Personalisation can be found everywhere and to put it simply it really does work, but now that consumers have come to learn about it, it has somewhat lost its touch which can be a problem.
In recent years, marketers have started using data they hold on customers to create more intelligent targeted marketing, by personalising content.
Targeting users like this on an individual basis has proven to create a more personal connection with their brands and furthers engagement. It’s like walking into a shop and being recognised and treated like you are a valued customer.
If you are new to personalisation or are just looking for some ideas, we have put together some great ways that you can tailor content for your customers.
Regardless of whether you work in marketing or not, you will encounter personalisation in your everyday life, from the email you received this morning addressing you by name, a birthday discount at your local restaurant, recommended items that you are suggested while you browse a website or even the next series that Netflix suggests for you to watch.
A few years ago it would make anyone feel special to receive a birthday email with a discount code from a local restaurant, but today’s audience now expects this. So the question is, does it still have the same impact?
Pure 360’s statistics from a recent study indicates that personalisation still holds value and continues to encourage engagement for businesses who to still apply it.
- 93% of companies that use personalisation have experienced an increase in conversion rates
- A personalised homepage has been found to increase sales by up to 7%
- 35% of Amazon’s revenue is generated by its recommendation engine
- 74% of customers get frustrated when content isn’t personalised to them
- 59% of consumers say that personalisation significantly influences what they buy
- 50% of shoppers say they’re more likely to use a retailer again if they’re presented with personalised offers and information
Personalisation
Customer experience: customers are more persuadable to providing personal information if there is a gain for them. This can be in the shape of forms, downloads such as white papers, surveys, or simply indicate their preferences. In order to obtain a more personalised experience in return, or to get rewards such as a discount tailored to their interest.
Increased revenue: a company’s revenue can be increased by identifying and responding to the preferences of the customer. By identifying which channel the customer engages with the most, marketers with the right technology can follow up with the customer more successfully.
However, if the marketers wants to remain relevant with their personalisations, their tactics must evolve like everything else, the approach must be unique and something the customer wouldn’t normally expect.
Customers are now accustomed to on demand with a more targeted personal approach on a specific device. They want your company to know who they are along with their interested and preferences consistently and prefer to engage in high quality experiences from your brand.
By 2020, the customer’s experience will be as important as the product and its price, a distinct brand differentiator. Personalisation still plays a key role in marketing campaigns even though it is found on many devices and platforms.
The uniqueness of your approach ensures your brand is not forgotten and stands out from your competitors.
Capture data
Without data, personalisation is fruitless.
There are many tools out there that can help you collect data on your customer’s behaviour by tracking clicks, the time they spend on the site or even a specific page, abandoned shopping carts, purchases they make, and when they exit certain pages.
This data can then be used personalise marketing campaigns based on their behaviour.
If you notice a high volume of abandoned carts, you can send emails to those customers offering free delivery or a discount for a limited time, which could be enough to persuade them to go through with their initial purchase.
Rules for capturing and storing this data and methods of capture can be found here.
Focus on the details
If you are looking at increasing conversions, look at past data on the behaviours of your customers and tailor relevant product updates and offers that you know they will show interest in.
This is a winning scenario for both parties because they will be happy to reach products of their interest quicker and conversions are likely to increase.
These types of personalisations can be implemented in one of the following ways:
- Storing data such as delivery addresses, card details and the customers purchase history eliminates any barriers that might prevent them from converting.
- Identify the interests of the customer and tailor relevant deals that might entice them to convert because it can speed up conversions.
- Personalising your marketing collateral can engage your customers enough to spend money with you, this can be either in subject lines, greetings or references to their previous behaviour.
Advertising
Whenever you see an advert the chances of it being strategically placed for you are very high.
Whether it’s an ad that pops up while you type a search query into Google or Facebook or a post on your timeline promoting a new product, personalisation plays a key role in your advertising campaign too.
It is important to know who you are targeting when you are promoting a post or sending out an advert. Sending the wrong messages to the customer isn’t just an expensive method, it’s also unlikely to generate any sales.
There are many contributing factors for a targeted ad placement such as gender, age, location, occupation and interests. If you are promoting a new electronic product, for example, the only people who need to see it are tech-heads, anyone else will just be a waste of time and money.
Customer retention
Retaining customers is a crucial part of any marketing or advertising campaign to start a meaningful relationship because they are the ones that keep your business in motion.
In most cases, you would rely on them for repeat custom, which can be a much more effective method than trying to constantly attract new ones. The longer they are loyal, the more they are likely to recommend your products company.
Examples of personalised marketing that helps with customer retention include:
- Loyalty programmes
- Personalised offers
- Recommend products
- Suggest repeat purchases based on browsing or buying behaviour
The companies that get personalisation right
Coca Cola’s Personalisation
Personalising an email is great, but those willing to go the extra mile are the ones that really draw the attention.
Coca Cola is a great example of their ‘Share a Coke with…’ campaign that was originally launched in Australia. They kicked it off by branding their products with 150 of the most popular names within the country.
Needless to say, the campaign was a great a success with Coca Cola selling over 250 million bottles and cans that summer. Following its success they launched the campaign globally in over 70 countries.
The campaign cleverly created a personal connection with millions of its customers without needing to target them individually.
Amazon’s Personalisation
The online retail giant Amazon is also another great example of personalisation for which they have become known.
Their methods are not new, but they remember every little detail about you from your name to card details, and even where you frequently get your purchases delivered to, as well as your purchase history.
By putting forward items that you might be interested in based on products that you previously looked at, whether it’s via email or while you’re browsing their site, they take things to another level.
They are always on the ball, even if you abandon your cart, they will follow up with notification email to seduce you into completing your purchase.
Their platform also has an entire page dedicated to recommending products based on your purchase history or products that you have looked at in the past, including those that similar to purchases you’ve made before.
Their method makes the whole purchasing process super easy for the user, even encouraging unplanned purchases. This could play a big role in them becoming one of the first billion dollar companies in the world.
Spotify’s Personalisation
So far we have looked at how personalisation can work for products, Spotify however, is a great example of how it can work for a service being offered too.
Their music streaming service uses a specially created algorithm that makes recommendations based on the kinds of songs you listen to. It then finds similar songs that fit your taste and turns it into a Discovery Weekly playlist.
This system is very smart and gives its users something unique, a freshly created playlist, or new content, each and every Monday. Spotify benefits from this too, as more and more people will discover music that otherwise they wouldn’t be aware existed.
Personalisation can be found every where now, but it’s still worth considering. Ensuring your marketing is predictive over reactive means you can provide customers with a product or service before they realise they even need it.
Improving your techniques is a great idea rather than using generic methods. By focusing on understanding the customer it really helps you stand out from your competitors.
