In today’s era of digital marketing, content is king. But context is key to successfully personalizing messages for your diverse target segments. Communicating effectively in today’s marketing environment demands segment level personalization – but all too often, personalization and scale are seen as competing ends. If personalization seems complex, do not dismay. You can personalize your message at scale, reduce cost inefficiencies and improve conversions in the process. Here are three guidelines:

1. Mass marketing is passé. As a recent Forbes article suggests, social media isn’t the right channel for broadcasting your message en masse. We would also argue that, in general, broadcasting the same message to all of your target audiences via email or direct mail limits your effectiveness: While mass marketing still has its place and purpose in branding, today’s customers expect a personal and human touch across all channels. To this end, your marketing strategy and messaging should demonstrate your understanding of context at the segment level.

2. Personalization is manageable. Marketing technology systems such as marketing resource management (MRM) systems enable scaled personalization: Multiple campaigns and messaging versions can be created for each of your target segments, personalized by your distributed sales channels via web-based workflow approvals, and tracked and managed from under one central campaign umbrella all within your MRM system.

3. Personalization works. According to Direct Marketing News, “The most effective marketing campaigns leverage highly relevant messages with a multichannel approach.” Marketing messages personalized at the segment level delivered in a multichannel approach can help to improve response rates – for example a direct mail campaign personalized by variable data printing with an integrated QR or PURL component.

You can do personalization!

Personalization doesn’t have to be complex and can begin by taking intentional steps to humanize your brand communications. As the Forbes article states, engaging with your most active followers and customers through social media will organically expand your brand’s reach and impact, but to stay relevant, you should avoid broadcasting the same message to all of your target segments. Finally, multichannel campaigns with a personal touch such as such as variable data printing and PURLs can help to break through advertising clutter, while integrated direct mail campaigns with a QR component can be leveraged to boost customer engagement and social sharing.

Does your marketing strategy leverage personalization to maximize impact?

The era of push/mass marketing is changed forever. To stay relevant in today’s marketplace, it’s essential to define the core human values you can build your brand around and then personalize your marketing approach with a human touch. For more on branding trends, see our recent Marketing Organizational Leadership blog featuring the expert perspective of Jerry Kathman, CEO of LPK.