Posted by guest blogger Andrew Rogers
Direct marketers have long understood that perhaps the most powerful words you can print on a mail piece are your donor or prospect's own name. New research from the UK suggests another way personalized mail increases the perceived value of the message you're communicating.
A British market-research firm with the unlikely name of CCB fast.MAP found that 46% of people surveyed believe "unpersonalized leaflets, coupons, and samples" are bad for the environment. However, once the mail package is personalized, only 20% consider it un-green. The study was reported on the UK marketing-news site Brand Republic last month.
How much should we read into this? Perhaps not a lot: Jeff always reminds us to put less stock in what people tell researchers than in how they behave in real life.
Still, it's easier to engage in conversation with someone -- and convince them of your interest in, and relevance to, them -- when you know and use their name. Anyone can toss a generic flyer or coupon at them. When you call someone by name, you're engaging them as a person. And at least for a moment, they may place a higher value on what you're trying to tell them.
Technorati Tags: fundraising, personalization
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