It’s Time to Personalize Your Marketing Efforts
December 7th, 2007
Getting personal with your marketing used to mean just getting through the door. But like CDs and sushi bars, this fad has moved into a traditional mode and is now what some like to call “the norm.” In today’s advertising world, “the norm” isn’t good enough, strong enough, or different enough to get noticed. Homebuilders have to be willing to go the extra mile and get plugged into new marketing strategies to get the results they want.We all know that the housing market has changed significantly over the past year. We also know that traditional marketing is no longer working. So it’s time to get creative and get down and personal with your marketing. How do you do that? With personalization marketing campaigns that grab your attention. You might’ve seen it; you might’ve heard of it. Now it’s time to introduce you to what makes it work.
There is a psychological factor that comes into play when using personalization in marketing. People want to feel special, unique and understood. Marketing that plays on those emotions makes your company more favorable in buyers’ eyes. Personalization 
marketing campaigns allow you to tailor your message to each individual, pressing their hot buttons and piquing their curiosity. The buyers feel like you are really getting personal with them and know what they want, which reinforces their bond with your company.
While the product has many names, the best way to define Variable Data Printing (VDP) is personalized printing. It’s a form of digital printing that allows you to get personal with direct mail by playing on the needs and desires of each consumer, and communicates one-on-one with them.
VDP permits text and graphics to be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the printing process. People like to see their name. It grabs their attention leading to an increased response of 10-15 percent on direct mail campaigns.
Your mailer is designed with a basic layout displaying your marketing message. Each piece is then printed with a different person’s name and graphic that will appeal to the individual. For example, the mailer might say something like “Jill, join us for our model grand opening at ABC Community.” The piece might have the same layout as the others, but a few of the graphics are tailored to appeal to Jill’s interests that have been determined through a targeted list and database. It might have a photo of a specific model home that she would be interested in and lifestyle graphics that play on her emotions as a female.
Now you know about personalization and variable data printing, but how do you use these tools to enhance your marketing campaign? With a new four- letter word- PURL. A PURL is a Persistent Uniform Resource Locator, more commonly referred to as a URL or web address. Its function is to point the consumer to a customized landing page instead of directly to a company website. Consumers receive this personalized URL mainly by email or direct mail.
How many times have you gone to a general website and weren’t able to find what you were looking for? A PURL will help eliminate frustration and wasted time by leading consumers to the information they want to see, when they want to see it. What better way to get them plugged in than delivering it to their door! Studies have shown that over 80 percent of potential homebuyers start their search online, and nearly 33 percent of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online. Offering personalized web addresses provides them with the option to do both.
Here’s how it works. Jack receives a VDP mailer that invites him to type in his Personalized URL for more information (i.e. jack.hammer.abcbuilder.com). After typing in the PURL, he ends up at a landing page built specifically to match the direct mail piece that was personalized for him. Jack will then confirm his contact information and answer a few survey questions about what he’s interested in and boom… the next page that pops up has exactly what he was looking for; a specific community with a floor plan and amenities in his price range. Jack is also able to register for additional offers and promotional items as well. It’s faster, it’s easier and, most importantly, it saves Jack’s activity for additional
follow-up.
The hardest part of spending marketing dollars is actually seeing your return on investment (ROI). Studies have shown that there’s $122 ROI per $1 spent on marketing with PURL campaigns, indicating that they work. And the best part is they produce almost immediate results by tracking exactly who visits the web destination and what they’ve clicked on. This real-time data is used to send you comprehensive reports with campaign response rates, visitor patterns and detailed lead information allowing you to follow-up with sales leads as they come in. With traditional ways of marketing, it is difficult to track these results.
Times have changed and marketers need to know immediately what’s working and what’s not. They can’t wait months to find out. After all, there are such things as minute rice and instant pudding, why not instant leads?
It’s time to get real. People don’t communicate like they used to, and our marketing has to cater to that. Companies should not only be looking for new ways to get in the door of their consumer, but ways to interact with them. Everyone is looking to increase response rates, so why not put your money where your mouth is? Stand out from your competitors, be unique, and get personal!
To find out more about PURL campaigns and the results they can produce for your company call CEA Marketing Group at 727-523-8044, email info@ceamarketing.com or visit their website at www.ceamarketing.com.
Kelly Bosetti, MIRM, CMP, CSP, Realtor®, CEO/President of CEA Marketing Group in Clearwater, has been an expert consultant in the homebuilding and marketing industries for over 15 years. Her full-service marketing firm specializes in the homebuilding industry with a niche for direct mail, e-marketing, events and signs/displays. As an Associate Director of the Tampa Bay Builders Association (TBBA) and newly inducted President of the Sales & Marketing Council, Kelly understands the market and works to keep clients at the innovative edge of technology.
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Written by Jason
What is Web 2.0 may you ask? Let’s first start off with what 
, to tell if they have an RSS feed or not. As mentioned above these feeds can include several different types of information including latest blog posts, general or targeted news or even current promotions.