Your customers no longer have the time for messages that are irrelevant to their interests or needs and because of this, it is our job as marketers to grow and analyze customer databases in order to send personalized and relevant messages to our target audience.

To build personal relationships, you need to spend time with your database.  Start by sorting it by demographics and then begin the process of sorting it based on purchasing habits or by people who have similar interests.   Once you have created small target groups who are like-minded, you can produce messages that relate directly to that group’s interests.  By creating relevant content for a small portion of your target audience, you’re able to reduce your overall marketing costs and increase your response rate.

With every message you send out, you can grow your database by recording every purchase a consumer makes and any additional touch points your brand has with a particular individual or even groups of individuals – be it through customer service or a marketing campaign — any data a customer gives you, it is important to collect and store in your database for future use.

Timothy Freeman

President

Print & Graphic Communications Association