Create Customer Personas

With the power to choose what advertising and marketing they're exposed to, and when they're exposed to it, [consumers] are demanding more of what they want from brands, and less of what they don't. (Source)

Consumers no longer accept blanket messaging. Whether it's direct mail or email, they expect the brands they deal with to target them based on their habits, preferences, and needs. Consider this data:

What's the answer? Targeted messaging based on customer profiling.

Create personas. Personas are snapshots of customer "types." Take the example of recent college graduates. Regardless of where they live, their gender or their ethnicity, recent college graduates are all facing similar challenges. They are starting their first jobs, furnishing their first apartments, and making choices about where they will shop and what brands they will buy. As a result, they share common attitudes, preferences, and triggers that help marketers craft messages that resonate with them. Apply this process to your own customers and prospects.

Layer on the personalization. Once you have your target segments and customer profiles for creating basic messaging, now you can layer on personalization. Use the recipient's name. Reference their location. Cross-sell and upsell specific products based on their buying history.

Customer targeting doesn't have to be complicated. It just needs to be intentional. Need help marketing your print and mail services? Just ask!