[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you want to be the best, you learn from the best, right? Every year, Media magazine selects its agencies of the year. The goal is to recognize the most innovative agencies and the techniques that make them successful. By looking at what makes these agencies great, we can make our own marketing great too. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of these award-winning agencies and apply them to 1:1 print marketing.
Entrepreneurial spirit.
Being great is about breaking the mold. It’s about creativity and the willingness to take risks. Technology is changing. Consumers’ buying habits and communications preferences are changing. Great agencies are willing to strike out and try something fresh.
In the world of 1:1, this might mean appending your database with a new set of variables, adding household income or interests to help you better target your customers. Or following customers’ changing buying habits by sending certain target audiences to a Facebook fan page instead your website.
Flexibility.
“We’ve always done it this way” is a thing of the past. Award-winning agencies are willing to try new things, even change mid-stream if necessary. Top marketers strive to be nimble enough to respond to changes in the marketplace on a dime.
Before you respond to the marketplace, however, you need to know the marketplace. In your world, try using personalized URLs to survey your customers. Add control groups to your mailings to test different messages and approaches. Uncover what your customers think and want, then act proactively on what you learn.
Using data-driven intelligence.
Call it “marketing science.” Online marketers are gathering data from every aspect of consumers’ online behavior, from Internet searches to Facebook “likes,” and combining it with demographic, geographic, and other data, then using sophisticated statistical modeling to understand, predict, and ultimately influence how they behave.
The lesson for you? The more top agencies and their big brand customers drive this hyper-personal approach to online marketing, the more consumers will expect it in print too. Give them what they are expecting. If you’re already using 1:1 marketing, really focus on building and enriching your database. If you aren’t using 1:1 marketing, it’s time to start.
Need ideas for breaking out of the mold? Talk to us about putting these award-winning approaches to work for your next 1:1 marketing campaign.
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