Whether you’re trying to engage your reader using print or digital messages, there are three easy steps you should use in order to engage and initiate a response from your target audience and ultimately increase your overall response rate.

Gain the recipient’s attention using a personalized headline. Using Variable Data Printing, or VDP, and Database management, it’s easier than ever to produce personalized messages.  By segmenting your brand’s audience into like-minded subgroups, you can create marketing messages that are tailored to a specific groups’ interests and needs. Then, by using VDP, you’re able to print the individualized messages in one print-run of your direct mailing.

Generate interest using an additional consumer engagement point such as a personalized URL or QR code. Your pURL or QR code landing page could lead to a video, more information or even a page to purchase a product or service.  By adding this additional touch point, you’re able to not only further engage your target audience with your brand’s message, but you are also able to more accurately track and measure what it is consumer’s are most interested in — new products,  special deals or maybe they are just interested in finding more information about your product or service.

Finally, ask for something. Ask for some sort of action, whether it’s making a purchase or simply calling for more information — ask the recipient to respond to your message somehow.

Both print and digital media have benefits.  When combined together to create a cross media marketing campaign, the benefits are amplified.

Timothy Freeman
President
Print & Graphic Communications Association