Apply Your Knowledge to Create Personalized Customer Journey
It used to be the case that segmentation allowed you to tailor the customer journey in broad strokes. Today, segmentation allows you to actually personalize the customer journey at the individual level. Modern data collection and analysis allow us to deliver individualized messages and campaigns to prospects and customers alike. In this way, personalization can be seen as the next logical step in the evolution of targeted customer experiences.
You’ve probably been reading and hearing a lot about personalization, but you might not yet be convinced of its power or efficacy. Make no mistake, personalization is the defining marketing tactic of this decade.
- 57% of consumers are willing to share personal data in exchange for personalized offers or discounts (1)
- Personalized emails deliver 600% more traction (2)
- Marketers have used personalization to improve their overall customer experience by 61% (3)
- That same poll revealed an increase of 63% in conversion rates and a 57% increase in visitor engagement thanks to personalization (4)
- 74% of customers feel frustrated when website content isn’t personalized (5)
- 91% of consumers are likely to shop with brands that deliver personalized recommendations (6)
Think about it this way: your audience is constantly bombarded with messaging from every angle and at all times. After a while, all of this messaging turns into white noise, and consumers completely check out. They know when they’re being sold a blanketed offer, and their simply not interested. Personalization, however, allows you to get ultra-targeted in how you address your customer base, the content and products you serve them, and the way in which you position those materials.
So now that you’re focusing on segmenting your ideal audiences at a more granular level, you should use the information at your disposal to create dynamic content, emails, and landing pages that speak directly to their needs, challenges, and pain points. Start with your most common and lucrative audience segment and create 1-2 collateral assets. Then use these content pieces to build organic, social, and paid campaigns that speak directly to the end user as you nurture them through the customer journey.
Follow these best practices to achieve great results:
- Too Much of a Good Thing: Remarketing campaigns are awesome. They allow you to stay front and center throughout the customer journey, but don’t get carried away. Many people find this sort of advertising creepy, so keep it to one campaign per segmented audience.
- It’s Not About You: Modern marketing means moving beyond self-promotion toward a more customer-centric approach. Focus on consumer wants and needs by providing thought leadership content and intelligent product recommendations — without all the salesy nonsense.
- Tweak the Messaging: Even if you have your personas and segments nailed down perfectly, you might have to experience with the messaging a bit to really knock this whole personalization thing out of the park. A/B test your campaigns and keep your content team on standby to update your materials and positioning at a moment’s notice.
Attract, Nurture, and Convert More Leads With Marketing Automation
So, one caveat here… segmenting, tracking, analyzing, and improving your customer personas and journeys is extremely difficult to do the right way without the proper software. For instance, basic email service providers like Mailchimp and Constant Contact might help with some basic manual segmentation, but they’re not intuitive or powerful enough for:
- More granular segmentation
- Accurate tracking and scoring
- In-depth analysis and reporting
- Content mapping to improve the customer experience
Thankfully, Act-On can do all of this and more! Schedule a demo with one of our marketing automation experts today to learn how!
If you’re not quite ready for all that just yet but would like to learn more about how marketing automation can help you reach the right people at the right time with the right message, please download our eBook, “Smart Content Mapping for Maximum Engagement” today!