VDP Plus Retargeting: Print Meets Digital Sequencing
Print is powerful. Digital is trackable. Together, they’re unstoppable.
For years, businesses have treated print and digital as separate channels. You run a print campaign and hope for response. You run digital ads and track every click. They exist in different worlds, measured differently, optimised separately, never quite speaking to each other.
But what if they did? What if your print campaign and your digital campaign weren’t parallel tracks but a coordinated sequence? What if every person who responded to your print received a personalised digital message, and everyone who didn’t respond received a different message designed to pull them back in?
That’s print-digital sequencing. That’s where Variable Data Printing meets digital retargeting. And it’s where response rates stop being acceptable and start being exceptional.
The Untapped Power of Integrated Marketing
Consider a typical direct mail campaign. You send 1,000 personalised mailers to prospects. Each mailer carries a unique QR code or tracking code. You measure response. Maybe 150 people scan the QR code or redeem the code. You celebrate. Campaign complete.
But here’s what you’re missing: you now have two distinct groups. The 150 who engaged, and the 850 who didn’t. Most businesses treat both groups identically going forward. They either move on to the next campaign or send generic follow-up to everyone.
Now imagine something different. The 150 who engaged? They receive targeted digital advertising reinforcing your message, deepening the conversation, moving them closer to purchase. The 850 who didn’t engage? They receive a different digital message designed specifically to address why they might have ignored your print mailer. Maybe it’s a different offer. Maybe it’s a different message angle. Maybe it’s simply a reminder that you exist.
Suddenly, you’re not running a print campaign and a digital campaign. You’re running a coordinated sequence where each channel amplifies the other.
That’s print-digital sequencing. And it delivers response rates that neither channel alone could achieve.
How the Sequence Works: Five Steps to Integrated Success
Let’s walk through a real-world example. Imagine you’re a professional services firm running a lead generation campaign to 1,000 prospects in your region.
Step One: Send Personalised Print with Unique Tracking
You send a personalised direct mail piece to all 1,000 prospects. Each mailer includes:
The prospect’s name and company. A personalised message addressing their specific industry or business type. A unique QR code that links to a personalised landing page or tracking URL. A clear call-to-action.
Every piece is different. Every recipient sees their name, their company, their industry-specific message, their unique code. Print Lord handles this seamlessly with Variable Data Printing.
Step Two: Track Who Responds
Over the next two weeks, you track response meticulously. The unique QR codes tell you exactly who scanned, when they scanned, and what they did on your landing page. You know who visited, how long they stayed, which offers they clicked, whether they converted.
By the end of two weeks, you have clarity. 150 prospects engaged. They visited your landing page. Some converted immediately. Others showed interest but didn’t complete an action. 850 prospects didn’t engage at all.
Step Three: Retarget the Engaged Group with Digital Ads
Now the sequence begins. Those 150 who engaged? They see targeted digital advertising from you over the next two weeks. But here’s the key: the ads are personalised based on their behaviour.
Prospects who visited but didn’t convert see ads reinforcing your value proposition, addressing common objections, pushing them toward the next step. Prospects who converted see ads thanking them and introducing them to the next phase of your service.
You’re not broadcasting generic ads to a generic audience. You’re speaking to people who’ve already shown interest, with messages calibrated to move them forward.
Step Four: Different Digital Message to Non-Responders
Meanwhile, those 850 who didn’t engage with your print mailer? They see different digital ads. Ads designed to pull them back in. Maybe it’s a different offer. Maybe it’s addressing a different pain point. Maybe it’s simply a lighter-touch message: “We know you’re busy. Here’s a three-minute overview of how we help businesses like yours.”
You’re not giving up on them. You’re just using a different angle, delivered digitally, where they might be more receptive.
Step Five: Follow-Up Print to Non-Responders
After two weeks of digital retargeting, non-responders receive a second personalised mailer. This one references the first mailer, offers something different, provides a new reason to engage. Maybe it includes a case study from their industry. Maybe it features a special limited-time offer. Maybe it simply says, “We heard you might have missed our previous message. Here’s why we think we’re worth a conversation.”
Again, every piece is personalised. Every recipient sees their name, their company, a message tailored to them. Print Lord produces this seamlessly in one efficient run.
The Data Behind Integrated Sequences
Let’s put numbers on this. Using our 1,000-prospect example:
Direct mail alone: 1,000 mailers sent, 150 responses (15% response rate). Campaign complete.
Direct mail plus digital retargeting to responders: 1,000 mailers sent, 150 initial responses, then 45 of those 150 convert through digital retargeting (30% conversion rate on engaged prospects). Total: 45 conversions.
Integrated sequence (mail, digital to both groups, second mail to non-responders): 1,000 mailers sent, 150 initial responses, 45 convert from first sequence, 60 of the 850 non-responders engage through digital retargeting, 12 of those convert through second mailer follow-up. Total: 57 conversions.
That’s 27% more conversions than direct mail alone. That’s 27% better ROI. That’s the power of integration.
And here’s what makes it even better: you can measure every step. You know exactly which prospects responded to print, which converted through digital, which came back through the follow-up mailer. You have a complete picture of your funnel, and that data informs your next campaign.
Why This Works: Psychology and Persistence
There’s a reason integrated sequences outperform single-channel campaigns. It’s not magic. It’s psychology.
Prospects are busy. They receive dozens of mailers and hundreds of emails. Your first mailer might arrive on a day they’re overwhelmed. They glance at it, set it aside, and forget about it. Gone.
But if they see your digital ad a few days later, something shifts. It’s a second touchpoint. Familiarity increases. Your brand becomes top of mind. They remember the mailer. They decide to engage.
For others, print doesn’t resonate but digital does. They’re not a mailer person but they respond to targeted ads. The sequence gives you both channels.
For still others, they need to see your message multiple times before they’re ready to act. The sequence provides those multiple touchpoints, each one building on the last, each one moving them closer to action.
Multiple touchpoints, coordinated sequence, measurable every step of the way. That’s why integrated campaigns work.
Print Lord’s Role: We Handle the Print, You Handle the Digital
Here’s what separates Print Lord from competitors: we don’t pretend to be a digital agency. We’re not. We’re a print specialist. But we understand that modern marketing integrates print and digital seamlessly.
So here’s how we approach print-digital sequencing:
We handle the print side. You tell us your strategy: personalised mailer to 1,000 prospects with unique tracking codes. We design, we integrate your data, we ensure every piece carries the right unique identifier. We manage the production, the quality, the timing. We deliver mailers ready to send.
You (or your digital partner) handle the digital side. You set up the retargeting campaigns, the digital ads, the landing pages. You manage the digital messaging and optimization.
Together, we execute the sequence. Because the print and digital are coordinated, tracked, and optimised together, the whole becomes more powerful than the parts.
This is where our Anything Print positioning matters. If you have the data, we can do anything on the print side. Personalised mailers with unique codes? Done. Variable QR codes on follow-up materials? Done. Retargeting-ready print designed specifically to support your digital funnel? Done.
We make it simple. You provide the data and the strategy. We produce the print. Together, we create sequences that convert.
Real-World Example: The Power of Coordination
Let’s imagine a concrete scenario. You’re a recruitment agency targeting finance professionals in London. You send 500 personalised mailers to senior finance professionals at mid-sized companies. Each mailer includes:
Their name and company. A personalised message about the finance leadership opportunities you’re seeing in the market. A unique QR code linking to a personalised landing page with their name on it. A clear call-to-action: “Scan to see opportunities we think suit your background.”
Over two weeks, 75 scan the code (15% response rate). They visit your landing page, see opportunities, some request more information.
Meanwhile, those 75 see targeted LinkedIn ads from you over the next week, reinforcing the opportunities, building credibility, moving them toward booking a call.
The other 425 who didn’t scan? They see different ads. Lighter touch. “Curious about your market value? We help finance professionals understand opportunities. Here’s a brief assessment.”
Two weeks later, a follow-up mailer arrives for the 425 non-responders. This one features a case study of a finance director you placed, showing the opportunity and the outcome. Again, personalised. Again, unique. Again, relevant.
Result? Instead of 75 engaged prospects from print alone, you have 75 actively engaged plus 30 who came back through digital retargeting plus 18 who re-engaged through the second mailer. 123 prospects in your funnel instead of 75. That’s 64% improvement from coordinating print and digital.
The Measurement Advantage
One final point: integrated sequences are measurable in ways single-channel campaigns aren’t.
You can see exactly which prospects responded to print and converted immediately. Which responded to print but needed digital retargeting to convert. Which ignored print but engaged through digital. Which needed the follow-up mailer to convert.
That data becomes your roadmap for future campaigns. You learn what works for different prospect types. You optimise based on evidence. You build increasingly effective sequences over time.
This is where Print Lord’s Reliable and Consistent promise matters most. We deliver measurable campaigns that feed data back into your strategy. We’re not just printing mailers and hoping. We’re executing sequences that prove what works and inform what comes next.
Getting Started with Print-Digital Sequencing
If you’re currently running print campaigns or digital campaigns in isolation, you’re leaving response on the table.
Integrated sequences aren’t complicated. You need:
- 1. A clear strategy defining your sequence (print, then digital to responders and non-responders, then follow-up)
- Data for personalisation (prospect names, companies, relevant details)
- Unique tracking codes on print (QR codes, voucher codes, or personalised URLs)
- Digital retargeting set up to target prospects based on their print response
- A print partner (Print Lord) who can execute the print side flawlessly
Then you execute the sequence, measure every step, and optimise based on what you learn.
The Competitive Advantage
Most businesses still run print and digital separately. They’re not coordinated. They’re not sequenced. They’re not optimised together.
When you integrate them, you immediately gain advantage. Your response rates climb. Your conversions improve. Your ROI becomes measurable and optimisable.
It’s not about spending more. It’s about spending smarter. Coordinating channels. Creating sequences. Measuring relentlessly.
That’s where modern marketing wins.
Ready to Sequence?
If you have the data and the digital strategy, Print Lord can handle the print side of your integrated sequence. We’ll produce personalised mailers with unique tracking codes, retargeting-ready design, and follow-up materials that support your digital funnel.
Together with your digital efforts, you’ll create sequences that convert at rates neither channel alone could achieve.
Ready to integrate print and digital for maximum impact?
Print Lord can coordinate your print-digital sequencing. Get in touch and let’s talk about your integrated campaign strategy. We’ll handle the print. You handle the digital. Together, we’ll make both channels work harder.
On brand. On time. On target.
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Print Lord. At your service.