XMPie, a partner of Xerox, is one of the leading providers of cross-media, variable data one-to-one marketing.
But what exactly can it do for your business? Who would be a fit for the technology? How much does it cost?
As a Xerox Platinum Solutions Partner, we will use our expertise in their products to honestly and thoroughly answer your main questions about XMPie.
The software can be helpful for some businesses, but it does cost money, which means you need to know what you’re getting into before deciding whether to purchase or not.
In this article, we’ll be discussing what XMPie is, its different solutions and features, benefits, who would be a fit and the cost of the software. After reading this, you should feel confident in deciding whether XMPie is worth the investment or not.
What Is XMPie?
XMPie is the “leading provider of software for cross-media, variable data one-to-one marketing, offers multichannel marketing solutions to help businesses create, manage, automate and track highly effective direct marketing and cross-media marketing campaigns—without having to tradeoff media capabilities, presentation or design,” according to Xerox.
In short terms, it’s software that lets you personalize automated marketing materials to individual people or groups without having to take the time to manually create materials for each individual recipient.
XMPie gives you brand consistency, no matter which media channels are used, and lets you collect data to analyze how your campaign worked (more on this later).
To learn more about XMPie, watch their video "XMPie: Shaping the Future of Personalization."
XMPie’s Multichannel Solutions
Let’s next dive into some of the specific technologies offered by XMPie. These technologies are supported with XMPie’s Open XM technology “so that state-of-the-art digital content can holistically coexist with variable print designs,” according to Xerox.
Here are five of the multichannel solutions offered by XMPie (courtesy of Xerox):
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PersonalEffect-eMedia Cloud: A subscription-based hosted solution for delivering cross-media campaigns.
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PersonaEffect-TransMedia: All-in-one multichannel solution for creating and launching integrated, personalized campaigns across every channel (print, web, e-mail, mobile, etc.)
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PersonalEffect-TransMediaPro: Includes Adobe InDesign Composition Engine in addition to XMPie’s composition engine; more powerful than the PersonalEffect TransMedia.
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PersonalEffect-Print Pro: A turn-key, server-based solution for designing and processing high volumes of personalized variable data print documents that leverage Adobe InDesign’s features and engine.
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Enterprise Cross Media: A customizable platform for companies that need enterprise-grade cross-media marketing tools when making integrated personalized campaigns using print and online channels.
We’re not going to go into too much detail about the specific products in this article, but we’ve added the links to the product pages in the titles above. If you’re interested in looking into the different ones further, you’ll find tons of useful information on the links provided.
There are also other products, like XMPie uDirect or XMPie StoreFlow that you can choose from.
While we’re on the topic of printing and marketing, check out our blog on “5 Ways That Digital Printing Can Impact Your Marketing Strategies.”
Features of XMPie
There are a lot of features to XMPie, but some of the primary ones are:
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Variable data printing and the ability to personalize communications
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Print technology is native to Adobe InDesign, which means no conversion is needed and images remain consistent with what the designer envisioned.
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Open XM technology allows developers to work in the development environment they prefer and use technologies like AngularJS, jQuery, JavaScript and HTML5.
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XMPie’s products are scalable, meaning you can add or subtract capabilities as you go; includes the ability to move from desktop workstation to server, single-server to multi-server clusters or from print-only to full cross-media capabilities.
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Allows for integrations with third-party systems like CRM, ERP, MIS, DAM or other internal systems.
Check out XMPie’s brochure to learn more about the features, as well as general information about the software.
How Can XMPie Help Your Company?
XMPie is a useful software for integrating each of your media channels to run cross-media customer campaigns built on personalization.
The software allows you to manage all touch points no matter which media channel your using---from print, email, web or SMS.
You can deploy an entire automated multichannel marketing campaign that is personalized for each recipient.
That really is XMPie’s main area of assistance: It can streamline campaigns without sacrificing your brand’s consistency in creating a personalized experience for your customers or prospects.
Who Would Be a Fit for XMPie?
XMPie’s benefits are tailored to meet the needs of specific organizations or businesses that regularly conduct marketing campaigns through multiple media channels.
Say you’re a college and you’re going to send a prospecting letter to all seniors in high school as a recruiting pitch. XMPie allows you to put all consumer information in a database and personalize it to the recipient.
If you were sending a prospecting letter, you could divide it into segments based on activities. For instance, if you send it to students in the school band, you can tailor the letter to be music themed. If you send it to students who are in sports, you can modify the letter to include a sports theme.
Common places where XMPie could be implemented include print shops, marketing organizations or large institutions that are heavy on recruiting or have their own marketing and in-house print shops.
The Bottom Line: If you need variable data printing and personalized communications for marketing, you would be a good fit for XMPie.
What Does XMPie Cost?
The cost of XMPie can be a bit difficult to dissect, so we spoke to a Regional Sales Executive from XMPie to explain it further.
“Our software licensing is perpetual (customer acquires the licensing and pays annual support/maintenance to have access to help, updates, and upgrades). We start with desktop solutions at $4500 and scale upwards into server-based solutions for VDP $24k+, web to print $32k+, and cross media $44k+. We also support enterprise level multi-server platforms in the $100k+ range. Basically, you can start with XMPie and not outgrow it based upon volumes or application areas.”
As you can see, the price of the software can vary dramatically, which underlines the need to vet out the software before purchasing. While the cost may seem high, if this is something you’re in the market for, the return on investment far outweighs the cost of the software.
This software is normally sold with production printing equipment, like the Xerox Iridesse Production Press, which is typically leased to make the entire solution an affordable monthly payment.
XMPie Support
A common question around XMPie involves support and what, if any, kind of support you can get with the software.
XMPie has Professional Services and Support teams that can help with things like custom functionality, additional training and general assistance.
To find product documentation, articles and contact information or to put in a support request, visit XMPie’s Support page.
Interested in XMPie?
XMPie is a useful and effective software built for companies that consistently run multichannel personalized marketing campaigns.
The software comes with many benefits, but you’ve seen how much it can cost: Always make sure to evaluate your goals internally and consult an expert who has your best interest at heart if you’re unsure what to do.
Since we are partners of Xerox, we can sell you XMPie’s software and offer our expert-led guidance on which type of solutions will work best for you. We can also offer quotes on production printing equipment if you’re looking for new technology.
Our promise to you is to always be upfront and honest with you about your ideal solution. If you consult us about anything, no matter if it’s XMPie, a printer or managed print services, we’re going to let you know what’s best for you, even if it doesn’t end with us.
If you would like to inquire about XMPie or any production printing solution, reach out to us and one of our business consultants will get back to you shortly.
