For a long time, marketing has used data to target the right audience. However today, brands have access to data in great detail, which allows them a much more refined and bespoke approach. Personalised marketing is expeditiously becoming the new gold and is being used extensively by brands of all sizes, across sectors. According to a recent study by MarketingProfs , businesses that personalise online experiences see an average 20 per cent increase in sales.
Here’s how you can learn more about your audience and personalise a targeted strategy:
Rethink segmentation and move to profiling
According to a recent study by Salesforce, high-performing businesses use data-targeting and segmentation 50 per cent more than under-performing businesses. Audience profiling goes far beyond traditional methods of segmentation. It gives brands deep insights about their consumers, enabling them to subtly define, segment, and profile consumers. With the help of global data that extensively tracks consumer behaviours and perceptions, it’s quite possible to build bespoke profiles that define how your target consumers view themselves.
Create real-life personas using consumer data
Studies reveal that over half of all consumers are more likely to shop at a retailer that recognises them by name, while two in three are more likely to shop at a store that knows their purchase history. Buyer personas are extremely accurate descriptions of a company’s target consumers that are created to define the consumer’s intent and, eventually, have enough information to accurately map the consumer’s journey.
This will definitely help unearth an end goal for each target consumer.
With such insights in hand and backed up by facts, it is possible to get into the minds of the target audience and really connect with them.
Map the customer journey
Over half of digital consumers follow brands on social media. Various social networks are now among the most-used channels for research among consumers aged 16 to 24. Customers, both existing and potential, interact with brands in many different ways depending on their individual needs and preferences. When a consumer journey is decisively established, marketing teams can plan the right communication to the key consumers being targeted, backed by adequate supporting data.
Use data to engage your audience and keep them with you forever
According to a research survey by Aberdeen Group, personalised email messages improve click-through rates by 15 per cent, on an average, and increase conversions by 10 per cent. With the help of clear consumer journeys and intricate buyer personalities, marketers can start putting personalisation to the test. While many strategies have been proved to work, here are some that stand out:
§Content Marketing : Content can take various shapes, but leveraging actionable insights from the beginning to the end will certainly help develop a strategy that fits a particular brand and resonates with its target audience.
§ Email Marketing : According to research by Econsultancy, 74 per cent of marketers say that targeted personalisation in emails increases customer engagement. This proves that this traditional form of marketing isn’t going anywhere and, therefore, it makes sense to incorporate profiling and targeting based on insights to ensure maximum ROI on your efforts.
§ Re-targeting : This form of online advertising allows communication with consumers who are already exposed to a brand. This approach utilises consumer maps and behaviours to re-target key consumers in a way that they respond with genuine intent.
Keep it real; keep it simple
According to Rapt Media, an interactive video technology enabler, 64 per cent of consumers say that they would think more positively of a brand if it provided content that’s beneficial, intriguing or relevant. By being honest with the audience, a company can eliminate the appearance of being perfect that consumers don’t relate to, appearing more affable.
To strike the right cord with your target audience, you have to understand them on a large scale. Using deep insights, you can identify the message and tone the audience will respond to while representing the human side of your brand.