“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Says Einstein. Well, if he is right, then most of content marketers today are insane. Why? Let us guide you through personalization 101 class.
76% of B2B content marketers say that they will increase the amount of content in 2016. But just take a few minutes to see how much content is generated on social media. Not only is it overflowing like a clogged toilet, but they all look the same. Spammy content is everywhere. Why create more when there’s already so much to see? What content marketers need now is quality content that urges viewers to take some form of action.
Personalization 101 from Experts
“The key ingredient to better content is separating the single from the stream.” – David Hahn, Linkedin
Okay, so all we need now is better content, and get out of the mainstream, spammy content. The only way to go “upstream” is to create personalized content marketing – the strategy that will shine like a beacon of light in the dark. Here we bring you the light of hope: what marketing experts say about personalization.
1. What is Personalization?
Personalization has been the latest trend in content marketing. Marketers are seeking ways to get personal involvement with their potential customers. But what does this mean to B2B companies that face low sales conversion rate? Here’s what Liad from Dynamic Yield says about personalization:
“Personalization is one of the methods that can guide visitors through the conversion funnel in the most relevant way possible.”
Liad Agmon
Dynamic Yield2. How has Personalization Changed Over Time?
How are you updated about the development of personalization today? Are you still stuck with the old-fashioned way of personalized marketing where you merely put the customer’s name in the title of your email? David from Marketo says that personalization has shifted to a new era.
“…Back then, personalization in the consumer market involved little more than inserting a first name into a login page or email. But with the advent of big data and real-time technologies, personalization has transitioned from static elements to contextual engagement.“
David Myers
Marketo3. Data Collection – How important is it?
It is inevitable to talk about data when it comes to personalized marketing. Here’s what Chris from Optimizely say about customer data.
“The ability for businesses to leverage their most relevant customer data to deliver optimized and delightful experiences is a massive missed opportunity and a crucial step in realizing the full value of personalization.”
Chris Tiutan
Optimizely4. The Power of Artificial Intelligence
Marketers are frequently exposed to several personalization platforms. Daniel’s view may be correct as there’s already growing dependency on artificial intelligence personalization solutions.
“Personalization requires data collection and normalization. Problem is, most of the relevant data is very hard to retrieve an normalize. A customer might tell a support agent that they really like certain features of the product. But virtually no business today knows how to systematically capture that data, normalize it and pass it on to the personalization engines. Artificial intelligence, however, might change this very soon. In fact, I would bet that a decade from today all personalization engines will rely on artificial intelligence.”
Daniel Glickman
Roojoom5. Plan Personalization Ahead
“Think in incredible detail during your planning/segmentation phase, and plan ahead for years of personalization work.”
Ian Lopuch
Carlo DevelopmentPersonalization is not an easy tactic as mentioned by Ian from Carlo Development. It requires the meticulous use of data and strategy. Think twice before you implement anything.
6. Personalized Spamming… Why not?
Okay, so personalization seems like the answer to your marketing team’s prayer. If so, should your team spam personalization tactics all the way? Let Lara from Kuno Creative stop you right there:
“Overdoing it never wins points with anyone. If you send consumers the same email every month and they aren’t responding, chances are you need to back off and give them space. Before you hit that send button, consider whether they have taken any sort of action since you began contacting them.”
Lara Nour Eddine
Kuno Creative7. Wouldn’t We Look Creepy?
Marketers that are frequently exposed to personalization may ask, “isn’t this whole personalization boom kinda creepy?” Well, let’s hear what Seth has to say about it.
“Personalization is only creepy if you make it creepy. Only use personalization in areas where people expect it (after opting in, in emails, etc.). The goal of personalization is to make a lead or customer feel welcome. The moment they feel welcomed on your site you have succeeded with personalization.”
Seth Fendley
ClearPivot8. Personalization for the Advanced Marketers
If you have been a good student, you might want to continue studying past the Personalization 101 class. Here’s some food for thought: What if I told you most of the basic personalization tactics are merely “segmentation”? Let Yuval, the CEO of Roojoom explain how segmentation can make your life difficult.
“About 80% of brands say that they have implemented personalization to some degree. Most of these are really advanced segmentation and not personalization. The problem with segmentation is that it requires increasing amounts of labor and yields diminishing returns. The demand for services like Roojoom is soaring because they completely eliminate the need for complex flow charts and rule engines.”
Yuval Shemesh
RoojoomConclusion
Personalization, when used correctly, can create a mutual benefit to marketers and visitors. Depending on the nature of the company’s product, a marketer has to play a game of personalization to drive more quality leads and customers in, and not bounce them from the site. Roojoom strongly believes in the power of artificial intelligence that will take care of most personalization today. What do you say?
The post Personalization 101 for Dummies appeared first on The Customer Journey.