Variable Data Printing (VDP) is an extremely useful tool for any business looking to reach customers through individually tailored direct mail.

What is Variable Data Printing?

Variable Data Printing is a direct mail option for businesses that want to reach customers through the use of printed materials and also want their ads to be personalized to a specific household or individual.

By taking advantage of the flexibility of design that digital printing offers, VDP allows for copy and images within individual pieces to become interchangeable as needed.

How does Variable Data Printing work?

VDP utilizes information from computer databases to create personalized materials. With digital printing and VDP, the images, graphics, and text of an individual piece can be changed without ever having to stop or slow the printing process.

You can produce marketing materials that are targeted towards individual consumers, increasing response rate and overall ROI. Not all customers are the same, and with Variable Data advertising you can target the individual needs of a unique set of consumers.

Through the use of mailing lists generated using current customer data or purchased lists, businesses can target their recipients by a number of factors including geographic location, sales history, age, income, and household size. This makes it easy for a company to send out materials to customers that promote the business location closest to them or that specialize in their known needs.

VDP will generally include unique barcodes, QR codes or promotional codes when they are printed in addition to the personalized content. This is done to help track not only the usage rate, but the overall success of the campaign.

How does VDP increase engagement?

Targeted advertising is consistently shown to be far more effective than traditional methods. With the increasing amount of data available, it’s easier than ever for marketers to reach their ideal customers. VDP is a powerful tool that, combined with targeted mailing lists, can make your marketing a real success.

VDP is a more effective direct mailing tool than the general postal mailers that we all receive. When consumers see their name and images that they can relate to on a direct mail piece, they are more engaged, and much more likely to act.

Tracking sales and delivering variable content is undeniably one of the strengths of online marketing, but the materials created using VDP have the potential to be even more effective because they can be kept in hand. Used in combination with online tools such as email subscriptions and customer surveys, VDP becomes an even more powerful asset to your business because of the valuable information you are learning about your customers.

How to use VDP effectively

Personalization of marketing materials gives a company the chance to connect to their customers in a way that builds better relationships. A good example is including images relevant to the customer's past purchases and location, like an image of their favorite local sports team.

A business could send out personalized cards that include a coupon for a customer’s birthday. These efforts help to relate and bolster a customer’s loyalty to your company as well as entice a potential customer to choose your business over the competition.

VDP is not just for direct mail, and a common use of the technology is printing company-wide business cards. VDP enables the printing of multiple personal business cards at the same time, decreasing the time and cost to the business.

The use of Variable Data Printing in your business has far-reaching possibilities and has been shown to have a great return on investment compared to many other direct mail and marketing options. By appealing to customers through the use of personalized content, you are laying the foundation for a loyal customer base that feels your desire to connect with them on a much more personal level.

By maintaining some idea of what your customers are purchasing and offering unique promotions to them based on this history, you can continue to grow their positive experience and show them they are important to you. With the right strategy, VDP will increase sales by driving loyal, engaged customers to your business and do so easily and affordably.

Ready to affordably print materials that are personalized for each of your recipients? Contact Kingston Printing today!