At its core, 1:1 printing is “relationship marketing.” Relationship marketing is an approach that focuses on nurturing long-term customer relationships rather than focusing exclusively on the short-term sale.
What might this look like in your business?
Say you are a local, family-owned hardware store. Normally, a customer walks in, does his shopping, and you make yourself available to answer questions and recommend products. By giving great service, quality merchandise, and your employees’ wealth of project expertise you’re hoping it will hold their loyalty. There might even be special promotions or discounted merchandise in a bin at the front of the counter
But what might this look like if you implement a proactive relationship-marketing program using 1:1 printing?
Real Life Scenario
When a customer walks in, you smile and greet them, but you also ask if they would like to be on your mailing list for your newsletter, “Tips for Shop & Home.” If they say yes, you collect their name, address, and critical information for personalizing content. This information may include whether they rent or own, whether they have children and their ages, and any specific home needs such as a garden, pool, or workshop.
Once a month, you send out a personalized newsletter addressing each customer by name. You also customize the content, providing weatherizing tips, suggestions for ongoing home maintenance, and relevant offers based on what you know about their property. If they garden, you might offer planting tips and discounts on seeds, berry bushes, or garden mulch. Whereas if they have a pool, you might offer maintenance tips and discounts on pool supplies.
Opening Doors for Opportunity
Because relationships are about interaction, you want to create excuses to open dialogs with your customers. This could include an occasional customer survey, feedback form, or customer contest (such as best recipe using home-grown vegetables or best home workshop project). This creates an interaction between you and your customers that makes each person feel valued and gives them a stake in their relationship with you. At the same time, it gives you more information to further personalize future mailings!
That’s relationship marketing—and it’s one of the factors that makes 1:1 printing great. Want to see how we do it? Contact PrintComm today to start utilizing 1:1 marketing tactics.
