Is Your Content as personalised as It Should Be?

Businesses which don’t invest in a personalized approach to marketing are doing digital marketing wrong. Sorry, but that’s the long and the short of it.

There was a time when the idea of a website recognising a return user and suggesting products or services based on their behaviours might have been considered witchcraft. 

But now it’s the norm. Modern buyers expect and demand it. It’s an essential part of the customer experience and journey.

Amazon led the way with this approach way-back-when, and continues to reap the rewards. 

Forward-thinking businesses small and large have followed, and are enjoying a constant flow of new and repeat custom (if not quite to the extent of Amazon, of course).

So, what is personalized content? And is your content as personalized as it should be? 

Influencing Customers With the Personal Touch

Personalisation is the data-driven method modern marketers use to create and deliver digital marketing messages and product experiences which feel unique to individual customers. 

Like you, for instance, when you visit Amazon or a similar online marketplace. 

When you visit Amazon, the homepage will be completely personalized for you, based on your previous search and buying history. 

Amazon’s algorithm puts relevant products right in your eyeline in an effort to prompt you into making a buying decision.

And, away from the Amazon and eCommerce sphere, examples of personalized marketing include targeted marketing emails and social media advertising based on your interests.

The Stats Don’t Lie

A recent Forbes article demonstrated that businesses of all shapes and sizes are increasingly investing in personalized marketing and digital experiences because it:

• Attracts new customers
• Improves customer relationships 
• Delivers customer experiences that result in brand loyalty and repeat business.

The Benefits of Personalized Marketing

Reaching the Right People With the Right Messages

Thereby making your marketing more likely to influence buying decisions

Personalisation Leaves a Positive and Lasting Impression

Like, ‘wow, this brand really understands my needs and what I’m looking for’

Boosts conversions 

Generic marketing misses the mark and is just thrown out there willy-nilly. Personalized marketing, on the other hand, captures specific audiences at just the right moment (like the point at which someone’s booking a hotel or about to buy shower gel), thereby making a completed sale far more likely 

It shows that you’re paying attention

Relevance is everything in marketing and sales. Cease to be relevant to the customer’s needs, and they’ll take their custom elsewhere. 

But by remaining as relevant as possible based on the data you collect about them, you can show that you truly understand them and what they want. Which, in turn, results in increased loyalty and repeat custom

Convenience Counts for So Much 

Data and analytics allow companies to put tailored recommendations right in their prospective customers’ eyelines, thereby saving them the time and bother of searching around 

Personalized Marketing Tactics

Email marketing

OK, so we’re all in the habit of deleting marketing emails, or unsubscribing from email marketing lists we signed up for but can’t remember when or why.

But what about those marketing emails we like? Why do we stick with them?

Because they’re relevant to our personal needs, thereby making us a captive audience! 

Email marketing may not seem cutting-edge but it’s one of the most effective and powerful marketing channels out there for brands that get it right. 

Retargeting

“Ooh, how spooky, I’ve just been looking at this holiday cottage and now I’m getting ads recommending it to me.”

Except it’s not actually spooky, Mum – and people aren’t spying on you.   

Retargeting uses those ubiquitous ‘cookies’ (not the yummy type) to keep your brand, product or service in front of bounced traffic after they leave your website. 

Only 2% of users ever convert on their first visit to a website, so retargeting is a clever way of using user behaviour data to remind the remaining 98% to take another look at what you have to offer.

Personalized offers 

Everyone loves a bargain or a good offer. And it’s no different online. 

Ask prospective customers for their data (an email address, for example) in return for offers, and you’ll have the means to constantly keep them in the loop. 

You can also track offer codes to better understand their personal spending habits, and keep hitting them with the right messages or offers at the right time (for instance, right after payday).

Social media 

You know when LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter recommends that you follow a such-and-such person or a particular brand’s page? They’re using (not always perfect) algorithms based on what they think your interests are, or who you might share mutual friends or connections with.

Social media is all the more powerful when brands use the respective platforms’ analytics systems to understand their customer and behaviours. 

Companies that don’t use analytics are missing a trick – and wasting opportunities to engage with potential customers in a more personalized and effective way.

Geo-targeting 

Although not strictly ‘personalized’, geo-targeting is a hugely effective way to reach customers in specific locations. 

For instance, if you run a luxury car dealership, you’ll want to market yourself to people living in swanky neighbourhoods where people have lots of money to spend. Geo-targeting is the marketing tactic that enables you to target the right people in the right locations. 

The Vital Importance of Marketing Personas

Buyer or marketing personas are ‘archetypes’ of certain user groups. They embody the goals and needs of a user or customer type within your target audience. 

These personas should be at the basis of any overall marketing strategy and will help you reach differentiated prospective customer targets with relevant topics at the right time, using the right channels.

Based on relevant data, you draw the sharpest possible image of your persona types. This is the basis for successful and individually relevant sales and marketing communication along the customer journey.

Personas rely on data-based empirical facts and market research rather than gut feelings. 

It makes sense to first analyse which factors influence your targets. For instance, it’s vitally important to analyse their online behaviours, as doing so will help create a clear picture of which channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, email, YouTube) they use most, and which content is most likely to influence their decisions. 

At Chetaru, we’re big fans of personas and personalized marketing in general because they’re methods which consistently produce great results for our clients, whether that be in terms of increased sales, website visits or brand awareness.

Interested in learning how Chetaru can power up your marketing and sales through personalization?

Email us at info@chetaru.com today!