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3 strategies for content marketing personalization

Personalization is today’s answer to providing a stellar customer experience designed to convert

5 min read

Marketing Strategy

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Personalization is one of the top features that consumers like to see online. Accenture reports that over half of customers would rather shop with a business that remembers details like their preferences and purchase history.

However, actually implementing and creating a personalized experience for each and every customer is a task that intimidates most marketers. In fact, 83% of marketers surveyed by a RAPT media study agreed that this is their top challenge at the moment.

In order to stay relevant in the online market, businesses must be able to provide this service to keep their customers interested and engaged. So, how exactly can your team beat the challenge?

Here are three easy starting points to include personalization in your content marketing strategy.

Make it about the product or service

Personalization does not have to be an elaborate campaign that creates millions of unique advertisements catering to each individual consumer. Instead, it can be just a simple solution that provides viewers with something special.

One of the best ways to please a customer is to make things easier for them. By providing branded content based around products or services related to their interests, you are not only informing them about relevant information, you are taking away the task of having to dig for it.

This is why 45% of customers would prefer to buy from a company that offers this type of personalization. Additionally, this is why 53% would be more likely to return. Ultimately, the goal of offering these kinds of personal recommendations is to increase brand visibility and boost revenue.

If you run an online store, this tactic is perfect for upselling items or pushing new products that customers may not be aware of. Fortunately, creating customized suggestions is not difficult or complicated. By tracking point of sale data from previous purchases, your team can gather information on frequently bundled items to create relevant content that converts.

Choose an approach that suits your brand

Interactive content is a type of personalization that creates unique experiences for each consumer. This kind of content has been increasing in popularity over the past few years, but again, many marketers see it as a challenge because of the (perceived) complicated technical skills required. Or, the presumption that it simply doesn’t fit into the budget.

However, this is not necessarily the case for all types of interactive content. Quizzes or assessments that allow each customer to provide their personal information for a unique incentive are fairly easy to create, and can give you some extremely valuable information.

Experts claim that this approach is more effective at grabbing your customer’s attention and creating more memorable experiences. A Kapost study also found that you can double your content’s conversion rates by going interactive.

There are a lot of ways to create unique and interactive content, but the key is to use it in a way that is relevant to your business and customer’s needs. For example, calculators or estimation generators are great for SaaS companies that offer services priced on usage or demand. Polls or surveys can be used to suggest products for e-commerce sites. Interactive e-books, diagnostic tests, or troubleshooters are best for informative content that builds thought leadership and brand recognition.

Invest in the proper tools

Finally, the easiest and surest way to introduce personalized content into your company’s marketing strategy is by ensuring that your team has the tools to do it. Personalization software makes the task of creating quality content easier for marketers while providing customers with the consistent experience they want and expect.

For starters, webpage personalization is a growing trend that creates a landing page that is designed specifically for the individual, resulting in measurable increases in conversion rates. Tools like Monetate specialize in one-to-one personalization by translating consumer data into targeted homepages. The A/B testing tool from Optimizely focuses on creating relevant content suggestions while Personyze uses action-based targeting to automate campaigns.

As there are all kinds of solutions out there, you need to be sure that your team goes with the technology that enhances the customer experience, rather than complicates it. Make your strategy customer-focused, then supplement with the proper tools that will support your efforts.

Personalization is the key to making your audiences happy, interested, engaged, and coming back for more. The practice is much easier and more affordable than you might think. By adding in little touches like relevant shopping suggestions catered to each user, or interactive content that makes each experience one-of-a-kind, bringing personalization into your brand’s content can do a lot to breathe new life into your marketing strategy. Plus, with the right online tools and software to simplify the process, creating and perfecting personalization is more attainable than ever.

 

 

Avinash Nair is a digital marketer at E2M, a content marketing agency in India. He specializes in SEO and content marketing activities. Follow him on Twitter: @AviNair52