“I” is interesting: The power of personalization

Image personalization service

Due to the increasing popularity of personalized images, there are now a number of service providers that offer tools and services for this type of personalization. However, the market is legally opaque and it takes a lot of effort to get an overview. That is why we have examined and compared the similarities and differences between the various providers and offers. The basic principle is the same for all solutions: By combining design elements, such as image motifs and fonts, and master data, personalized image content tailored to the recipient is created. Master data is the linchpin of this variant of personalization. Because while the various providers have different graphical and technical options, they all rely on recipient information.

Visual options — how much individuality should there be?

A first distinguishing point among providers is the graphical options: Most provide users with their own templates and image motifs. Here, email marketers can choose from hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of designs. Some providers also allow the creation of their own image templates and the upload of their own image material, with the software solutions usually letting the customer act themselves in the sense of a “software-as-a-service” solution. Depending on the software, various options can also be used for fonts — from freely available web fonts to artistic typographies (e.g. flower tendrils instead of lines) and your own fonts.

There is no question that the email marketer can draw on the full range of graphical options — but this is not always necessary. In general, image personalization and individualization are very useful approaches. But that doesn't mean that you necessarily have to create unique artistic pieces every time. Rather, even moderate funds can have a major impact. The recipient's name in an interesting motif with a simple font is quickly realized and conveys the same effective messages as a specially designed banner with an artistic picture font. It is therefore not always necessary to write the customer name in the most unusual way possible; the name on a coupon is often enough. But both are of course possible.

Technology: Print vs. email

A second difference between providers is the type of technical image integration into emails or email tools. There are basically two directions here. With the first, the personalized images are generated using the mailing list or master data before the email is sent. This means that a static image is prepared for each recipient. It doesn't matter whether he opens the email later and sees the image or simply deletes it unread. The downside is obvious. More is being produced than necessary. Under certain circumstances, this can be reflected in the billing model. This static procedure is comparable to personalized mail mailings. The mailings must be produced in a complex manner for the entire recipient base, although it can be assumed that many unread ones will be thrown away. A rather unsatisfactory, costly situation for which there are no real alternatives in the print sector. When it comes to personalized images in emails, there is one such alternative — image integration via dynamic URLs. These are inserted into the email tool and only generate the corresponding personalized image when the recipient opens the email. One variation of this dynamic delivery is the use of API interfaces. For example, users are assigned an API key, which is used in a dynamic URL for each personalized image and identifies the user:

Billing models — between flat rate and costs per opening

The advantage of dynamic integration can be financial. True to the motto: Only what is actually seen causes costs. For example, some providers offer billing based on openings, which only requires payment for opened emails and thus for generated personalized images. This pays off, especially for small and medium-sized email campaigns. If there are a large number of recipients, opening billing can be expensive and it is worthwhile to think about licensing models and package prices. Payment is made here per month or year and the service or software can be used over this period — with some providers as part of a type of flat rate, with others with usage limits. In addition, a variant of billing via package prices is also offered, in which the user receives a specific number of image requests depending on the package, regardless of a time frame. In between, there are also various combinations which, for example, incur costs per opening in addition to a delivery fee or non-openings are not included in the fixed quota of image mailings. It should also be considered that most providers charge a one-time set-up fee.

More than just a name!

Personalized images often incorporate the recipient's name into an image — but that doesn't exhaust the possibilities. Any text as well as codes or barcodes can be inserted, making image personalization also suitable for voucher and discount campaigns. But image personalization has also reached everyday marketing communication and many email marketing companies have already made this service an integral part of their portfolio. And the next step in email marketing has already been taken, which puts print products and their options even more clearly in their limits — the integration of personalized, context-sensitive videos.