An interesting trend came out of the general sessions and marketing track that I wanted to share with you. We, of course, have been talking about variable data printing and all of its potential for well over a decade now. But it has never seemed to have gained critical mass. We always hear lots of reasons—the data isn’t good, the customers don’t understand, it is too expensive or complicated. . .I could go on. But it appears that a significant shift is finally under way.
In a general session conducted by Jacob Aizikowicz, XMPie’s president, and in a marketing track session conducted by InfoTrend’s Barb Pellow, the concept of the next generation of variable data was introduced—dubbed integrated marketing campaign management. While this concept has been around for a while, and generally refers to campaigns that utilize multiple channels, such as e-mail, print and the Web, it is now evolving into a much more interesting space with a much broader scope.
If you consider marketing executives as your primary customers, which you should, it is important to understand their needs and requirements—what keeps them awake at night—and work to find ways you can help them better meet their business objectives.
In my column last August, I shared results of a survey of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) that identified many of their key concerns, and that is worth reviewing again as you plan your strategy for adding value to the world of marketing executives.
But it is also interesting to note that, according to executive search consulting firm Spencer Stuart, the average tenure of a chief marketing officer is less than 23 months, and only one in 10 keep their jobs more than three years. The firm goes on to say: “Just because a marketer was successful in the 1980s, where big image and even bigger advertising ruled, does not mean he or she will be a good fit today, when successful marketing requires a much more complete, integrated approach.” And accountability is definitely in for the marketer. Herein lies the key message for print service providers in today’s rapidly evolving world.
Print service providers have long been involved in marketing campaigns, producing mailers, brochures, postcards and full direct mail programs. Of late, marketers have increasingly been combining these printed campaigns with electronic campaigns. Although all of the campaigns may use similar digital assets to maintain consistent branding and messaging, they are often executed by different suppliers.
Why shouldn’t your company be able to produce the entire campaign? An increasing number of companies are doing just that, repositioning themselves from printers to marketing services companies, increasing their value to the customer and forging stronger relationships that result in a recurring revenue stream through annuity programs. In this scenario, one successful campaign breeds other campaigns and you end up in a lucrative, multi-year customer relationship.
The other “perfect storm” that is occurring in the world of marketing, as Pellow and Aizikowicz pointed out in their XMPie conference talks, is increased reliance on a set of enterprise systems that provide the data infrastructure for ensuring that marketing campaigns are effective. These include customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise content management (ECM), sales force automation (SFA) and marketing performance measurement (MPM).
These systems are maturing, and the quality of data is improving, allowing for more effective marketing campaigns.
But there is still what some are calling a “missing link”—the ability to manage those campaigns across a variety of channels, with two-way data exchange between the campaign activity and the enterprise systems. In essence, then, your ability to provide the management of integrated, multichannel marketing campaigns, and to track and report on their results, provides the missing link that marketers are seeking. Pellow pointed out that as marketers attack these issues, they have lots of questions. She said:
• Marketers are confused. What tool fits their needs?
• Marketers are hungry. They are actively seeking technology and partners to make their lives easier and to improve productivity and ROI of their marketing efforts.
• Marketers need a blueprint. They need help identifying the right solution for improving marketing performance.
The key elements of a successful campaign, she points out, include having a coherent strategy in place that succinctly defines the target market; an attractive and appealing offer; good creative execution; and quality data sourced either internally or externally.
The good news is that there is a wide array of tools in the marketplace that you can leverage to deliver these services. They are being written about regularly in just about every trade publication, including this one. If you haven’t yet dipped your toe in the water, the time to do so is definitely here.
A word of caution, though. Although the number and maturity of tools has escalated significantly, this is still a more complex business than what we may be used to as print service providers. It requires a level of IT expertise to be able to manage both the data and the customization that is surely going to be required. If you are not in a position to invest in these new capabilities, there are plenty of firms that would be delighted to partner with you as you go after new customer applications, with each party contributing its own expertise.
How to get started? Why not start with promoting your own business through an integrated, multichannel campaign that includes print, the Web and e-mail? Track the results and compare them to previous direct mail or other single-channel campaigns you have done in the past. Then leverage your own successes to sell these services to your customers. You have the safety of practicing on yourself as you begin the learning process. And, hopefully, you get a boost in your business as a result!
Make 2007 your year to get personal. It will revolutionize your business. PI
—CARY SHERBURNE
About the Author
Cary Sherburne is a well-known journalist, author and strategic marketing consultant working primarily with the printing and publishing industry. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, a regular contributor to industry publications and has written three books, available for purchase through the National Association for Printing Leadership (www.napl.org). Sherburne can be reached at Cary@SherburneAssociates.com.
- Companies:
- XMPie, a Xerox Company