Ever receive an email, text or mailing that was addressed to recipient, current resident or some other unfamiliar or ambiguous surname and salutation? Of course, we all have, and more often than not the document or message was promptly tossed in the oval file on the floor or clicked to the digital trash bin. Digital technology is affording an unparalleled opportunity for marketers to connect with infinite numbers of potential consumers economically. The result has been an explosion of generalized messaging that is history’s best example of the “more mud against the wall” approach to getting more of whatever the seller is selling to stick with consumers. One can suppose that all these noisy efforts have some success rate among some marketers, or the persistence of such tactics would have become extinct by now.
The digital revolution has users of desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smart phones and wearable devices rabidly personally connecting with friends, family, sellers and a growing list of things, even their own home appliances. Lost in all the clatter, clutter and endless pop-ups is the personal, mutually beneficial experience between marketers and consumers. Today the average consumer is bombarded with as many as 10,000 messages from brands each day. Getting heard above all the noise and establishing a successful customer experience requires a commitment to personalization across the whole of marketing’s digital collateral. According to Frost & Sullivan, by 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator.
Targeted personalized advertising is creating higher conversion rates with potential customers. Experian reports that personalized marketing emails received 29% higher open rates and 41% higher click-through rates than those without personalization. This year more than half of companies will deploy a strategy of personalization and customer experience initiatives, in an attempt to engage and attract consumers by appealing to their specific likes, needs and interests, according to Garner. Generalized, one-size-fits-all content and big idea campaigns are quickly becoming ineffective.
Successful tactics produce messages that make prospects feel valued and appreciated. Emily Lyons, Forbes Councils, says “Hyper-personalized marketing is undeniably the defining reality of current and future marketing activities. This isn’t just a short-lasting buzzword, flashy fad or momentary mania. Marching to the drumbeat of technological advancement, a drumbeat that’s either ominous or buoyant, depending on who you ask, hyper-personalized marketing is here for the long term, and resistance is futile.”
Typically brand communications tend to be brand centric, not consumer centric. Personalizing the message to reflect the interest of the consumer’s wants and needs and placing it where it is easily accessible and timely is essential to optimizing the experience. Care must be taken to generate the correct data. Sending the right message to the wrong target will negate all the benefits of the right message and may seriously damage a brand’s image, but valuable and tailored content can translate into significant commercial benefits for marketers that deliver an effective personalized experience.
For more on how Junction Creative Solutions can help you deliver a personalized experience to your prospective customer, call 678.686.1125.