magnify_redperson_blogIt’s no secret that personalizing your direct marketing communications will lead to more successful campaigns. The less people feel like they’re receiving an automated mass mailing, the more likely they are to respond to your offer.

But the fact is, you can’t speak to your audience very well if you don’t know who they are. That’s where data comes in. It’s important to gather all of the relevant information you can about your prospects. And these days, there’s more information available than ever — things like income level, lifestyle, purchasing behavior, and more.

Let your data inform your creative

Many marketers use this data as criteria to segment their audience. But why stop there? This additional information can be absolutely crucial to the tone and content of your mailing.

Build segmentation into your copy and design

Use it to help you speak your audience’s language and be more relevant to their lifestyle. For example, you’ll want to use a far different tone for a wealthy, retired divorcee than for a twenty-something recent college graduate. Knowing ahead of time that you’ll be mailing to different groups allows you to personalize your communications to speak more specifically to each segment.

The more you can leverage what you know about your prospects and customers, the better you can use that knowledge to capture sales. And by using that information earlier in the process — to inform your copy and design — you can create a more successful campaign from the ground up.