Using Marketing Personalization to Tap into the Disconnected Consumer

Today’s consumers are bombarded with marketing. For consumers, the never-ending onslaught of marketing messages across digital and traditional marketing channels is a desensitizing experience, and customers quickly learn to ignore and filter marketing that does not instantly resonate with their needs.

Marketing personalization helps cut through the noise by smartly combining state of the art marketing tech with traditional marketing know-how. By personalizing a customer’s experience, disconnected customers quickly turn into engaged, loyal brand advocates.

Marketing personalization is the most important capability for marketers in years to come. 74% of consumers get frustrated with content that doesn’t appeal to their interests. Customers simply don’t have the time or attention span to sift through hundreds of marketing messages that aren’t personalized for them. Studies consistently show that personalized marketing increases various KPIs by significant amounts. One research brief found that personalized marketing improved clickthrough rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10%. Personalized content that targets an individual is more likely to receive attention and, as a result, increase revenue.

So, how can companies reach out to disconnected customers with a marketing personalization strategy? Companies can adjust their marketing strategies based on how personalization would be most effective for each individual customer. In most cases, personalized marketing either acts as an initial introduction to new products or is the final push a customer needs before finalizing their purchase.

Initial Introduction

I often receive emails from my favorite retailers announcing new products and special offers. Oftentimes this content is specifically tailored to my past purchases and buying behaviors. For example, consider the following email I received from Nordstrom. At the bottom of a confirmation email for new shoes I had recently purchased, Nordstrom listed other items that I might be interested in.

My purchase from Nordstrom
My purchase from Nordstrom
Nordstrom's recommended products for me, based off that first purchase
Nordstrom’s recommended products for me, based off that first purchase

Before receiving this email, I had no plans for shopping with Nordstrom in the near future. I was disconnected from the retailer. However, upon seeing the recommended apparel, I was intrigued. I had become reconnected with Nordstrom. And, a couple weeks later, I drove down to Nordstrom for a closer look at one of the products that had been recommended, which I later ended up buying.

Personalized birthday emails are another way to introduce disconnected customers to the retailer. A timely birthday email with special offers can create an opportunity for the birthday guy or gal to spend recently acquired gift money or gift cards on the retailer.

Final Push

Personalization can also be the final push a disconnected consumer needs when he or she has not completed a transaction. Abandoned cart emails are a perfect example of this. When a customer strays from a website leaving behind a shopping cart full of products, an automated email that checks in with the customer can lead to a completed sale.

Cart abandonment email from ASOS.com
Cart abandonment email from ASOS.com

Cart abandonment emails are a must-have for any online retailer. According to Salecycle, nearly half of all cart abandonment emails are opened and 1 out of 3 clicks result in a purchase made on site. These emails prod disconnected customers back to the website, reconnecting them with the retailer.

A Final Note

When considering disconnected customers, implementing omnichannel strategies is a must. Marketing personalization can appear across a variety of platforms. A customer who is inactive on email may be disconnected from a company via email. However, this customer may be accessible via SMS or social media networks. A customer that is not responsive to a certain channel should not be regarded as “disconnected,” as this could simply be a matter of channel preference. An omnichannel strategy can help distinguish truly disconnected customers.

 

 

Small Details In Marketing Personalization Makes A Big Difference

marketing personalizationThe Little Things Are A Big Deal

There’s a lot to do in the great big world of marketing personalization. Your goal is to acquire customers, drive traffic to your site, boost revenue and retain your pool of customers. Establishing a 360 degree customer profile requires a great deal of effort. This information is obtained through various sources including purchase history & habits, CRM, customer profiles, email, mobile, social, browsing history, etc. Once that is established, you have to connect the customer dots from customer databases and third parties.

From there, hyper-personalized communications are deployed via trigger marketing in real time to deliver the right information, products, offers and content at just the right time. This involves finding the trigger, creating the right offer and delivering a timely execution. All in all, having the most efficient and accurate road map will determine your success and aspired outcome.

When you look at a map, you’ll see more than the thick lined interstate highways. There’s a collaboration of main roads and side roads. When trying to get from point A to point B, it’s habit to look at the quickest route…interstate highways. However, this doesn’t take you to your final destination. Close, yes, but not quite there. You need the main roads and side roads to successfully reach your destination.

The same holds true for marketing personalization. There’s a great deal of dynamic sources of retaining big data and generating real time, hyper-personalized content and communications.  As much as it may appear that you’ve gone from point A to point b successfully, you’re not there…yet. Now you need to string together the smaller roads that will get you there.  In the world of marketing personalization, that means paying attention to the little things.  Those little things can make a big difference.

The small details aren’t so small when you look at the big picture…

1.  Timing – We all know, with most things, timing is everything. Within your big data, you’ve determined Mrs. Smith’s comprehensive 360 customer profile. She’s received timely offers, content and products based on her needs, triggers, habits, etc. Are you ready to execute a campaign? No. Now you need to take the word “time” in its literal sense.  When are you sending these emails to Mrs. Smith? Have you studied her patterns to hone in on when Mrs. Smith reads her emails? This often overlooked detail is of key importance. You can have the most complete, real time communications, but if Mrs. Smith reads her emails at 9 a.m. and you’re executing a marketing campaign at 7 p.m. you’ve missed her.

2. Events – By using adaptive algorithms, you can listen to what a customer is doing. You can observe behaviors, social, CRM, purchases, announcements and lifecycles to evaluate and optimize the hyper-personalized content. Did Mrs. Smith accept a new job that requires relocating to another city? Sending a congratulatory note might seem like the nice thing to do however, this is information you need to weigh carefully.  Instead, find a meaningful and relevant way to use this information to influence some recommendations.

3. Customer engagement – You’ll be aware of when a customer appears to have “fallen off the face of the earth.” They may appear to be in a state of dormancy. Your first reaction may be to send a slew of “We’ve Missed You” or “We’ve Noticed You Haven’t Shopped In Awhile” emails with offers and products to nudge them. You may even go so far as to send an exclusive coupon to lure them back. Overloading can often backfire and potentially turn a customer away for good. This is a good time to study those algorithms and key in on those events. Mrs. Smith is moving because of a new job. There’s a lot to do!  She’s packing, making arrangements, a long commute, starting a new job, etc. Now is the time to plan a careful marketing campaign to reestablish her engagement.

Nectar’s suite of products can work together to connect big data, develop a complete picture and deliver the most relevant and individualized communications.  

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Why Trigger Marketing Matters

trigger marektingAs They Say…Timing Is Everything

As a marketer, you’re probably thinking about how to acquire, grow and retain customers.  That’s a lot to do! There’s a lot to process as well as consider with marketing personalization. You’ll often hear important key terms mentioned including customer engagement, 360 degree customer profile, big data, CRM, ROI, segmentation, hyper-personalization and one-to-one marketing. These are all necessary components to create successful marketing personalization so your company can deliver the most relevant content in real time.

Amid these components is trigger marketing. In a nutshell, trigger marketing is the engine that hums continuously. There’s a constant stream of messages being deployed to to your customers based on behaviors, browsing history, purchases, interests, etc. Delivering a successful trigger marketing campaign entails combining these pieces of big data, identifying an event in a customer’s life that warrants a need and communicating during these pre-planned points in time.

Having the right road map can make it easier to achieve success and the desired outcome. As part of the email marketing campaigns, triggered email marketing is at the core of helping to drive engagement and revenue.

Delivering a successful campaign is your ultimate goal.  To achieve that, there are 3 key elements to remember…

Find the appropriate trigger – The content within these marketing campaigns should be based on your customers immediate needs.

Cultivate the right offer – Triggers have to be followed up with relevant products & offers.

Timely Execution – Presentation should occur immediately after an appropriated trigger.

As a business owner, you want your campaign to drive both traffic and revenue. There’s always a concern of frequency, value and appearance with trigger marketing. And, the big question lingers…”Do people mind followup emails?” The answer is yes. Keep in mind, though, it’s all about presentation, timing and tone.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for what your customers are looking for…

1.  Acknowledge me. I just signed up to receive emails from your company.  A welcome or thank you email is a considerate means of acknowledging my interest and introducing your company, products, offers, etc.

2. Entice me a little. The operative word is little. There’s a fine line between enticing me and conning me. Why should I become and remain a loyal customer? Based on my personal information, how can your company suit my needs more efficiently and cost effectively then company A or B?

3. Where’s my receipt?  I made a purchase and I’d like to have a transactional email for my records. I’d like to double check to see if my order is accurate and things processed correctly with my bank.

4. Spark my interest. I recently ordered a new bedding set, a few bathroom accessories and some end tables. It’s safe to assume I’m updating my home. I’d be interested in additional products you offer based on my purchases. Window treatments? Kitchen accessories? Area rugs? Go ahead, inspire me.

5. Nudge me a smidgen to try something new.  I’ve worn Crocs flip flops for as far back as I can remember. It’s my brand of choice, however, there’s a chance I order a pair year after year out of habit. Expand my horizons. Is there a flip flop that’s similar made by SKECHERS or Nike? Show me. I might just consider stepping out of the box.

6. I like special treats on my birthday. A gift basket filled with gourmet treats showing up at my door compliments of your company isn’t feasible, I know. However, how about a special offer, discount coupon or, at the very least, a Happy Birthday greeting?

7. Get me excited. Is there an upcoming event that you know I’ll be head over heels about? Let me know about it. As the event nears, send me a reminder or two because I’m busy and I may have forgotten to make note of it.

8. Offer a token of appreciation for my business.  I’ve been a loyal customer for quite some time. Whether it’s a personal note or a 20% off coupon on my next purchase, it’s nice to know my loyalty is appreciated. I’m making the choice to do business with you. Without loyal customers…well, you get where I’m going with this?

9. I’m not a fan of creepy. Offer discretion when analyzing my browsing and purchase history. Any mention in your emails of the amount of time I spent browsing products to diminish the appearance of stretchmarks will be duly noted. This will not work in your favor in more ways than one.

10. Touch base with me. I’m busy. Often times weeks go by with very little time to spare. I may not have had time to browse, shop & make a purchase. I may have even left a product or two in my cart.  Send me an email. Remind me there’s a product in my cart and, if you really want to earn brownie points, offer me a coupon towards my purchase. Score!

As mentioned, with trigger marketing, it’s all about timing, relevancy, tone and presentation. Remember, your customers are real people. Address them as such, respect their time, send offers that fit their needs and time it just right. Capture the attention of your customer by establishing the appropriate trigger. Materialize the immediate needs with applicable products, offers, and information.  With automation and the right set of tools, these triggered events can be both automated and intelligent. Once these fundamentals are in place, you’re ready to execute.

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Using Big Data to Micro-Target: Integrating Big Data for 1:1 Marketing

personalization_social_media

One of the things I love about my job at Nectar is sharing with our customers how we deliver value to their business by enabling them to micro-target messages to their customers. Recently, while reading McKinsey Quarterly articles on big data, I saw a couple of statements from McKinsey directors that really resonated with me, because it addresses the core of Nectar’s value proposition.

1) From David Court: “…the key is to focus on the big decisions for which if you had better data, if you had better predictive ability, if you had a better ability to optimize, you’d make more money.”
2) From Tim McGuire: “Analytics will define the difference between the losers and winners going forward.”

I believe that if you make your customers happy, they will be loyal to you, and loyalty generally translates into greater revenue (and less cost) for your company. How do you make your customers happy? By knowing them. Know how they interact with you, know what they buy from you, know what they like about you, know who they are.  At an individual level.  Of course, this is easier said than done.  But with the right tools and data, it can be done.

When, where, what and how you communicate with your customer is one of those big decisions.  Using the data you already have from your customer and combining it with other big data–online behavior, social, CRM, mobile, etc.–enables you to predict what that customer would want to hear from you.  This predictive ability, in turn, allows you to optimize your relationship with that customer, which then helps you make more money.  (I use the singular “customer” because that’s what a robust Digital Management Platform enables you to do: communicate with each of your customers as an individual, yet do it at scale.)

Technology exists today to bring all of your available big data together to build a foundation from which to make your big decisions. A company like Nectar can help you bring all this data together to enable you to build 360 degree profiles of each of your customers.  But we don’t stop there; we then apply our proprietary algorithms to analyze your customer profiles to determine the most relevant communications to deliver to each customer–we call this hyper-personalization.  To complete the circle, we then help you distribute consistent hyper-personalized messages across every digital channel your customer uses.

We like our perch at the intersection of big data, analytics and hyper-personalization because when we bring each of these tools to bear for our customers, big decisions not only become easy but they also make you money.

Want to learn more?  Please email contact@nectarom.com for more information.

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