We have all received a surprise mail from some brand that we have bought in the past, and we did not like it very much because of the feeling of being observed. This feeling usually comes up with this type of campaign and does not bring any benefit to the company. We must know how to execute personalized marketing and adjust it to the kind of client we want to reach, depending on the sector in which our business works.
What is Personalized Marketing?
Personalized marketing consists of attracting potential customers with messages that adapt to their needs and particular characteristics, bringing significant benefits for both the company and the client, by creating an appropriate message. The client will feel valued by the company, and it will be loyal, the company will obtain a higher number of sales and visibility.
The most challenging thing is to write a message that is personalized, but that does not cross the line of intrusiveness and has an opposite effect on what we want to achieve. To achieve the positive effects and avoid crossing the line of altruism, below there are 5 keys to do an excellent personalized marketing.
1- Give product recommendations that customers do not know
One of the techniques most used by companies is to remind their customers of products they have been looking at but have not purchased. This technique called “retargeting,” can get to bother the clients since the companies usually do a lot of emphasis in this function to attract the users. Consumers do not always want to be reminded of the products they already know; they prefer to identify new products that fit what they like.
One way to apply this strategy in a shoe store, could be, for example, if a woman searches for shoes on a web platform, the company, instead of sending an email with the shoes she has been looking at, sends an email with a personalized selection for her depending on the season, which includes new products and some of the ones she has looked at frequently.
Companies also send emails to customers once they have purchased with products similar to those that have already acquired. This is a mistake because customers do not want to buy a product similar to the one they already have, they want new products. You have to teach them products that may be of interest to them and that are compatible with those that have previously acquired.
So, for example, if a customer buys a coat online, the platform that sold it sends an email a week after the purchase, recommending similar coats. Coats are not an item that is frequently purchased, so the company should send products such as pants or sweatshirts that fit the customer’s likes. The client will not buy another coat when he has just acquired a new one.
It is essential to keep track of these e-mails and see the return they have and how many people look for new products and buy them to adjust according to the results obtained.
2- Talk to the customer when she/he is in “shopping mode”
Choosing the exact moment when sending a message is as important as the content of it.
We see the example of Coca- Cola, which chose to share the moment with the name of the person. Thus, if a person was buying a bottle of soda and saw his/her friend’s name on the side, the probability that he/she would also buy it is quite high.
So, how to apply this to our local small business? Well, for example, if you have a florist, and you receive a customer who buys flowers for her girlfriend on their anniversary, you could send a message to him the following year, a few days before that date, to remind him that he can buy a present for the date in your business. A good option is to use the techniques of Whatsapp marketing to reach your client quickly and efficiently.
When sending a message at the wrong time, it is possible to lose a client. The customer may not be in “shopping mode” or have already hired another service. To perform personalized marketing, companies have to get information from customers and know when they need something.
3- Notify your customers when there are events or products relevant to them
So, for example, if you have an online store, and you noticed that a customer had selected a product that was not on his/her size or the desired color and therefore did not make the purchase, you can, at the time of having the product in stock again, Send her/him a message telling her/him that the product is already available in the size and colors she/he was looking for.
You have to be careful and know exactly what the client did. We cannot send a message with the same product to a customer who has already purchased it.
In personalized marketing, we must take care of each client’s follow-up in detail to get the proposals we send right. A customer who receives a message of the same product that they already purchased will feel that your company does not send personalized messages and that they do not know her/him, so your brand image will be affected and that user will not want to make another purchase.
4- Know your customers, no matter where they are
Customers expect from companies to connect with them also through offline experiences. This is a very complicated task for many brands since it requires the internal collaboration of several departments, but if the company manages to connect its departments, it can obtain excellent results with this strategy, since the client would feel that the company knows her/him very well.
This strategy is followed by brands such as Nike, when they sponsor a marathon, and at the end of the event they send an e-mail to all the registered participants thanking them for their participation and offering them a promotion, such as running shoes on offer, accessories for training, etc. Actions like this make the client feel grateful and appreciated.
This strategy works in a large number of sectors if it is carried out in the right way. Remember that customers do not like to feel “spied on” by companies, so messages cannot be abusive. Personalized marketing messages should be launched on special occasions, and events related to your brand that you know can add value to the user experience.
5- Demonstrate real benefits to customers
Loyalty programs are a fantastic strategy to keep your customers loyal and make them buy your products as usual. For this it is important to know what products they buy and how often they do it. Thanks to this we can make discounts and personalized offers to each client depending on what they like.
A clear example of this strategy is Starbucks. For example, they send e-mails to their customers saying that if they buy 3 drinks in a week, they take one free. Also, they send reminder e-mails to those customers who have started the promotion so, they do not forget to finish it.
This creates satisfaction in the consumer since it sees that the company takes into account its customers and offers them very interesting promotions.
Do you listen to your client?
To develop an adequate strategy and be able to enjoy all these advantages it is necessary to know what your client wants. For this, companies measure from “Like” in social networks, impressions of publications to the conversions of ads to be able to know what content and which products have more engagement for consumers.
Data analysis tools are essential to understand consumer behavior, but it is also very important to listen to the customers and know what they want and what would improve your brand. The direct communication with the client is vital to understand her/him perfectly and help him/her to have a better experience with the brand. Thanks to this, you could create more personalized messages so that the client feels more comfortable with the company and buys in a more usual way.
Listening to your client is essential to achieve good personalized marketing campaigns and not make mistakes like the ones mentioned above.
To make an excellent personalized marketing strategy, you have to take into account various factors. It is necessary to send a coherent and accurate message at the right time, always thinking about the client and his/her history with your company. You have to know exactly what the customer has done in your company, what products may interest them and how to reach them to generate a sale.
Custom marketing has as main objectives to generate new sales and customer loyalty, which is fundamental in the world we live in, as customers who trust a brand and feel valued by it will return to make another purchase.
Incorporate a good personalized marketing strategy is necessary for any company that wants to create a good relationship with their customers.
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About the Author
Macarena Vayá, Country Manager of Spain in Sortlist and specialist in SEO positioning and digital marketing.