Top 8 Personalized Content Marketing Strategies for 2020

What is Personalized Content?

Personalized content is defined as a marketing technique used for targeting content for individuals, based on their contextual history with the company, stage of journey and preferences and made available at the appropriate time. In recent times, the personalization of content has emerged as a key element in content marketing campaigns.

Understanding the consumer’s interests and motivation levels, geographic and industry-specific data is where this process begins. Personalized content is the key solution to convert an interest or lead to revenue or business opportunity. Do not look at personalization of content as an add-on or something to be done in addition to the existing strategies. it needs to become an integral part of the communications program, thereby building the kind of customer base one dreams about.

According to a study conducted by Accenture, 58 percent of consumers are far likely to close the deal, make a purchase online or in a store when the brand sends them recommendations based on their past visits or preferences. While this seems complicated, it does not require advanced technology; just a simple algorithm to capture past data would suffice.  When brands offer suggestions via messages or email, the chance of it playing on the consumer’s mind is higher, thereby increasing sales for the business.

For a content marketing strategy to farewell and achieve targeted results, the business needs to establish trust with the consumer by assuring them security of data gathered, sharing with them insights on how their data is being used, and starting with their existing customers before reaching out to new visitors.

Technology Maturity Levels for Content Personalization

Every day, businesses are talking to their customers one way or another and the content is constantly evolving as well. They use a range of communication tools to reach out and connect with customers, some of which are images and others could be videos. While today most of the conversations are done using technology and various media channels, marketers are always focused on providing personalized experiences.

Today, the Technology Maturity for content personalization is a big challenge. It is all about how effectively the data that has been gathered is being utilized to boost business. The engagement and interaction between the business & the audience, the real time conversations and finally the personalized promotions are all that determine the technology maturity and effectiveness of a marketing campaign.

Marketers can adopt one or more strategies to achieve higher levels of personalization of content. They can boost the targeted ads campaign, use the data captured from customers to make real time recommendations for starters.  Studies have proved that companies that have implemented higher degree of personalization initiatives have seen increase in revenue and growth in business as well. The technology used in a marketing campaign needs to evolve from being a basic email to creating a 360-degree profiling of the consumer and using that data to create personalized content marketing campaigns.

For this purpose, here are some of the strategies that are bound to come into play in 2020.

Top 8 Personalized Content Marketing Strategies for 2020

1. Set up customized landing pages:
Creating a targeted landing page on your website or microsites with information connected to a marketing campaign is a good place to start. This adds a personal touch and encourages the visitor to explore further and enhances their experience as well.  You could also include a form that opens as the person visits the website, asking them for information that will help refine the content displayed.

2. Address by name:
When putting together messages to be sent to an individual, it helps to use their name instead of a generic Sir/madam. While this is an old trick, it plays a crucial role in making an impact. When you send an email that opens with “Hello Peter” or “Hi Tara”, you instantly connect with the person and they are curious to read further and not mark it as spam. It is one of the easiest and simplest ways of utilizing the database to convert leads to customers. Just make sure the names are right before hitting send.
In fact, don’t stop with “Hi Tara”, take it one step further. If Tara had bought a particular item on her last visit, you have an idea about her interest, and this is a good opportunity to build on that. Similarly, if she had browsed through the site for a while, adding few items in the cart but exited without making a purchase, you could send an email asking if she needed any additional assistance.

3. Give it the human touch:
Continuing with the earlier point, it is also essential to create an email address that belongs to an individual when sending out the mass mailers. This will help build a relationship and trust between the consumer and the business. People are also likely to engage with the business instead of ignoring the email/suggestions shared. Today, since there are quite a few brands using bots to respond to standard messages, having a personalized email ID helps give the business a human element.

4. Invest in marketing automation tools:
There are quite a few marketing automation tools available, and these are the easiest and most effective way of reaching out to consumers. Using the audience analysis and segmentation, create campaigns based on interests, location, behavior, and other data captured. Send out emails with not just information and relevant links, but also include content similar to what they consume on a regular basis. It could even be linked to external blogs or articles, resources that will help them based on past searches, and so on. Businesses can also create newsletters and share them with their database, giving links to new products/services and ensuring customers do not miss out on updates.
There can also be a personalized call to action. If a visitor had spent a certain amount of time browsing through a particular service or product but did not reach out or close a purchase, have a customer care executive reach out to them and enquire if they were looking for any additional information or had any queries to be addressed.

5. Location & Geo-location based personalization:
For a business that is into clothing, location-related data is essential; otherwise, the marketing efforts will be in vain. While it has become easier to gather location-based information, sometimes it is best to ask for location on the landing page, so the content displayed will be relevant and accurate. The IP address is another route that marketers can adapt to create customized content. It helps cut out the clutter and offer information that the user finds relevant, creating a shortcut to closing a deal or making a sale. Marketers can also use this to display nearest store locations, customized deals that are tailor-made for the individual.

6. Track the offline and online Conversations:
The walls have ears and so does every device around us. Or do businesses use clever algorithms? Either way, every action, and word is captured and used. That is the truth! With the emergence of virtual assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Home, the number of conversations with technology has grown multifold.  When there are conversations and discussions around a topic, product or service, the data is captured and targeted posts and relevant ads are shown across social media channels [Facebook, Instagram & Twitter] and on search engines as well. This in turn helps bring in more traffic to a website and boost business.

7. Connect one-on-one social media for high-value prospects:
Consumers across the globe use social media to make decisions related to purchases, be it personal or professional. It is imperative that the business has a strong presence online and connects with them on various platforms. It will help in building relationships, engage them in conversations and solve queries if any. It is one of the best ways of creating strong bonds and gaining trust, even before an individual becomes a customer.  Automated tools, virtual assistants, and a dedicated social media manager are options that can be used to keep conversations going and streamline content.  Most brands create an online presence and post content on a regular basis, increasing their reach and visibility which helps grow their businesses.

8. Surveys and polls:

Create engaging polls and surveys, or even quizzes to capture information about the audience’s beliefs and tastes.  The results gathered will give you insight into their world and the information can be used in your email campaigns and while developing new marketing strategies.  Some brands send out mailers, while others take to social media to run the surveys. This helps understand the audience better and fine-tune their offerings.
Personalization of content has always been a key element to any business, and today with the advancement of technology, marketing campaigns have changed the way they promote businesses. The bottom-line being customers need to be treated as separate individuals and one on one communication is the way forward. Do not hesitate or spend too much time dwelling on the relevance of personalization of content, do it now and today!

Let us know which of these strategies has worked best and if there are any new tips and tricks that are worthy of a mention.