After binge-watching a favorite show on Netflix, you land on a screen that kindly introduces you to a few other options you are likely to enjoy. Respond to that siren song, and you'll soon be hours into another series marathon.
The stratagem of personalized marketing engages consumers with custom offers and services. It has been gaining speed and will become imperative for companies looking to grow in 2015. Most marketers understand that, but only 6% are planning with personalization in mind.
To keep your company's edge, personalize your marketing in 2015. Some 45% of online shoppers prefer websites with tailored recommendations. How can your products and services better serve each unique customer?
We at Formstack recently released a new infographic on five personalized marketing predictions you can use to help prepare your marketing strategy. Check it out below, and use the five tips as you begin planning your 2015 content and campaigns.
How do you begin?
Getting to know your customers is the first step in creating a customized experience. Interviews, case studies, customer surveys, and website cookies can all provide valuable data about the people who need your goods or services. With more than 268 billion downloads expected by 2017, mobile downloads offer a rich stream of personalized marketing data.
Take advantage of available data to craft custom user experiences for your website that target those most likely to buy.
Take back the inbox
Everyone has a crowded inbox, so it's crucial to stand out if you want you email marketing campaigns to be successful. Sadly, there's no magic subject line to keep you from being archived or deleted by at leas some on your list, but there is hope.
Personalized emails are shown to have a 25% higher open rate and 51% higher click rate. If you are not customizing your emails, you are not engaging customers at the level you could be.
It's important to work with your email marketing platform to segment your lists. You might subdivide your customers by industry, geographic location, past purchasing habits, and so on. Then, craft emails that explicitly address the unique needs of each subgroup. A clothing retailer, for example, might advertise email deals for local college apparel by using geographic and demographic data.
When you can demonstrate how your product solves customers' specific problem or meets their unique need, your email will become something valuable in your customer's inbox.
Find your ideal customer
As your marketing becomes more personalized, you can see stronger results with the same marketing dollars. Imagine walking down the street on a warm day selling bottled water. You are going to have some takers, and you may even make enough to justify your efforts. On the other hand, imagine taking your same bottles of water and selling them at an outdoor Arizona basketball camp in August.
Meeting your target demographic will influence sales. In fact, companies using personalized marketing in effective ways are seeing an average 19% lift in sales!
Various media, including social media, provide marketers data to reach the perfect customer. Facebook boasts a stream of data 500 times that of the New York Stock Exchange. This kind of specialized information about your leads' preferences, habits, and interests can help you tailor offers in ways that will convert sales.
Personalized marketing is here to stay
In 2015, we'll see more companies taking advantage of what data has to offer. Expect an uptick in custom messaging, individualized email campaigns, and targeted advertising.
For those who want to see increased profits next year, personalized marketing is a must.
