"Relevance" is a term thrown around a lot in the marketing world. Sometimes it's associated with (or confused for) "targeting," though the two aren't synonymous. In marketing, relevance is used as a foil for what are perceived as outdated marketing practices associated with "broadcast," or "blast"—static, one-message-fits-all" marketing.

A relevance-centered approach to direct digital marketing, as a concept, needs no justification. The premise is something like this:

Let's tailor the direct digital marketing communications to speak more directly to and pertinently with customers and prospects to ensure the information, offers, and calls to action presented are optimized for effectiveness based on the customers' and prospects' known attributes, behavioral attributes, and past activity.

In practical terms, a relevance-centered approach in direct digital marketing is simply a more deliberate practice of developing content and deployment strategies around key attributes, events, or behaviors that the customer exhibits.

This approach rewards sound practices such as a greater focus on strategic planning; greater attention paid to the database and opt-in lists for opportunities to segment based on attributes; and the use of data and technology, together, to track and respond to specific events in a buying cycle, customer life cycle, or other online activity.

In bottom-line terms, a relevance-centered approach to direct digital marketing is about marketing optimization and return on investment.

Adopting strategies, tools, and processes that allow your organization to connect more deeply with its audience and drive more revenue per dollar spent should be a no-brainer, right?

However, implementing this approach is a painful proposition for many organizations and marketing departments. Why? Because it means one static message may need to be replaced by multiple, more relevant and targeted variations. It means that a relevant experience must be extended consistently across multiple channels, which traditionally presents logistical headaches. It means increased responsibilities for thoughtful analytical review—and with closer analysis comes greater accountability.