Run a quick check of the internet using your favorite search or decision engine and you will find that strategies for using data in customer-facing communication are the buzz. The role model success stories for both direct mail marketers and transaction print producers have been rolling out in blogs, articles, and in conference presentations for the past several years. The question: Is data-driven communication integrated into your 2010 customer communication strategy?

Let's start with a definition of data-driven communication. The baseline is the use of data in communication to your customer. In the case of transaction communication the data flows from customer transaction data bases and may be directly placed in the customer document (what you bought and what you paid). It may also be used to trigger formatting changes or the insertion of informational, educational or marketing messages. In direct mail the database provides the address, but in the best of situations is also being used to trigger different offers to different targets.

These are simple definitions, as current practitioners of data-driven communication will tell you. They do, however, lay the baseline. Once we agree about what is included in the definition of data-driven communication, the next step is to understand that it is a multi-channel communication technique. In the best of integrated customer communication strategies, the use of data to tune offers, alter formatting based on the gender or age of the recipient, and track trends is customer interaction is part of the plan.

That brings us to the question: what are you planning for 2010? Have you brainstormed with your Kodak team to see how we can help you communicate more effectively with your customers? We have team members ready to come and talk to you about how adding a data-driven communication strategy can add value to the services you offer (internal or external clients) and maintain your status as a partner to your clients.

If you haven't talked to us recently, come talk to us now!

Have a story to share? Drop me a note: pat.mcgrew@kodak.com - we'd love toshare your success story!

We got away from designing for data and data management over the last few posts to bring the news from the TransPromo Summit in Boston and Print09. It's time to get back to the mission! What perfect timing!

Print 09 is now behind us, and outside of the trade show floor, there was an amazing amount of education taking place in seminars. A theme that emerged from the catalogue of options was the need to get refocused on the customer and how we communicate with them. It doesn't matter if you are a traditional litho printer, a printer who has both traditional and digital kit, a pure digital printer, or a multi-channel Marketing Services Provider - it seems everyone is coming to the conclusion that a well educated market provides the best opportunities.

One way to refocus is to look at what programs you have in place to ensure that everyone in your organization is up-to-date on their skills. Are you using all of the tools you have as efficiently as possible? Are your team members well versed in all of the features of the composition, color management, asset management, and other tools in your shop?

Then look outward. How educated are your customers? Do they know what you have to offer, or are you just fulfilling the same orders? Do they understand everything you can do for them? Do they know the power of variable data? Have you discussed data driven programs to enhance response rates?

Another common conversation at Print 09 and other venues this year has been right-sizing. It might include some reduction in print, but well-designed programs look at using a number of customer communication channels and making them work together. Often, for a well-outfitted provider, that might mean selling less print but more services. It you can sell your print for more money because it is smarter and drives a higher response rate, that's a win-win for all in the supply chain!

And, finally, reaching out! When was the last time you went to visit a customer? When was the last time you had a customer event in your facility? When was the last time you participated in a local user association event or a national event? Reaching out into the community raises your profile and establishes you as a thought leader with your customers. It is a sure-fire way to grow your business!

Have you walked this path? Have a story to share? Drop me a note: twitter.com/PatMcgrew - we'd love to share your success story!

Yes, the rumor is true. By now you know that Kodak has gone where no print solution provider has gone before. We came to the largest print show in North America this year with our smartest people and great concepts, plus a bit of technical wizardry. We did not, however, bring the big iron that normally accompanies a show. No Magnus. No Generation News. No Versamark or PROSPER S10. No NexPress SE3600 and no Digimaster EX130. We brought lights, cameras, and lots of action.

The action was not just in the form of the Pipeline of Innovation... the amazing attention-getter that formed the center of our stand, but in the form of sales and marketing team members having real conversations, solving problems, and brainstorming. Major mailers, commercial printers, publishers and packaging producers each found Kodak subject matter experts in the booth to answer questions and find new ways to grow their business. One competitor came over as we were winding down on Wednesday as said, "Tell me, honestly. Did this work?" The answer is, yes it did.

Over the course of these six days people who came to our booth were drawn into a conversation. Instead of seeking out their regular sales team member (or their surrogate), opening the hood on one of the devices, poking around inside and asking about new features, shaking hands and heading to the next vendor, this booth laid the groundwork for problem-solving and thinking outside of the existing relationship. It meant that sales team members had to proactively address the needs of their current customers, and seek out the challenges of prospects who came to see the booth. And, they did!

In addition to the Pipeline of Innovation and the segment pods where we positioned solution conversations, we had Microsoft Surfaces where we could show ideas for solutions. And then there was the KZONE. Have you been out there? www.kodak.com/go/print09 is the home on the web of the hours of video that was the series of live talk shows hosted in the booth. We had industry luminaries and Kodak subject matter experts all engaging in conversations that now form an amazing basis for on-going education.   Frank Romano, and Rynn Johnson, Rance Craine and our own Antonio Perez all came to talk. Jeff Hayzlett featured prominently in many of the shows, as did many Kodak executives. Curious about what TransPromo is? My three KZONE segments explore all of the facets for transaction printers, and also talk through the analogous Direct Mail concept, Smart Data Driven Mail. Interested in packaging? Emma Schlotthauer explained it all. Undecided about digital print? Spend a half hour with Len Christopher and he can set you straight!

The cool thing? The KZONE theatre was standing room only! To get a good sense of all that went on, go out to the Kodak channel on You Tube to see the great video that Jonathan Ghent and the KBTV team put together. And then spend some time in the KZONE. You'll come to understand why the Kodak stand was the place to be, no matter what part of the industry you participate in!

One of the fun things about the Communication industry is that there are so many amazing solutions for those who have the job of creating effective conversations with their customers. Whether the mission is to create great solicitations that get higher-than-average response rates or customer care communication in the form of bills, statements, regulatory notices and other essential documents, sometimes a trade show provides the much needed injection of new ideas. Print'09, September 11-16 at McCormack in Chicago, could be just that show. From the current exhibit map it looks like the hardware and software providers will be out in force which should provide a chance to pick up new marketing ideas, new delivery ideas, and new thoughts on how data plays in the communication strategy!

You do have a customer communication strategy, don't you? A comprehensive view of how you want to communicate with your customers, inform them about your products and services, and keep your brand top of mind with them? It's a tough job these days no matter what industry you work in since there is so much competition for mindshare. From banks to car dealers, hospitals to hotels, the challenges for those in charge of acquiring new customers and retaining existing ones are immense. A strategy help define the framework so that the marketing teams and product owners can work in unison and optimize their customer communication costs.

Curious about how this works? We hope you'll come to the Kodak booth at Print '09 where solutions teams will be waiting to answer your questions! Come find me there - I'll be Twittering and updating Facebook during the show!

If you came to the TransPromo Summit to learn more about TransPromo the content of the sessions was more than sufficient. In addition to updates from customers who have presented at past events, there was a new emphasis on the importance of data and campaign measurement. What SHOULD you measure, what CAN you measure, and how to evaluate the results in the context of the campaign were key questions.

While it was a great event for content, sadly we didn't see many customers. Marc Johnson and I held down the fort for Kodak, though even some of the usual vendors were missing or made limited appearances. It may be that this is an event that needs to happen attached to another event, or perhaps only every other year. It's hard to know, too, how much the economy and the August timeframe impacted the attendees. We counted 141 people in the opening session, and that was the most attended presentation.

For Kodak, though, we'll call it a success as we supported Chris Nicholson from Humana by co-presenting in the TransPromo Strategy session. Chris shared that they now have 19 applications using the philosophy and workflow created for the Smart Summary RX application he discussed last year. (It prints on Kodak Versamark printers!) We also had a chance to catch up with our fabulous customers from Speos in Belgium, Wilen Direct (one of our PROSPER S10 beta sites), and a few prospects from around the world. Any time we can talk to customers it's a good day!

The next big opportunity to talk with customers will be Print '09! I hope to see you there!

It doesn't matter if you are the brand owner, the printer, or the recipient of the message, we all want more meaningful and more rewarding relationships. One way to create those relationships is to use data to create a more meaningful customer communication strategy.

The interesting thing about a data-driven communication strategy is that there is value at every stop in the chain. Mined data provides an amazing amount of raw data and genuine information that can be leveraged to create more appropriate customer communication. That same data can be used to trigger more appropriate marketing messages, leading to higher offer response rates. And, using data to tune your communication strategy could actually reduce your campaign costs by allowing you to target only those customers who have the most value to you.

Sound intriguing? We're going to be talking about all of these options at the TransPromo Summit, Thursday and Friday at the Hyatt Regency in Boston.

If you are in Boston, come join us! It's not too late. The registration link is:

http://www.infotrends.com/public/Content/Events/TransPromo09/registernow.html

Or, just drop in. You'll find us at:

Hyatt Regency Boston
One Avenue de Lafayette,
Boston, Massachusetts, USA 02111
Tel: +1 617 912 1234 Fax: +1 617 451 2198
Maps & Directions

Catch up with me, Marc Johnson and the rest of the Kodak team! And, watch this space as we blog from the event.