We Want You: Using Variable Print at Recruiting Events
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Are you focused on recruiting new members and getting buy-in from your prospects? Try using variable print when holding your recruiting events. Personalizing the marketing package helps you gain trust and commitment.
I’ll give you two examples of how to combine personalized print when recruiting.
My friend was a designer for an event organizer. She got me a day gig, stuffing folders at a fair for a senior living establishment.
Her company produced all the event folders, which they personalized to each attendee who reserved in advance. A questionnaire helped them choose the right items for the pack, and they also used demographic information based on the person’s address and public information.
The event was designed to get a psychological commitment. They wanted attendees to sign up for the no-obligation waiting list. It was one step closer to a lifetime residential contract.
That day, tubs and tubs of folders sat on tables.
Each folder was thick and heavy. The cover was printed in the colors of the senior center and had four-color photos of active seniors enjoying life. I can’t remember if they were gloss stock or laminated, but the folders had a “take me home” quality.
Inside were all the personalized sheets:
The cover had the person’s name and a unique code. The code had a “pet identifier” in it.
The decal I was hand stuffing had a cute cartoon of a fireman (drawn by my friend) and a drawing of a cat, dog, or other pet.
If someone had a “C” in their code, they got a decal that said, “In case of fire, please save our cat.”
People with a “D” got a dog decal. There were decals showing pet turtles and hamsters. “N” was for none. I had a compartmentalized cardboard tray that I wore around my neck like a cigarette girl. I could grab the right decal in a second.
“The decals get a lot of buzz,” my friend remarked. “Everyone starts talking to the people sitting next to them once they realize the decals are different.”
After going through the college process with my kids, I know how effective it is to use personalization for recruiting events. My younger son was swayed to choose a private university after we attended a house party. His red and gold glossy folder was crammed with info just for him — his declared major, a list of his scholarships, quotes from professors and students in his department, and bling with his name and graduation year.
I had to laugh because there was a decal sheet that said: “Proud Mom” with the college mascot’s paw prints leading to the school. How did they know I was attending with my son? They had my RSVP!
Variable print and versioning are strategic ways to gain commitment from recruits. It worked then, and it works now. Suggest this persuasive combination to your customers, or try it yourself!
Sandy Hubbard is a Marketing Strategist who specializes in the printing industry. She helps printers review their marketing programs, build robust sales and marketing teams, and develop powerful cross-channel campaigns that customers love. Find Sandy Hubbard on LinkedIn, co-hosting #PrintChat with Print Media Centr’s Deborah Corn. Join the group!
