Personalisation is far from new. It has been swirling and building in marketing, retail and sales for years, and has reached a point where it’s no longer just a fun new trend, but something of a necessity.
Coca Cola famously utilised personalisation with its ‘Share a Coke with …’ campaign in 2011 – which started right here in Australia – and has been flying high on that success for the past decade.
These days, audiences have become increasingly ambivalent to marketing efforts, as they receive countless emails and see countless ads every day. That’s why personalisation is king in 2023 – it’s not quite so easy to ignore.
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What does personalised marketing mean?
Personalisation in marketing is the practice of making customers feel like you are talking directly to them.
And while Coke’s example is a good one, there are far more ways to do it than by simply adding a person’s name to the product.
Creating personalised content, marketing strategies and customer experiences has a lot more to do with customer data than it does with gimmicks. It uses data points harvested from a user’s online habits, such as:
- Social media engagement
- Purchase history
- Browsing habits
- Behavioural data (such as searches)
- What they download or install
- What device they’re using to browse
All of these points and others can be used by savvy marketers to personalise a message for a customer.
For example, a customer may not be very receptive to a generalised advertisement, but they may be more likely to welcome an email that suggests similar products to one they have previously purchased, or a display ad that reminds them of a website they recently browsed.
This is personalisation in a nutshell – it makes the message more about the customer than about the product.
Brands that are combining customer data with effective marketing strategies to deliver individualised messaging, products and experiences are seeing these tactics rewarded through increased sales and uplifts in brand awareness.
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Why personalisation will help you connect with audiences.
In one study after another personalisation has shown to be not just more effective and profitable, it is also preferred by the customers themselves.
In 2017, Monetate’s Personalization Development Study found that 83% of businesses that exceeded their income expectations had personalisation goals in place, compared with just 23% that met revenue goals, and 17% that didn’t meet revenue goals.
Another report, this one from Segment, found that 71% of shoppers were frustrated when a shopping experience was impersonal. Yet 44% of customers said they were likely to become repeat shoppers following a personalised shopping experience.
These findings and more point to a win-win situation for marketers. Not only can personalisation help to drive more engagement and sales to boost that all-important bottom line, but it’s also well received by customers who are tired of generalised messaging but are open to messages that take their own needs into account.
How to personalise your marketing.
So how can you personalise your marketing for better results?
Here are a few ways to make the most of your customer data and personalise your messaging:
- Send emails or discounts on their birthday
- Use their name in the email subject line
- Use automation to send emails triggered by behaviours (such as shopping cart abandonment)
- Mention their location
- Use retargeting to remind customers of your brand and products
- Create persona-based content to appeal to specific audience groups
- Ask your customers what they want… yes, sometimes it can be that simple 🙂
Personalised marketing could help you to reach – and exceed – your marketing goals in 2023.
If you have questions about making that happen, Yellow Pages has the answers. Our digital marketing experts can help you personalise your messaging in 2023. Get in touch today to find out how.
