Advancements in technology and the introduction of concepts like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have changed the way people shop. According to Salesforce, 61% of consumers agree that technology is changing their expectations and behavior.
Consumers today expect to get a personalized experience based on their tastes and preferences. They also expect each of their brand interaction to be immediate, personalized, and proactive.
Image via Salesforce
In fact, 66% of them say they are likely to switch brands if the brand treats them like a number rather than an individual.
Brands also understand these changing demands of consumers worldwide and thus encourage the use of personalized marketing. If you want to incorporate personalization into your brand’s marketing, this article is a must-read for you. We’re going to break down everything you need to know about personalized marketing here.
Benefits of Personalized Marketing
Personalized marketing has numerous advantages for both brands and consumers alike. Here are the most notable ones:
Improves Customer Experience
Consumers want their favorite brands to understand them. They are ready to provide personal information through survey forms and purchase preferences. In return, they want brands to provide them with more personalized experiences.
Drives Sales
Understanding your customers will help you determine their preferred channel of communication and their purchase preferences. This will help you plan your marketing and engagement strategies in a better way.
One fine example of how personalized marketing can drive greater ROI lies in the product recommendation tactics used by most eCommerce brands. They recommend products based on your previous search history and buying patterns.
According to findings by Barilliance, personalized product recommendations account for 12% of total revenue. They increase conversion rates and bring higher engagement and loyalty.
Build Customer Loyalty
Personalization improves the overall consumer experience through all stages of the buying cycle. This makes them want to buy from you in the future as well, turning them into your loyal customers.
Effective Personalized Marketing Campaigns
Do you want to attract consumers with personalized marketing? Here are a few examples of how you can run effective personalized marketing campaigns to boost sales and gain customer loyalty.
Personalized Product Recommendations
As shared earlier, personalized product recommendations are the ones you see while shopping on different eCommerce websites. Brands offer personalized product recommendations based on the products their shoppers viewed in the past or based on their purchase history.
Here are a few types of product recommendations that brands use to drive clicks and boost conversions.
1. Featured Products
Most online shopping websites use their homepage to feature their best products. It is important for brands to feature their best products or product categories to create a good impression on visitors.
Sometimes, brands also use this section to feature new arrivals.
Image via H&M
2. Similar Products or Related Products
When shoppers view a product, brands bring them a list of similar products that they may like or that other shoppers viewed. Say, if a shopper looks for an iPhone X, they get recommendations for other smartphones from Apple or phones with similar configurations.
Image via Amazon
Along with this, brands also provide recommendations for related products like a mobile cover case and a tempered glass screen protector for the iPhone X in this case.
Images via Amazon
3. Popular Products
Another form of personalized product recommendations is the showcase of popular products or best sellers. If a shopper searches for a Dell Inspiron series laptop, the laptop brand would recommend them the most bought Dell laptops from the same series or the ones with similar configuration.
Image via Dell
Abandoned Shopping Cart Emails
According to SaleCycle, 77% of people who add items to their shopping carts leave without making a purchase. Cart abandonment is often a huge problem for online shopping sites.
But, abandoned shopping cart emails can come to your rescue.
Abandoned cart emails are a powerful tactic to boost the ROI of your personalized marketing efforts. Brands shoot a personalized email sometime after a shopper leaves items in their cart. These emails are great to compel buyers to complete their purchase.
In fact, people open nearly 50% of all abandoned cart emails and over a third of clicks lead to purchases.
Image via Really Good Emails, Source: Dollar Shave Club
Personalized Content
When consumers browse for products, watch videos, or perform Google searches, they leave a trail of data.
Brands need to collect this data and analyze it to understand their customers’ behavior and search patterns. It can provide valuable insights into their needs. Leveraging these insights into your marketing strategy can drive greater sales and profits.
Maybelline, the top-notch beauty brand pays close attention to what their consumers search for. Using data from its shoppers’ Google searches, Maybelline created a series of short “How to” YouTube videos on the art of contouring.
Video via YouTube
With this, Maybelline was able to connect with over 9 million people, who were looking for contouring tips. The brand resonated with its shoppers’ unique needs, before launching its Maybelline Master Contour makeup line.
Multi-Channel Consistency
Consumers want to see consistency across channels, which is why you should create a seamless, multi-channel experience for them. Also, keep in mind that each channel should offer some kind of personalization as well.
Mastering a balance between multi-channel consistency and personalization will help brands increase customer retention and loyalty across all channels.
Personalized Deals and Offers
Many brands are enjoying the benefits of offering customized incentives, offers, and deals to their customers.
Based on the buying journey of your customers, you can offer them special offers like a 20% off coupon or a free shipping deal through emails.
Image via HubSpot
This is an effective way to help your frequent or high-paying customers feel valued and drive conversions. And, since you are sending this offer to only a few people, it will ensure that you can keep your marketing expenses aligned within the necessary margins.
Final Thoughts
Consumers today don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all communication style. Each of them is a unique individual, who wants to be treated like one.
The only choice that brands have is to adopt personalization for all communication and marketing strategies. Brands need to indulge in data collection, understanding consumer behavior, technology updates, and the use of automation.
It is also important for brands to stay up-to-date with the future of personalized marketing. You should be aware of emerging technologies that will impact personalization, such as AI marketing, data-driven technology, data analysis, and commitment to omnichannel excellence.
Your Turn
Do you know other ways to create personalized marketing campaigns? Share them with us in the comments below.
You may also want to read: 7 Trends That Will Transform Online Business In The Future
It’s True: You Can Offer Online Customers a Personalized eCommerce Experience
When Does Personalization Cross The Line From Fuzzy To Creepy?
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Shane Barker
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