5 Things You Didn't Know About Variable Data Printing

Maybe you’ve heard of variable data printing (VDP)—the print technology that automatically customizes printed materials like direct mail based on customer data. If you’ve never used variable data printing, though, or even if you have, you may not know everything about this technology and just how valuable it can be in modern marketing campaigns. 

1. It’s about far more than just names and addresses. 

Maybe you think of variable data printing as an efficient way of personalizing recipients’ names and mailing addresses. This is a very useful application of VDP, but it doesn’t stop there!

Marketers can use VDP to personalize any element on a page, including:

• Images and graphics
• Messaging
• Calls to action
• Coupons or other promotional offers
• Maps or regional-specific information

For example, in addition to adding a recipient’s name to their direct mail postcard, VDP could draw on buying behavior data to include an image of a clothing style that will likely appeal to the customer and use their address to highlight the customer’s nearest store.

You may not be used to customizing so many elements, but with VDP, you’ll start leveraging personalization wherever you can because this technology makes it possible to do so at scale. Research shows personalization is now a basic expectation among consumers, so in order to remain competitive, you need to take personalization to the next level.

2. The printing applications are endless.

You can use VDP to print a variety of printed materials. Because it’s used for customization, VDP’s most popular and most valuable application is direct mail. Use VDP to create personalized: 

• Postcards
• Envelopes
• Folded self-mailers
• Brochures
• And more

If the digital press can print on it, you can use VDP to personalize it! Your recipients will be delighted to see themselves reflected in all of your marketing materials. 

3. It can make your direct mail more impactful.

VDP isn’t just a novelty—it’s a powerful tool to drive your marketing campaign’s success. Personalization is known to make a positive impression on consumers. 

The majority of marketers agree the top benefits of personalization are an improved customer experience, increased conversion rates, and increased visitor engagement. Who doesn’t want to achieve those goals?

Consumers are increasingly accustomed to personalization online, so it’s important that you bring that same personalized experience to your direct mail campaigns. Direct mail already has some advantages over digital ads, so adding personalization can double the impact.

4. Variable data printing is incredibly efficient. 

You may already know how much value personalization can add to your marketing campaigns, but manual methods of personalization simply become infeasible when you have a long list of direct mail recipients.

VDP helps you manage personalization at scale since it’s so efficient. You can print mailers in the hundreds of thousands with VDP—without needing to stop to manipulate anything. The software and printer work together to make it happen automatically. 

Baesman’s digital color press has an incredible output of 492 feet per minute. That means we can print and finish up to 1.3 million mailers in a single day! 

5. You can outsource VDP and gain a valuable marketing partner.

You may be eager to take advantage of VDP but aren’t sure you’re ready to invest in the technology or handle the process in-house. Fortunately, you don’t have to. 

Find a printing partner that offers VDP capabilities and that shares your commitment to quality, economy, efficiency, and personalization. To make the most of VDP, you should choose a partner that can help you manage your direct mail campaigns end to end, not just manage printing.

When you partner with Baesman, all you have to do is hand off your data. We do the heavy lifting to make the data clean and usable and derive useful insights from it. We work with your team to ensure these insights translate to personalized direct mail campaigns that get your customers’ attention. We’ll even report on the success of your campaigns so we can continue to optimize your approach. 

Want to learn more about the power of personalization in marketing? Download our eBook, The Customer Experience Just Got More Personal!