In a world where consumers spend 6½ hours every day on digital channels, the face-to-face relationship may be waning, but the opportunity for connection isn’t. In fact, more than half (63%) of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service.
This issue of relevance in our era of instant gratification is particularly pronounced because consumers are bombarded with messages, most of which are off-target. Personalization—the tailoring of messages or offers to individuals based on their actual behavior—promises to address this issue. Regardless of the social climate, the Golden Rule of Marketing still applies: To know thy customers is to convert thy customers.
The truth is, the relationship between customers and businesses has always been personal. And while the way those relationships develop has changed with the advent of digital channels, the sentiment hasn’t. Customers still look to brands to replicate the feel of that in-store experience of the past, where they knew you by name and personalized offerings based on your past behaviors in the store. Today, that expectation extends outside the store setting and into digital channels. Consumers expect marketers to anticipate their needs, know them, use their data to not only tailor the experience but to make it easy to engage.
“What’s hard about delivering a personal experience at scale is that it requires the interpretation of many different sets of data, all describing some state of the customer journey — by different platforms,” said Evan Nicholson, Senior Director of Digital Experience Strategy Group at Merkle. “Customer experience doesn’t end at acquisition, so that data must be available to teams outside of marketing, including sales and service, to provide the right experience across those touch-points.”
Even once you’ve checked the other personalization boxes — you know who your customers are and their intentions — you still have to create and deliver experiences that will delight them and motivate them to act. However, this is another area where many marketers and brands acknowledge they still struggle. “The last mile of delivery is challenging, because it requires having all your data, technology, and teams in sync and then being able to orchestrate that across all channels,” Nicholson said.
Benefits of Personalization
The benefits of personalization are twofold: the customer enjoys a user experienced that is highly relevant to their need state, while you as a business can obtain:
- A Rich Collection of Customer Data: Personalization tactics track the habits and movements of potential customers, providing marketers with valuable data that they might not get with a more traditional marketing campaign. If you pass your leads on to sales, they’ll have a better idea of whom they’re selling to and how your product/service fits their needs. If you’re directing to an e-commerce page, you can direct customers to the products they are most likely to buy
- Loyal Fans: When customers feel that their needs are met and a company truly cares about them, they’re more likely to return to that company in the future to buy additional products or services. Personalization helps customers feel that your story is their story
- Valuable Company Insights: Information gained from tracking customers can help you determine what works and what doesn’t work in terms of marketing messages and tactics.
Here at Franchise Ramp, we go the extra mile to understand, for each segment, the customer journey by doing the following:
- Proactively and Expertly Testing Ads. A key characteristic of a good marketer is being a good listener. We are able to react quickly to customer signals. We then run through rounds of refinement until we find the winning formula.
- Finding the Right Processes and Technology Has Helped Our Team Work Faster. The reality is, speed of testing is crucial in digital marketing. We have developed a process that empowers the entire team to act on their own to quickly test and iterate different ideas and zero in on what works. The result? We are able to find signals and deliver triggers more efficiently.
- Employing the Magic of Geo-targeting: Using location-specific information efficiently in your local market is crucial. Not only is it highly relevant, but it also helps prospects clearly understand their next steps.
