Dec 2, 2007
Are Either Google or CRM Printing Relevant?
By Pete Basiliere, Gartner
Google is ubiquitous. The largest search engine, Google catalogues the Internet and more. Want to collaborate with co-workers, use Google Docs. Want to communicate, use Google Talk or Gmail. Want to know where you are, use Google Earth. Want to grow your business, use Google AdWords. But is Google relevant?
Certainly, Google is relevant on one level. The company?s name has become a verb as the vast majority of Internet users ?google? keywords to learn more about a person, product or place. Indeed, Google's mission is ?to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful,? a no small feat which it appears well on the way to accomplishing.
On another level, however, Google?s results are not relevant. Think about it for a minute. Google comes up with pages and pages of results and advertising when you enter a keyword. Refine your search more and the results will be fewer. But the ads will still be generic.
A recent search on ?trans-promo? brought back 690 responses and 8 advertisements. Now, you and I think of trans-promo as the application of promotional copy to transaction documents such as invoices and statements. Google saw trans-promo and served up only one ad that was even remotely close: ?Top 10 Hosted CRM Vendors.? Among the other ads were for links to ?Credit Card Printers,? ?Imprinted Promotional Items? and ?Cheap Offset Printing.?
A search on ?Jordan?s Furniture,? the New England chain that provided a full refund when the Red Sox won the World Series to 30,000 customers who bought sofas, dining tables, beds or mattresses resulted in three Google ads: the highlighted one across the top was for another retailer and the two on the right were also for competitors!
What would your customer or marketing people say if you told them trans-promo yielded these results? That the credit card statement for the purchase of furniture from one retailer would result in an ad for its competitor?
Trans-promo is a niche application of CRM printing, where customer relationship management databases and techniques drive document content. CRM printing applies to more than financial documents, extending your ability to communicate with customers in a targeted, personalized and relevant manner.
CRM printing is more relevant than Google?s results because it draws on the information your company has about its customers and prospects. Google can only make assumptions about why you have entered a keyword and then may bring back what Marketing will say are disastrous results.
Nevertheless, the refinement of Google?s approach to serving ads based on keyword search results has an application to our industry. Marketers understand the Google ad concept and know they receive quantitative information about the success and cost of those ads. They also know people have accepted the idea of ads placed along the top and side of the page. This is ?The Googlization of Print,? the concept that advertising similar to the format found on Google can be successfully applied to printed communications.
But you can take this concept one step further. Your print operation already has the software and hardware foundation necessary to enable targeted and pertinent messages. CRM databases and rules-based software programs enable you to serve only the advertisements and messages fitting for the reader without inserting inappropriate ads. Work with your peers in Marketing to revitalize not only transaction documents but also direct mail campaigns, advertising materials and more by employing CRM printing techniques.
About Pete Basiliere
Pete Basiliere is Gartner?s research director for print markets and management, conducting research and providing insight on production print and mail systems and applications including best practices, market strategies and technology trends. Mr. Basiliere assists suppliers and end users with practical advice relating to Gartner's Automated Document Facility (ADF 2.0) and customer relationship management (CRM) printing concepts as well as production print and mail operations and security matters. He has spoken at numerous industry events including the On Demand Conference, the GATF Technology Alert Conference and Gartner?s Print and Imaging Summit.
Mr. Basiliere has 30 years of printing and direct mail experience in operations, engineering, customer service and purchasing management, having worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, NEBS, PVA-EPVA, John Harland Company and others. The National Association for Print Leadership (NAPL) published his two books: Diversifying with Mail and Fulfillment Services: Unlocking Hidden Profit Potential and Successful Print Buying: A Guide to the Cost-Effective Procurement of Printing.