cyan, yellow, magenta and black to “build” that color. The problem is that rarely is this an exact match to the actual print ink. When we print a PMS color offset we order a premixed ink in the exact PMS color specified and it is always spot on and that ink is loaded directly in the press and an accurate color output is achieved. In 4-color process, the match is a blend of colors that will produce the closest possible output, but it rarely is an exact match to the PMS colors. Even with today’s high end digital devices achieving an exact PMS match is virtually impossible. Typically 4-color process builds tend to mute the color or flatten them out and the reality is that the recipe of these builds are not the exact match to the actual PMS recipe. The results of a 4-color build are often ok if you are not trying for an exact PMS color match and often there is a cost savings in not using PMS inks. There is a PMS “Color Bridge” book that will show the spot color and the 4-color build of that PMS side-by-side. This can be very handy in trying to determine which 4-color builds are acceptable and when it is necessary to print using a PMS color.

Why Listen to the Boss?

2011-11-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

It’s Wednesday and I’m looking for an inspiration for today’s post and voila…I stumble upon our Company video. I click the take a tour and up it pops, with no sound since I have my speakers off. Did you ever notice how different something can be interpreted when you don’t listen? I see my boss’s lips moving and smile because it reminds me of previous meetings I have had. The lips are moving, my mind is wandering so I don’t absorb a word. This is all part of the clutter that makes up our daily lives and the challenge of making a memorable impression. According to a recent study we encounter over 2904 media messages a day and we only remember 4 of those messages. Sure makes you want to run out and advertise when you hear such great statistics. The answer is you have to be one of those 4 messages and to be memorable you have to be relevant. This challenge is not so daunting when you break it down to 3 simple steps…the design, the database and the offer. If you create a functional design that effectively communicates your message, send the message to the right people, and have a dynamite offer you can achieve staggering results.

Let's Meet!

2011-01-17T11:37:00.001-08:00

Whoa!!! Not so fast. Check out the article below from MSNBC, meetings may actually make us dumber. Before rushing to call your next meeting, the study shows that it may be best to allow people to come up with ideas on their own, rather than group brainstorming.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17279961/

From the minds of kids

2011-01-05T11:26:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I was taking down my Holiday decorations and putting them in the basement for another year. This is not a project I particularly enjoy, so as I painstakingly packed up each box and carried it down the stairs I would get distracted by something more interesting. What I stumbled upon was a trip down memory lane. I opened a box that contained different items I had saved from the kids over the years and went through the old report cards, sports photos, father’s day poems and then I struck gold….I opened a spiral bound report that my daughter created when she was in 5th grade. At the age of 10, students were given an assignment of following their parents to work one day and writing a report on what their parents do.

Before I divulge the magic of the report let me give you an assessment of that day. We both got up, I put my tie on and Kristen got dressed up in a cute little dress. Away we went, arriving at the office around 7:30. I went through the normal routine of coffee (she had hot chocolate), checking e-mails, going through my mail, approving quotes and reading a couple articles from a trade publication I particularly like. The field sales group doesn’t generally stroll in until 8:30 so I had an hour of quiet time to get the day rolling. After completing the first tasks, I needed to make a few calls to clients and respond to questions, follow up on jobs…nothing special just stay in touch. The day proceeded and I had a brief meeting with one of the reps regarding his day and a strategy for an upcoming call, answered numerous calls and had a client come in for a facility tour. There are more details, but obviously none were important enough to make her report.

Now let me get to her report and her assessment of my day.

Job shadowing assignment, a day in the life of my Dad.

Overview – my Dad works at Velocity Print Solutions. His title on his business card is Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing. His job is very boring. He drinks lots of coffee. He dresses very nice.

The Morning – in the morning my Dad drinks coffee and talks on the phone. His job is selling printing and he has lots of friends. He also reads a lot at work and sits at his desk. He likes to send e-mails.

Lunch – lunch is my favorite time. We went to Subway and ate. Dad was still talking on his phone. I don’t think he sold anything.

The Afternoon – We went to a meeting in the meeting room. He was talking to people and then showed them the big machinery. They looked very bored. After they left we went back to his office and he had more coffee.

I think my Dad’s job is very boring and I would not like his job. I want to play music when I get older. It would be a lot more exciting.

Overall this was a typical day with a couple meetings, some good customer calls, interaction with the sales team, a facility tour, but I failed to impress any sense of accomplishment on my little angel other than I like coffee. I thought she would come away impressed and her perception was completely different. We have all probably encountered situations where we thought something went much better than in reality it did and our perceptions were off. The important thing to always remember is that the mirror never lies and as long as you feel good about the person staring back at you generally you are doing the right things.

Video - Psychic Sales Pieces

2010-07-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a great little video highlighting the importance of variable data printing. The more personalized the pieces, the better the response rates. Click on the link below and enjoy:

www.watchprintwork.com/?viewVideo&id=1E3656E0493466CF82321F45FCBC0D89

The Fall Season is Here…Let’s Think Variable

2009-09-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Living in the Northeast, I am lucky enough to get the full effects of all four seasons. The first snowfall is always beautiful. Spring brings the flowers and a welcome relief from Winter, Summer is all about the warmth and barbeques, and Fall brings the incredible foliage. The variable leaves make fall interesting and leaves that for most of the year are taken for granted are now the center of attention (with their brilliant gold, reds and yellows). With variable printing you can make your normally mundane mailings scream for attention. Many of us receive postcards daily and often don’t give them more than a glance before deciding whether or not to read on or toss in the recycling bin. If the postcard is screaming for attention and talking directly to your audience it deserves attention just like the fall foliage.

Velocity recently did a variable mailing with over a 400% increase in response rates over a previous static mailing. We are experts in variable and know about all aspects of the process including: design, database and the offer. All three are key components to the success of a campaign and need to be analyzed carefully. Simply putting someone’s name on a postcard is only a small step towards running a successful variable campaign.

Kaizen

2009-07-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

Kaizen (Japanese for "improvement") is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. When applied to the workplace, Kaizen activities continually improve all functions of a business, from manufacturing to management and from the CEO to the assembly line workers.

Kaizen can be applied to any process and continuous improvement should always be the goal. When applied to Variable Data Printing we must ask ourselves some key questions. How do we increase response rates? What will achieve the best ROI? Is our offer good enough? Could the design be stronger? Is the data good? These are all key factors in the success of any variable campaign.

In a recent marketing campaign for Velocity Print Solutions, our goal was to enrich our client database, as well as, collect data on new prospects. In our initial mailings, we offered entry into a gas card drawing in exchange for answering a few short questions. Responses from our initial campaign (1.1%) were lower than expected considering we were not trying to sell anything, rather just improve our database. When looking at marketing there are 3 main components: the data, the design and the offer. In this case, we believed our data was strong since it was largely existing clients. So we needed to look at the design and the offer. What we ended up coming up with was a revised design that was not so wordy and changed the offer to a new Ipod Touch. Our next mailing went to the same recipients and the results were dramatic. What we experienced was an almost 400% improvement in responses and valuable client data.

Variable Data Printing can produce amazing results, but, it does take some effort. To achieve the dramatic improvements over static mailings you must be willing to put your project in a constant state of Kaizen. Even Velocity, who handles variable data campaigns for our clients on a daily basis, has sent mailings with less than stellar results. Just adding a level of personalization will not guarantee the results and you must be willing to make adjustments as you move forward. Talk with your variable data provider and discuss your goals in advance of your next mailing. They should be able to provide great insight from past experiences and help you achieve your goals.

Database 101

2009-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

Getting started is always the hardest part of any variable data initiative. You have read about the response rates, drooled over the possible sales, but sit scratching your head wondering how variable data printing will work for you. I always think it’s easiest to grasp new concepts by hearing about how others have handled the same challenges previously. There are certain markets that are very easy to provide variable data examples such as: healthcare, education, automotive or real estate. These all have extensive information on their clients and can easily send personalized communications based on their profile. Many of us don’t have the luxury of great data on our clients and must improvise a little on getting started.

For example, let’s say that the business we are working with is XYZ QuickLube and services include: oil changes, car inspections and minor repair work. In the highly competitive quick lube market it is very important to retain clients for repeat business. A variable data campaign could offer a personalized coupon mailed approximately 2 weeks before the next oil change date. The coupon would be based upon the type of service and grade of oil previously used. The higher end clients that use synthetic oil would receive the higher value offerings. Additional mail campaigns could also go out offering services such as inspections and minor repair work based on information collected. Always concentrate first on your existing customers and use the data you have to build a variable campaign. Make it simple to do business with you and provide an attractive offer.

Variable Data Printing relies heavily on good data, but don’t abandon the idea if you only have a customer list. Even if the initial campaigns are only segmented by size of client or demographic, get started and you will see improved results. An experienced Variable Data Printer can help you analyze your database and get you started in the right direction.

I Get No Response!

2009-06-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Have you ever sent what you thought was a well-designed mailer, to a trustworthy database and got no, zilch, zero, response? I think everyone that has done mailings is nodding their head right now. So, what’s the answer…is it bad timing, unlucky, or is the meaning deeper? We all get a barrage of pieces via mail and especially e-mail these days and standing out in the crowded mailboxes is increasingly difficult.

First, I will address the e-mail crowd. This morning I came in to the office and the inbox was stuffed with over 225 new e-mails that arrived since I left last night and that doesn’t count the 500+ that were filtered into my junk folder. Standing out via e-mail is incredibly difficult and avoiding the spam filters is very hard. My suggestion is to keep the e-mail personal and it should come from an individual and not from marketing@xyzcompany.com. E-mail has become the "in thing" with the economic downturn since it is far less expenses to send an e-blast than send a mailing. E-response rates are very low and if overdone can actually turn-off a prospect. I think e-communications should be a part of any marketing plan, but e-blasts should be used in conjunction with other media.

The amount of actual mail I receive lately is actually diminishing. Much of this is due to the economy, and companies choosing to cut marketing budgets in these tough times. I agree that companies must tighten the purse strings and scrutinize all decisions closer than ever. If done correctly, mailings should be looked at as a way to build revenue, not as an expense to the business. With the new technology and variable data printing, often the answer is to print less, and send out much more targeted mailings. There is no sense blitzing the market with 100,000 postcards if response rates are well below 1%. Instead, examine your top prospects and create personalized mailings that get results. A well run variable data campaign can increase results 400% over traditional static mailings. With mail boxes becoming a little less crowded a well-designed variable data campaign will get results.

For more information on variable data campaigns and success stories feel free to contact me at Velocity Print Solutions (tjohnston@velocityprint.com) . I have been assisting clients for many years in implementing successful VDP campaigns. Getting started with VDP is simple and the results speak for themselves.

Marketing Success

2009-06-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

We all have them. Days where we feel like we are spinning our wheels and get nowhere. I spent 2 days last week at the Promotions East show in Atlantic City, NJ and lacked that sense of accomplishment that makes me tick. When I find myself searching for a little motivation, I always travel with my friend, Zig Ziglar (http://www.zigziglar.com/) I keep my collection of Zig cd’s with me at all times and brings me back quicker than listening to his motivation. So in goes the CD and out comes the line that will lead to this week’s post…”don’t confuse activity with accomplishment”. Many companies believe that marketing is simply blitzing the market with mailers, e-mails and fail to have a real plan that achieves results. In my opinion, marketing is all about achieving outlined goals. The goals must be met or you have to adjust your plan. If you send out a postcard and get substantially less response than anticipated, do not send another until you evaluate why the results were lacking. Sending the same card out again is not called marketing, but rather, a waste of money. When evaluating the results of a marketing piece always keep in mind the following:

1.) The Database. This is the number one reason for failure on a marketing piece. You must have a powerful database and try and segment your database into as many small pieces as possible. Databases can be segmented by vertical market, buying strength, company size, etc. and whenever possible your communications should speak directly to each market. People are much more likely to purchase from someone that understands their industry. Variable Data Printing can easily change in and out images to match the market you are communicating with.

2.) The Call to Action. Supermarkets regularly print coupons on the front page of their flyers to get a quick response. The success of coupons varies greatly based on the “perceived” value of the coupon. Some customers like the discount on the deli meats at x.xx per pound while others would rather buy anything that is Buy One, Get One Free. Sometimes the call to action is more emotional than it is reality, but you must understand your customer and prospects to find the call to action that works best. Interview your top customers and ask them what they look for in an offer.

3.) Follow Up. As the saying goes…”you only get one chance to make a first impression.” Live this, breathe this, and know you must bring your A game at all times. Follow up quickly, professionally and take advantage of the opportunity.

4.) Continue to Impress. Don’t just start off hot and go cold. So many times, I have seen a rep jump on an opportunity at the beginning, but then let the opportunity go cold by losing the momentum. The quality of your products and service must be evident from the beginning and never leave a bad impression that your company only provides great service to get you in the door.

Your marketing should be viewed as the voice of your company. Use pieces that speak loudly of your services with the end user in mind. Variable data printing is a great way to achieve pieces that communicate effectively.

Quality Variable Data Printing

2009-05-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

So you read last week’s post and found a printer with some experience. Great, now let’s just make sure their process is going to meet your quality expectations. There is a lot of equipment capable of producing variable data and the results can vary greatly. First, I would suggest avoiding anyone using inkjet for variable data printing. The inkjet print is not as good as many of the digital devices being used by the industry leaders. At the leader of the pack is the big 2 companies, Xerox and HP. Xerox’s top device is the IGEN http://www.xerox.com/go/xrx/igen/iGen.jsp . This machine not only produces top quality prints, but also will feed all types of stock including coated, uncoated and even textured. HP is also a major player with the Indigo7000 http://www.hp.com/#Product . The HP Indigo also prints on coated and uncoated stocks and handles a wide range of paper weights. In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with either of these devices. Other devices include the Kodak Nexpress and the Canon 7000.

There are also smaller versions of many of these production devices that print at a slower rate, but, still are capable of producing a quality print. Ask for samples to make sure you are getting a product that meets your expectations.

Interview your VDP Provider

2009-05-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

You don’t hire a new employee without a thorough interview and a background check do you? So why give something as important as your database to your Variable Data Printer without first making sure they are qualified. No bigger disaster than a Variable Data Campaign that is mishandled. Imagine if the names are not merged with the correct addresses? What if account numbers are not matched with the correct owner? Good intentions can go very wrong if you are not using a well-qualified provider. The interview process is pretty simple and I think there are some key questions that can quickly see through a weak or inexperienced provider.

I suggest beginning with some basics, feel them out and get your printer talking. A friend once asked me, “how do you know when a teenager is lying” and I did not know the answer. His response, “when their lips are moving.” Printers have grown up a little past the teenage stage, but can quickly be exposed. The basics are simple just to make sure they have been around for a while and are sizable enough to handle your campaign. Ask when they started in business, how many employees do they have, references of top clients. These are the easy ones, next start to target their variable expertise. What campaigns have they handled, how large, do they track response rates? You want a comfort that they know how to do more than a simple mail merge. An experienced provider will ask you questions about your audience and want the campaign to be a success. If they have no idea about how well past client campaigns have went, then they don’t care enough about the process. They should have a vested interest in making sure your campaign is successful. Everyone has experienced poor response from campaigns and there are many steps to take to try and avoid low response rates. I like it when a printer critiques my design and is not afraid to suggest changes.

These first few questions are only to establish a rapport and lead into the final and in my opinion most important question. Do they use variable data printing in their own marketing? How do they use it? What are their response rates? If they are selling you on how successful variable data printing is, they better eat, sleep and breathe it with their own marketing. I would suggest avoiding any printer that tells you how great VDP is and sends out generic postcards or does little marketing at all. The best way to gain expertise is to use the tools to market yourself.

Variable Data for Non-Profit Organizations

2009-05-18T04:48:00.000-07:00

To start today’s post, I have to admit that I am a bit of a procrastinator. There is a non-profit organization for which I regularly donate and attend fundraising events. This non-profit, like many others send regular mailings looking for donations. Well, I received a request from them in the mail a few weeks back and I must first give some details. The letter was very well written and tugged at my heart as it described the tragic story of one of their members. I read the story and thought, there has to be an answer. At the bottom of the letter, was a message looking for donations followed by a form to be filled out. All in-all this ended up as one 8.5” x 14” sheet of paper that included a tear-off on the bottom for the donation. I set the piece aside and 2-weeks later it continues to sit in my to-do pile. Why did I not act on something that I feel strong about? Well, to pass the blame a little, they did not make it easy enough for me. First, the donation form was not perfed on the page so I would have to track down some scissors to cut the donor portion off. Second, and most important, the donor part was completely blank. I need to enter my name, address and information requested. As a past donor, I think the form should already be populated and I just need to include a check. Third, there was no return envelope. I wouldn’t expect the postage to be paid, but at least stick an envelope in so I don’t have to write the address on it. If the organization would have went the extra mile and merged my information on the sheet it would have made it much easier for a potential donor to make an impulse decision.

This is another way to use variable data printing. Make the transaction as simple as possible and the results will improve. A great cause can suffer from lackluster results if they do not execute their campaigns efficiently. Velocity can help with the variable data solution, but we can also take this further with the use of PURLs and credit card processing to make the transaction very quick and painless.

Marketing - Shoot for the Target

2009-05-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

So this is truly the goal of every marketing campaign. Generate leads, create awareness and have them lining up at the door. Unfortunately, this is a dream. Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. From this definition remember one term, PROCESS. You don’t send a postcard and wham-o your rich. It is a process and needs repetition, evaluation and multiple approaches. Marketing is a plan and not something to be taken lightly. Few companies really market, most only think they are marketing. These ad-hoc attempts generate some leads, but never measure up to goals and thus the reason many companies start and stop. Generally the feeling is…we’re slow, better do some marketing. Hardly sounds like a process to me, it is more of acting in fear.

What truly needs to happen is a plan that includes: evaluation, discipline and measurement. All are necessary to get results. A marketing plan is the roadmap, and sometimes there is construction along the way so the roadmap is adjusted, but the end goal remains the same. Evaluation is where you check for the construction along the way. Maybe you are sending postcards and getting no results. Check to see what needs fixing. Is it a poor database, ineffective design or a bad offer? All can greatly affect results and need to be adjusted along the way. Discipline is where most fall short. Marketing is a process and must be adhered to. The key to a good campaign is to use multiple ways of touching your clients and prospects. This includes one-to-one marketing, e-mail blasts and PURLs or personalized Urls. All of these are capable of getting results, but when combined they reach maximum exposure. According to NAPL, 52% of people prefer to receive offers via hardcopy, that means if you ignore the e-mail and pURLS you are potentially missing half of your audience. The final step is measurement. Measurement is the key to knowing what is and what is not working. How many postcards received a response? How many e-mails were opened? How many people visited their PURL? You must measure these results constantly so you can avoid road blocks and achieve your goals the quickest.

Very few companies have the time or infrastructure to properly execute a marketing plan. Velocity Print Solutions has the expertise to help our clients get results and provide all the tools listed above. Velocity will be releasing a product in late Summer, that raps up all these steps in one concise package. The key to this product will be an online dashboard that will provide real-time results each step of the way.

To Variable or NOT to Variable?

2009-05-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

To Variable or Not to Variable…that is the question. The results are definitely better, but at what point does the additional cost of Variable Data Printing outweigh the advantages? The truth is…it depends. Below I am outlining costs of printing a typical variable data postcard verse the same postcard printed using traditional offset printing.

Specs:
Postcard (4”x6”) printed 4-color both sides on a nice 10pt coated stock

Printing Variable Data*
1,000 - $277.30 (.277)
5,000 - $845.00 (.169)
10,000 – $1,623.00 (.162)
100,000 - $12,667.00 (.127)

Printing Traditional Offset*
1,000 - $589.00
5,000 - $729.00
10,000 - $997.00
100,000 - $2,556.00

Now, for the real answer we must examine our results. If the average response for a static postcard is only 1%, and the response for variable data is 3.5%, what is the best solution? On the smaller quantities the answer is easy, as quantities increase the decision process needs to be analyzed. If on 100,000 pieces you are going to go from an average of 1,000 responses to 3,500 responses for variable data, are the additional 2,500 responses enough to justify the additional $10,111 in expense. The math becomes simple if you are selling a product at an average cost of $500 and you can close 10% of these additional responses. With this scenario the additional 2,500 responses would generate an additional $125,000 in revenue. Variable data has a proven track record and even at large quantities can be very cost efficient.

Velocity Print Solutions handles variable campaigns from a few hundred pieces to hundreds of thousands of pieces. We know how to get results and would be happy to consult with you before you decide on your next campaign. In this tough economy, it is very important to make decisions based on the best return on investment (ROI) and often variable data is the answer.

* all pricing is for print only and does not include mailing fees and postage

Get Me Started!

2009-04-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Alright, we know variable data can improve response rates, but where do I start? First, we have to answer some key questions:

What do you have for a database?
How much variable content can be used?
How do I make my data better?

The biggest mistake I see in variable data is the dead battery syndrome. Everyone wants to do it, but doesn’t know how to get started. Let’s assume that the only information you have is your customer list. Generally customer lists are simple contact name, business name, address, phone number, so your initial move into variable data will generally be a simple use of either the business or contact name. The key is to get started and strive for constant improvement of the database. As the database improves, the variable data campaign improves, the response rate improves, the ease of executing the variable data improves, but improvement cannot begin until you get the engine running.

Now it’s time to use a little imagination as I take you through a possible variable data campaign. Imaging you are XYZ software and you are selling licenses to your latest release of your 123 software package. Unfortunately you only have the minimal data described above, so we can’t get too fancy. A postcard is designed for an upcoming mailing with a movie theater setting and the seat would have your customer’s name printed on the seat. A tagline could be added such as: John Doe, please contact us to reserve your seat for our newest release. Although this card is very generic it will provide a call to action, a personal message with your name on the movie theater seat, as well as details of the 123 software and mailing information on the reverse side of the card. From this initial mailing the goal is to not only see responses start to improve, but to gain valuable information on your clients. Eventually, you will be able to know exactly which of your products each client is interested in, their annual spend, when they last upgraded, expiration of service agreement, e-mail address and tailor individual offers to each client.

Velocity Print Solutions can help get you started and more. A postcard mailing always seems a good starting point, but how do you reach the group that doesn’t read what’s in the mailbox. There are multiple ways to get responses and direct mail is very successful, but can be costly. Some of the new ways include e-mails, Purls (personalized websites), and everything can be tracked via a slick dashboard giving you real-time results.

The Levels of Personalization

2009-04-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

Just when you think you understand variable data, a new curve ball, there is multiple layers of personalization. In my last post, I told you a little about data and the importance of a database, and often the quality of the data dictates which level of personalization works best. The key is to start somewhere and improve your database as you go. The end goal is to know as much about each individual audience member as possible and use that information to fully customize your marketing pieces.

From the “least relevant” way to communicate with a customer through the “most relevant”, here are the different levels a document can be customized:

Static
This is a “one size fits all” marketing message. Your marketing piece is “mass-produced” generally using traditional offset printing and every customer will receive the same marketing message.

Personalized
The simplest form of variable printing. 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.

Versioned
Segmented versions of a marketing piece are created to meet the needs of different groups. Your customer base is segmented, and broke into smaller groups. This could be by demographics, interest, gender or other attributes. For example, car owners could be segmented by the model they own. Each piece is then personalized and sent according to the appropriate version.

Fully Customized
The ultimate application of direct marketing, each document’s content is fully customized to be highly relevant and tailored to a specific individual. A document is dynamically composed and everything in the document can be varied depending on the customer.

Velocity Print Solutions provides all levels of personalization. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about Variable Data Printing and what level is right for you.

Data is KING!

2009-04-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

Results show that Variable Data Printing (VDP) greatly improves response rates. Variable-data printing (VDP) is a form of on-demand printing in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next, using information from a database or external file. For example, a set of personalized letters, each with the same basic layout, can be printed with a different name and address on each letter. Variable data printing is mainly used for direct marketing, customer relationship management, advertising and invoicing on selfmailers, brochures or postcard campaigns. Variable data digital printing is the fastest growing part of the printing industry. Although it is the quickest, it is important to remember that it will not replace traditional lithography. Instead, VDP serves as a compliment to offset printing.

The tools of VDP and one-to-one marketing are becoming an essential part of the print and marketing industries. The ultimate goal of this new technology is providing the right information to the right customer at the most relevant time. Typical response rates for static communication (traditional print) range from .5%-2%. Overall, this can be an extremely disappointing rate. With VDP and one-to-one marketing, businesses have the advantage of generating a much higher response rate, typically ranging from 10%-15%.

The key to a successful VDP project is always the data. Often companies only have a database with a simple name and address of their clients. This data serves as a starting point to utilizing VDP, but it is important to create a call to action that will allow you to further collect information and build a powerful database. The more intelligent your database the more options that are available. In future postings, I will talk a little more about these options and also the importance of tracking results.

Data is KING!

2009-04-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Results show that variable data print (VDP) greatly improves response rates. The tools of VDP and one-to-one marketing are becoming an essential part of the print and marketing industries. The ultimate goal of this new technology is providing the right information to the right customer at the most relevant time. Typical response rates for static communication (traditional print) range from .5%-2%. Overall, this can be an extremely disappointing rate. With VDP and one-to-one marketing, businesses have the advantage of generating a much higher response rate, typically ranging from 10%-15%. None of this can be achieved without data. Generally variable campaigns start slow, with the minimal personalization being a name, but with the correct call to action and data collection you can build a robust database capable of screaming your message. Velocity Print Solutions has helped many clients get started into variable data print and we have the expertise to help you get results from your marketing initiatives.