Personalization is Key to Effective Communication

About fifteen years ago, the move toward “personalization” was in full swing. National magazine publishers began selling different editions of magazines for different parts of the country so that they could maximize revenues not only with local ads, but they discovered that articles of local interest would attract more buyers in a particular market. Now, through the wizardry of technology and electronic publishing, Internet editions of newspapers are replacing paper. The fact that you’re reading this Web site proves you’ve been caught up in investigating something that you are personally interested in, but, 20 years ago, I would have had no way to convey this information to you. Well, I would, but I would have had to sell a publisher on the fact that I had something of value to offer first. Then we’d see if anyone reacted to it.

Music is perhaps the medium which has seen the most drastic change in its distribution methods. Musicians used to wait for their “big break” by playing for a record company executive, and through the exposure of radio, they would either become stars or one-hit wonders. Now, anyone can post their music online and promote it, and fans can download it. Social media is the key to how word (or a song) gets around, and have effectively cut out the record company as the middleman. Television is now going through the same transformation, since broadcasting in this country have moved to digital transmission and the need to expand wireless capabilities, and now cable services have morphed into streaming services to deliver the programming you want to see, with the ability to record and pause programming should you need to answer your phone (since caller ID can be shown on your viewing screen). You always needed a cable company or a satellite dish to see your favorite television shows, but today, fiber optics and streaming services are having a significant impact on viewing habits. Remember when dial-up was the only way to access the World Wide Web? A lot changes in 20 years.

While some people say the world we live in is shrinking, it really seems to be both expanding and contracting at the same time. Globalization points to the ability to examine the consequences of our actions with a world-wide perspective. We can communicate with people across the country and half-way around the earth with the click of a mouse button, yet people around a table in a restaurant can all be on their mobile devices at the same time instead of talking, communicating and sharing with one another. The possibilities are exciting, while the realities are depressing.

But what about the marketing your school does? If you have a person in your home who is receiving information from various colleges, take a look through them. Although they look like mass-produced catalogs, they mention your soon-to-be high school graduate by name!! Indeed, we have discovered the power of Scripture, especially the verse, “By name I have called you.” The personalization of technology also continues as PCs, SmartPhones, tablets and other mobile devices allow individuals to communicate when and where they want to, IF they want to.

So how can you be even more distinctive? As technology advances, think about what “no one” is doing anymore – and that’s using snail mail and sending notes. Personalize your letters to parents – not “emails” to parents. One good way to show that something isn’t mass produced is to personally sign all correspondence, and do it in BLUE INK! The BLUE INK stands out against a black text, showing someone has taken some time to actually sign a letter (rather than inserting a computer-generated signature that will print in black).

Okay, you can scan a signature in blue ink, take a Web clip of it, and paste into your document as your signature. But people can tell – the pen is mightier than the inkjet.

But if you think that “everybody” can do that, then, for your current parent community, insert a picture of their child on that letter to the parent!! Schools routinely take school pictures, and parents have to sign publication waivers. Therefore, whenever a letter to a parent must be sent, include the picture of that child on the letter. There’s nothing a parent likes more than to see their child. It is, after all, a reflection of them; and, it shows that you understand that!

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