Personal experiences are becoming increasingly important to customers – and marketers listen. Just look at Imañya James, a product and marketing specialist for the widely considered skin care brand Topicals.
She has appeared in many of the brand’s campaigns herself and demonstrated first hand, how products work, share recommendations, progression photos and usage tips.
I am increasingly impressed with how topicals create these kinds of opportunities for customers to feel taken into account, seen and understood. The recent case: The brand quickly addressed feedback on the scent of its faded serum.
If you’ve just started your digital marketing strategy – or just want to learn more about how to start a personalization strategy – you’re in the right place.
Table of contents
What is Personalization in Marketing?
Are you one of the millions of users who download and put your Spotify unpacked every year? This one is personal marketing – a strategy that involves custom and individualized curations of messages, content, products or experiences for customers.
In a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey of 5,000 global consumers, more than 80% of respondents say they both want and expect personal experiences.
Some common examples of personal marketing include:
- Exclusive E -Mail campaigns.
- Customer loyalty programs.
- Birthday gifts.
- Names IE -Mail -Themnel Lines and E -Mail content.
- Location-based push messages.
- Welcome back messages on a website.
- Carriage Notification Notices.
- Product recommendations based on purchases and/or search history.
- Customer loyalty programs.
Often, these decisions based these decisions on data such as behavior, location, interests and demographics.
“Many times personalization refers to just one thing, such as E -Mail content,” says Vivien TSE, a freelance marketing specialist. “But I think personalization should be done on scale. Everything has to be personalized.”
What is bEnfits of personal marketing?
1. Sales conversions and customer loyalty
Integrating personal marketing will undoubtedly increase sales conversions. Of consumers, 96%say they are likely to make a purchase when brands send personal messages.
Why? Customers like it when a brand recognizes who they are and what they like – and feed them more based on their previous buying history.
2. Organic commitment and community building
I am a big fan of brands that makes me feel like I’m part of something and have something to say in its growth. It turns out that most consumers repeat my mood.
According to attentive report, the younger generations of shoppers are most interested in being part of a brand’s society. Gen Z is more likely to engage in event invitations, brand values and content behind the scenes compared to other generations. Millennials are more likely to engage in product care and styling tips, brand initiative updates and opportunities to share feedback.
3. Data utilization
Data goes hand in hand with personal marketing. In fact, 99.6% of consumers are willing to share some form of personal data in exchange for tailor -made experiences. It’s a huge option – if you do it right.
Each touch point for your marketing must collect useful, action data. These data are even smarter, more relevant ways to reach and resonate with your customers.
Brands with large personalization strategies
1. Topicals
Participation in the current society means receiving tailor -made content, such as early access to product launches and exclusive event invitations – a few examples of how current the charge leads with personal marketing while promoting an organic community around a shared love of skincare.
Topicals also has a TYB (try your best) program that educates, rewards and engages in its community, known as “Spottie Sphere.” There are different levels in the universe – “Spottie Hottie” for enthusiasts, “insider” for content creators and “expert” for licensed skincare staff.
Another important example of Topical’s success with personal marketing lies in humming around one of its cult products they faded under eye masks. Thanks to Smart Campaign, customers are authorized to share themselves with sporting their masks on the go.
“Topicals has really made skin care portable in public,” says James. It is a brilliant strategy that makes users feel that they are part of a movement.
Why I think it works: Topicals not only has its finger on the pulse of what is driving beauty culture right now, it also builds a successful brand around an ethos pushing skin representation, real IRL moments (yes, I refer to the iconic Ghana influener -tour) and productive discourse that informs product improvements.
Source
2. Hellofresh
When a customer first signs up, Hellofresh asks them for key information, including their dietary preferences, household size and cooking skills to shape custom meals and a fully personal app dashboard.
You will probably also receive occasionally recommended meals based on your previous choices plus special campaigns and additions.
Why I think it works: Hellofresh does not set unrealistic kitchen standards or serve a one -size model that suits everyone. The brand improves its marketing to fit the needs of the individual customers looking for a cooking plan that fits their Need.
Source
3rd lip bar
With the lip bar’s virtual sample technology, customers can see how lip and skin color looks on their own faces before making a purchase decision. TLB also has a “Complexion Quiz” that guides customers to their Perfect Foundation match.
Source
Why I think it works: Lip Bar takes the guesswork out of the beauty buying experience, even for virtual shoppers. “Products that are deliberately designed for your skin color” are the goal – and it is clearly across the brand’s messages and services.
If you are looking for more brand inspiration, you can check out some more brands that take personal experiences to the next level.
Expert tips for personal marketing
1. Know your customer – but also your things.
Seventy -seven percent of consumers are frustrated with irrelevant messages. To make sure you give customers the content that resonates – and doesn’t make them feel like they’re just part of a generic mailing list – is crucial.
Just as important, James emphasizes to know the products you push out as the back of your hand and actually Be passionate about them.
“It’s very important to me that I know exactly what the product is doing, how it works, how it works,” says James. “It’s about authenticity. People can tell when you don’t like anything. People can also tell when you are just trying to sell it.”
Pro Tip: Things like the site’s personalization and adgeneretting can play a big role here and help promote the unique experience for customers. And if you work with HUBSPOTS CRM and/or content hub for your marketing, there are a lot of tools to help here, including content personalization features.
2. Make the customer feel special.
Custom offers such as referring to customers by their first name and sending special birthday gifts go a long way.
Across its clients, TSE implements lots of A/B tests for E -Mail -Mail lines. A strategy that she says almost always lands is the “reciprocity” method – when you offer value (a gift, a discount, etc.) to customers without asking for anything in return.
“It’s psychology,” says TSE. “Here’s an offer for you, or here’s a gift for you. And because I gave you something you’ll give me something back.”
3. Don’t be creepy.
There is a fine line between support and persecution.
“Don’t be creepy,” says Tse. The results can be harmful: According to BCG’s findings, two -thirds of customers say they have recently had at least one personal experience with a fire that was inaccurate or invasive, which often led them to unsubscribe or free themselves.
4. Don’t forget to entertain.
More often than not, people are looking for experiences that simply make them smile.
“Everyone likes to laugh, everyone likes to enjoy things, and I find that there is so much seriousness going on in the world that it is very important to just take the time to make people have fun with you,” James says.
Humanization of the shopping experience
Above all, personal marketing is about humanizing the shopping experience. How would you Will you be talked to? At the end of the day, people want to feel that they not only buy a product but also join a society that they feel part of.
Take, for example, Mother’s Day. Brands like Béis recognize the range of emotions about the holidays, allowing customers to opt out of related marketing. Giving your customers a voice is crucial.
Bottom line: Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. It goes a long way.
The editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated for understanding.