Understanding Your Audience: The Key to Personalization
Strikes Me As if thereâs one thing iâve found to be true about people, itâs that they generally like feeling seen. Not in the performative sense, but in the way of feeling understood and genuinely valued. And I know people like to talk about how personalisation can be âcreepyâ but Iâm going to call bluff on that one. Unless something truly is intrusive (and illegal), I donât know anyone who actually enjoys being bombarded with things that are neither relevant nor useful to them.
Itâs a bit like giving someone a gift. Thoughtful presents feel so special because you know that the other person thought about it and put effort into finding something you would appreciate. In the same way, personalised communication tells your consumer that you care enough to take the time out to get to know them beyond just being a number on your sales list - you know who they are, what matters to them, and how you can best serve their needs.
It doesnât mean you have to be soul-searching every time someone walks through your metaphorical door - just some basic demographic information is enough for you to gauge what sort of customer youâre dealing with and how they prefer to interact with brands. And if you want to go a little further than this for more effective communication, it never hurts to send out a survey or two. No pressure - consumers can choose if they want their journeys personalised or not. Personalisation is about building authentic relationships where both sides feel comfortable trusting each other and sharing information knowing that it will only be used towards their mutual benefit.
Itâs fairly straightforward when done right and makes both customer experience and brand growth soar by quite a bit.
Leveraging Data for Tailored Experiences
I always find myself in a bit of a stoush when it comes to personalisation. I Imagine thereâs my inherent distaste for anything that feels like manipulation, then thereâs the convenience and sometimes almost uncanny usefulness of tailored experiences. I mean, Iâm pretty sure targeted ads know more about me than my children do. But that doesnât mean I donât want the best for my customers.
Seems a bit like weâre at a juncture. On the one hand, companies are collecting vast amounts of data and on the other, thereâs consumers demanding more privacy (for good reason). Now this is rather where things get interesting - brands that can collect data in an ethical way (using clever and authentic interactions) will set themselves up for success.
For me, this means going back to being human. Why wouldnât you talk to your customers and ask them questions about their preferences. This is kind of why quizzes are such an underrated tool in my opinion. As someone who still clicks on silly Buzzfeed âWhich breakfast food are you.
â quizzes occasionally - I understand that some people enjoy sharing information about themselves if it leads to something insightful or fun (or at least informative). The trick here is making these quizzes relevant to what theyâre shopping for on your website and making it feel like a quiz theyâd take from Cosmopolitan or Teen Vogue. If you get this right, people will opt into information they want you to have rather than you stealing this from behind their backs. Consumers want personalisation but they also want privacy, which makes this dance weâre doing rather precarious.
Businesses that can do the right thing while leveraging data will always be one step ahead because while customers may not notice today, theyâll certainly feel safer with you than with your competitors tomorrow. Itâs all a matter of principle really - which business do you think will be here in 5 years.
Crafting Compelling Messaging that Resonates
People like the feeling of being unique. And not just that. More or less.
They like to feel as if their choices are respected and reflected back. It seems to signal acknowledgement - a basic human need, to be seen and heard. And thatâs precisely why tailoring your messaging to fit into the lifestyles of potential buyers is so important.
This can be done in different ways. You could use an app or software that helps collect data about customersâ recent online purchases, and create content that reflects the kind of things your customers have been buying. This makes it easier for you to present better recommendations for them, while also ensuring they continue shopping with you, because they feel understood - even from a distance.
A big part of personalising your messaging is arguably understanding your customer base - their likes and dislikes, what excites them (and possibly frightens them), and making sure it lines up with the products or services you want them to buy from you. Basically showing them why what theyâre buying matters, based on shared values or history. I guess at the end of the day, while customers will always go where there are discounts, they do tend to develop loyalty towards businesses that make an effort to communicate with them in a manner befitting their preferences. And these days, well-crafted messaging goes much further than a simple âWe noticed you liked thisâ, but can also include things like free gifts with every purchase over $50, or discounts on returning shoppersâ baskets.
Utilizing Technology to Enhance Customer Journeys
Makes Me Think Of i always find it a bit funny that brands try to position technology as if it is a new thing. Itâs not. Itâs pretty old now, which means thereâs no more time for excuses about not being across it. Even my dad with his weird obsession for flip phones knows how to use tech now.
We have seen incredible advancements in technology and the best part. It allows us as marketers to really tap into consumer patterns and create some cool experiences that feel authentic.
The reality is, the journey should be about the consumer first and foremost - we are just facilitators - so if we can use some data points here and there, why not do it. We all know that technology allows us to automate basic (even advanced. ) processes, make websites run better and even streamline marketing activities.
More or less. But when we really get down to the nitty gritty, what does technology do. It helps us build those journeys because we have access to information - from website analytics and chatbots to email segmentation - that can usually help us build a relationship with our customers, outside of just transactional. We need customers to trust us in order for them to become loyal customers and not just one-time buyers.
The data at our disposal can apparently actually help us do that, which sounds a little counterintuitive but hear me out. If you know exactly what your customer likes (from their browsing history, interaction with the brand on social media or via your website), youâre able to curate messages that appeal directly to them.
If you have purchase history details, you can share products and services that align with their interest. At the core of it all, though, is the fact that we are in an era where information isnât a luxury anymore so itâs time for you to get a move on if you havenât already.
Case Studies: Successful Personalization Strategies
Personalised journeys are an interesting sort of thing to talk about, given how much more awareness (and even excitement) most people have about the concept. I Assume itâs a slightly odd, but fascinating paradox that seems to be happening in our industry. Like, on the one hand, these kinds of strategies used to be treated as best-kept-secrets - which felt a bit off considering how widely personalisation was already being used.
On the other hand, thereâs a growing wave of people who know theyâre being marketed to and enjoy it - so thereâs even more content from brands about âhereâs how we got our messaging so spot on for youâ. I think this cultural shift is partly thanks to new technologies, but itâs also because of how important itâs become for brands to show their audiences that they âget themâ. The world is evidently at a point where consumers have multiple brand options and there isnât a real need for brand loyalty (unless your core consumer base is all about building those long-term relationships). Plus, even if someone does stay loyal, they almost always know that there are other similar choices out there - so, yes, theyâre choosing you but it often has less to do with genuine brand love and more with just generally enjoying what youâre doing.
Which may or may not be based on a targeted approach. Some of the best recent strategies from successful brands have included Segmentation-based Personalisation with recommendations based on their usersâ behaviour patterns - Mangoâs mobile app is an excellent example of this. Then thereâs Custom Fit Models like Adidasâ Adifom SL shoe customisation, which brought AR technology into the mix and allowed customers to experience an interactive personalisation journey. This strategy worked especially well because social media creators could use the filter too which built up even more hype around the launch.
If I had to bet on these approaches being more effective than other highly creative ones in the long run⌠Iâm not sure theyâd stand up quite as well. But they do offer some interesting starting points for marketers who want to experiment with innovative new approaches that have already been tested out by some big names in fashion. Sort of.
Measuring Success: Metrics to Track Personalized Campaigns
Succeeding in personalisation is a bit of a dance - you try, you learn, you try again. And since individual experiences are sometimes different, success can't always be measured on one scale. It's rather like the grades for lab experiments - they can't all be compared directly because there are too many variables.
But yes, you can still get directional data and more with the right metrics. Open and click through rates are the low hanging fruit when it comes to personalisation - an upswing in either means you're heading in the right direction with your audience. Segmentation data that relates to browsing histories, cart abandonment rates and order values also matter.
The way I see it, and most importantly - monitoring order conversions for personalisation campaigns can say a lot about what your audience is looking for. Finally, digital presence is not just about orders alone. Remember to measure how much time your audience spends exploring your website or app, especially if they're referred from recommendations and journeys that are more tailored towards them.
These analytics tell you if you're giving them the time of their lives on your digital channels or not. The thing is, audiences appreciate your effort even when their clicks don't turn into orders right away. From experience I've noticed that shoppers eventually find their way back to check out carts with items that they previously wanted but weren't quite ready to buy then. So it's best to keep looking at it as a longer journey than just a step-ladder approach to conversion because they're probably going to come back.