It’s easy to get distracted by the latest bright and shiny technology. We gawp at Buzzfeed, get entranced by SnapChat, and twitter away hours on social media. But sometimes, the best way to advertise isn’t the latest idea, but one of the oldest. Personalization has been used in direct marketing since the last century, but it still works (both online and off).
A true marketing personalization story
An advertiser with an unprofitable campaign was desperate. The ads for his business books were attractive, but the books weren’t selling. A colleague suggested adding the buyer’s name in gilt lettering on each book. The ads went out again (virtually unchanged, except for a note about adding the name). They sold hundreds of thousands of books.
Another company offered small memo books to customers and prospects as gifts. The results were poor until they used the same personalization idea. They sent letters saying “a book with your name is waiting for you.” All the prospect had to do was to fill out and mail a simple form. Nearly everyone who received the letter returned the form.
When everyone knows your name
These examples are from Scientific Advertising (published in 1920, you can download it from the link), but the personalization copywriting technique it used is still effective.
Amazon greets me by name when I login. Online grocer FreshDirect does the same thing (and just had me fill out a brief survey asking what kinds of foods I enjoy most).
Address your letter or email directly to the person receiving it. Treat your customers and prospects like people (instead of account numbers). They’ll love you for it. They might even put YOUR name in lights.
If you can’t wait, click this link for instant gratification.