A personal pet peeve of mine is receiving any sort of mailing whether print or online and it being addressed to “Current Resident” or “To whom it may concern”. How can you expect a consumer to be drawn into your advertisement if it wasn’t addressed to them in the first place? Mass mailings are extremely impersonal and companies are beginning to see the downside of them. Besides the fact they are overspending on mailings they are not seeing the benefits of bringing in new clients. Personalization is key to engage the client. Sites like Groupon have been tailoring their deals to their consumers based on their preferences as of last summer. This has brought an increase on their deals being bought. Not all of these daily deal sites have fully grasped the personalization factor; I received a deal for a getaway at a hotel on South Beach, which granted if I was from anywhere else would have been great, but living only twenty minutes from the beach didn’t draw me in.
The more emails or brochures I receive that seem to be oriented to someone other than myself, the less likely I will address them and the more likely they will end up in my trash. When reaching out to potential leads or clients, add that personal touch. The personal touch can vary from speaking on a first name basis or tailoring your companies’ message to that client’s need. This will make the client feel that they aren’t just another one of the thousands that received your mailings (even if they are). Some feel that getting to know a client on a personal level is unprofessional. Being able to speak to them on a first name basis does not take away from the business; this actually makes the client feel that they can relate to you. This will open up the doors to a constant business relationship and evidentially grow your networking.
- Amanda C
Personalization should always stretch further than convenience. It's important to always keep your client feeling like he/she is more than just a number or another "to whom it may concern". Usually when I receive any type of mail, e-mail, etc. that do not focus on what needs to be done or known on my part, I tend to overlook it. I do agree that building relationships with your clients is extremely important, and understand their wants/needs is necessary. :)
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