Exploring Trends: The Era of Personalization
Improving the customer journey is like work in progress. You have to find new ways to appeal to not only your existing customers but potential ones as well. One of our main visual trends of 2019 was called The Era of Personalization, and this article will take apart exactly why we placed so much emphasis on a trend that originated from marketing.
It all started with efficient data analysis. AI and machine learning helped with the efficiency, and now it’s much easier to deliver personalized content to customers. Interestingly, more customers are also keen on being treated as individuals, not segments of consumers. It’s also quite evident when content has a personalized touch, and the first people to notice and appreciate it are the clients.
See our hand selected photo collection on the topic of personalization in marketing, or continue to other tips and insights on the topic to help you with your projects.
Selligent did their research on personalization in marketing
Selligent predicted that personalization will be one of the biggest digital marketing trends in 2019. Their study showed interesting results and they arrived to conclusions that every business can learn from.
Despite our discussion on the personalization aspect of content, 75% of surveyed consumers were actually concerned about how personal information is used to track behavior. The same survey also revealed that 46% of consumers said that they want companies to use the data they do give up to provide better overall service.
The research shows that it’s equally important to respect privacy, and be transparent about data collection to work towards improving services for customers. These are the two sides of a coin that businesses need to consider.
What do consumers want?
Consumers want something very simple – for brands to try harder and work at understanding their needs. In 2019, it’s going to be very much about how you can use the data you collect to provide unique experiences. Your customers are not segments that need generic ads and product offers, they’re simply people that are looking forwards to a more personal approach with your marketing efforts.
Personalization and customer success in marketing
Customer success is about helping clients get the most value out of your services or product. You can’t solely focus on sales next year, because they will plateau and maybe dip if your competition is putting effort into personalized content. Next year, it’ll be very much about providing maximum value in exchange for information to improve a client’s overall experience and as a result gain more from word of mouth marketing and establish stronger client/brand relationships.
Providing personalized experiences
Another way to think about this one-to-one marketing approach is to envision going to your favorite cafe that you frequent, where you’re greeted by name and have your favorite drink and snack ready with minimal interaction because the barista remembers you from the previous few times.
Same concept with personalization in marketing. This kind of closer interaction and attention to detail is key for online businesses. If we’re talking about a solid example, some businesses learn the basics about you and can greet you y name next time you visit a website. On top of that, they can show you relevant content based on something you’ve expressed interest towards during your last few visits.
It’s inevitable that marketers take on this highly personalized route and focus on creating unique experiences for their clients. The pay off is great, and brings you that much closer to your clients.
A bit more statistics
Monetate did a survey with 1,100 digital specialists, 94% of whom said that personalization is going to be critical today and in the future. It is also said that personalized account-based marketing converts up to 4 times more than the generic one-size-fits-all kind of marketing.
Another study by Forrester revealed that 92% of maketers expressed a peak in interest towards personalization specifically. The same study revealed that in regards to current objectives, 47% believe personalization is extremely important, and 63% said the same about their long-term objectives.
Lastly, to address the other side of the coin, Invesp research showed that 57% of online shoppers are actually willing to give up personal information to benefit from a more personalized approach.
How visual content is involved
Much of the digital marketing space is increasingly visual. With this trend, we wanted to illustrate that visuals too can be used to edge closer to clients. If you understand their basic needs, grasp their problems and pain points, it becomes easier to suggest your products or services in light of what you know about your clients.
It’s that extra step from segmentation – understanding the needs of individual clients, and designing content they’ll like, pitching articles or ebooks they will like based on their past actions, and try to create client personas to show them visuals they can resonate with based on information they’ve chosen to hand over.
We also mentioned that authenticity is very important in this process, as is inclusivity, showing personalities and using real people in pictures. It’s also worth noting that you should take the time to get to know your clients to know how to appeal to them. It’s time consuming, but worth the investment. It contributes to creating a unique experience.
The personalization aspect depends on your industry, field of work and what your business has to offer. Think about the ads you already have, and a retargeting strategy that is in place and try to figure out how you can work with established methods to deliver a closer, one-on-one type of experience for your current and new clients.
Last bite of food for thought
With this kind of a direction, marketers have to work twice as hard to get to individual consumers. In our saturated digital landscape, you have to try new things to stand out. People are bombarded with offers and content on a daily basis, and can hardly remember any of them. For this reason, personalization in merketing is a chance to provide a whole other experience.
Personalization is in no way a new concept. It’s been around for a while but is gaining momentum now and it’s not that easy to achieve. Personalization on an individual level requires more work and effort, but today it’s one of the only ways to resonate with your audience. This can be done through unique messages, hand selected visual content, a unique experience based on past actions or an offer tailored to that one client.
