With the growing number of messages people receive today — online and offline — the importance of delivering a message that resonates with the user has never been more important. Creating a personalized message that creates a connection is critical, and with the increasing amount of data available to marketers, personalization options have only expanded. Personalization needs to be incorporated into all marketing, shopping and service experiences. In many of his presentations on personalization, J&C's CEO Ron Jacobs has referenced the 4 R’s of personalization from Accenture and discussed how they are key ingredients in connecting with prospects and customers. This blog explores these 4 key components of personalization and how you can use them to better connect with your customers.

Customer-centric content is key for developing a positive relationship with your target audience.

After all, everyone is looking for new ways to increase efficiency, improve results and make regular responsibilities easier. Different types of content marketing help your audience achieve their goals more than others. Content formats like checklists and templates are easy-to-use tools that help your customer, which means you remain top of mind later when they may be in the market to buy or engage.

If seeing is believing, then it only follows that visuals play a vital role in communication. That’s especially true as you decide on what types content marketing you are going to include in your content marketing strategy.

Personalization in communications is not new. Direct marketers have used it in direct mail since the first computers and printers were used for marketing in the mid-twentieth century. Today, variable data printing technologies mean that marketers can personalize every word of a direct mail package, from outer envelope to letter, brochure and response device. Email marketers have had the same option since email’s first day.

Today, personalized email or direct mail communications don’t seem optional. Yet many marketers that use personalization often report poor results. So, what has held personalization back?

Direct mail marketing has been around a while. In fact, the first time we saw it in its current form was in 1872. The piece was a one-page catalog. Since then, direct mail has evolved into many forms. Even in an age of endlessly evolving technology, direct mail is still works. But technology and direct mail are not mutually exclusive. In fact, new technologies can enhance your direct mail efforts and result in a higher response rate. 

There are a number of ways direct mail can use recent technology to connect with customers and drive better responses. Below three major ways to consider for your next campaign.

Social media must play a role in any business’s marketing plan. But when it comes to insurance companies, it can be tricky to figure out how social media fits with your brand’s voice. Here are a few quick tips to help make your insurance company relevant on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms.

Behavioral marketing can be used in conjunction with content marketing to improve and enhance the customer relationship. Modern businesses store a significant amount of data, but they don’t always use this information to their benefit. Applying data to communications can ensure companies tailor their marketing campaigns for optimal effectiveness.

Marketing has changed immensely over the last decade. Primarily, customers now expect to interact with brands the same way across different channels. This poses a problem for the traditional marketer targeting a single channel. Marketers need to adapt and refocus their aim on a specific audience but across ALL channels. From websites to in-store visits to mobile apps, customers want to have the same experience of that company across the board. So how do you change? Going from one channel to multiple has to be hard, right? Actually, it’s an easier adjustment than you think. Here are 10 skills that can help make your transition simple.

As technology evolves at a rapid pace, the nature of marketing evolves with it. One of the most crucial innovations in the marketing landscape is artificial intelligence (AI).

But what exactly is AI? Put simply, AI is a system that can learn, reason and solve problems. And marketers see the potential. Here’s a brief look at how this technology can change the way marketers reach their audience.

For years, the retail and financial services industries have emphasized on customer engagement and the relationships. For the insurance industry, it's been different. Insurance companies would work to get new customers and often their relationships would be limited to sending a renewal notice every six months or a year. As competition increases, companies in the insurance industry need to find a new way to keep their customers engaged and avoid churn. Here are four ways insurance companies can make sure they are engaging their customers in the right way.