How personalization marketing can build customer relationships and find the right fit for your products

Have you ever opened an email and found a promotional offer “just for you?” Went to Amazon and seen a list of recommended products? Received a thank you card in the mail after making a purchase? These are examples of personalization marketing, which is everywhere nowadays, and for good reason. Compared to marketing techniques that rely on indiscriminate targeting by unsorted lists or a shotgun approach, personalization is capable of building relationships with customers and giving them exactly what they want (or what they didn’t know they wanted). By doing this, you can make your advertising go further by getting your message in front of a customer base that’s most likely to make a purchase– those who are already familiar with your business and have a clear understanding of your value proposition.

However, before we get into the specifics of some of the ways you can think about personalization, a brief note– recording as much information as possible about the ways your customers interact with your products, brand, and marketing campaigns is the key to making this strategy work. The better your data set, the more easily you will be able to create campaigns based on customer attributes and past behavior. Try to keep a database of any sales data you have and cross-reference this with information from digital marketing campaigns and website traffic for best results. Once you have this data, here are three ways you can use it to personalize your marketing efforts and connect better with your customers:

Send special offers based on customer sales history.

When marketing a product or service, the best predictor you have is whether or not a customer has purchased from you in the past. Compared to the general market, customers you’ve previously dealt with are significantly more likely to be interested in your products. Leverage this information by sending special offers to your customers that encourage them to make a repeat purchase, or check out complimentary products that pair well with what you’ve already sold them. This way, you can turn one sale into more and keep your customers in the pipeline.

Employ messaging based on segmented customer data.

The most effective marketing campaigns are the ones that take the audience into account and speak directly to their needs, wants, and demands. For any given product or service, there’s likely to be a specific audience that’s a good fit, and segmentation is a great way to tap into this audience and get the most out of your marketing budget. Segmentation based on demographics like age, gender, and location is a good place to start, but more advanced segments are possible as well, like previous interactions with your website or brand, interest in specific topics, position in the sales funnel, or purchase habits (as mentioned above). Using this information, you can match your products up with the market that’s most likely to be interested in them, accompanied with messaging that speaks directly to their needs and desires. The better your segmentation, the more effectively you’ll be able to find the right fit for your products and the perfect sales pitch to match.

Personalize your email marketing

Just by its format alone, email marketing is a great place to start thinking about personalization. At its core, an email is the analogue of the written letter– an inherently personal, one-on-one form of communication. When writing your email content, personalize your marketing by using language that directly addresses the customer, using their first name and the kind of language you would use if you were talking face-to-face. Depending on your industry and the message you want to convey, humor can go a long way towards giving the desired effect. When possible, build on previous interactions with your customers, including previous emails you’ve already sent. This kind of interaction can help build a customer relationship that’s more than just transactional, and encourage customers to see your emails as being worth opening.

Personalization marketing offers a great opportunity for businesses looking to connect with their customer base, build relationships, and offer them the products and services they’re most likely to be interested in. Wondering how personalization can fit your business model? We’d be happy to sit down with you and explore your options. Contact us at (207) 947-9333 or hello@pulsemarketingagency.com and schedule your free 30-minute consultation.