Customized, made-to-order, personalized, tailored or real-time marketing, call it what you may, but this is what makes content connect with your audience. Customized content means providing interesting, relevant content to the right audience in real-time.
Here are some quick stats that illustrate the importance of personalized selling
Stats:
- In a recent customer survey, 40% said they buy more from retailers that personalize their shopping experience across channels
- 41% said they buy more from retailers that send them personalized emails, and 39% said they buy more from retailers that personalize Web recommendations
- Personalized emails improve click-through rates by 14%, and conversion rates by 10%. (Source: Aberdeen Group)
- Relevant emails drive 18 times more revenue than broadcast emails. (Source: Jupiter Research)
- 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading personalized content
- 81% of marketers perceive that an increase in customer engagement is the greatest benefit of real-time marketing
- Nearly three-fourths (74%) of online consumers get frustrated with websites when content (e.g. offers, ads, promotions) appears that has nothing to do with their interests. (Source: Janrain & Harris Interactive)
- 57% of consumers are okay with providing personal information on a website as long as it’s for their benefit and being used in a responsible way
Steps to personalize
Let’s take a look at how you can personalize your selling in just 6 steps
1. Gather Data
You need to first understand prospects and customers so that you can serve them better. Track your prospect activity across different channels and evaluate their buying behavior. Start by tracking their website visits, Facebook and Twitter preferences, or how they respond to emails campaigns.
Data collection seems an enormous task, but owing to the sophistication of sales software today, you can easily tap into crucial information about your prospect activities in real time. However, not all data that you collect is going to be useful. So focus only on the data that you need in order to make a personalized shopping experience for your customers.
2. Segment your prospects
Using the data you have gathered, segment prospects into categories. You can use a lead scoring system so you can sort out prospects by the order of their interest levels; or you can use a smart list feature that will let you sort prospects based on other factors like age, location, area of interest, industry type, etc.
To guide your prospects through the buying cycle, use a lead nurturing function. Personalize your messaging for every stage.
3. Create customized content/assets for your segments and track them
Customizing your content is integral to this operation. Take the time to understand and create content that will appeal to them. Using an asset management system you can regularly track how your content is perceived by your prospects. Ensure that you have a system that allows you to create personalized assets easily.
Identify the pain points for the various segments and design content for each one. Get your team to A/B test your content every once a while. Maintain a variety of content (videos, blogs, e-guides, infographics, etc.) that will appeal to your buyers depending on which channel they choose to interact with you.
4. Be empathetic towards your customers’ needs
Incorporate “customization” in your selling.
Owing to the enormous increase in tools and platforms to interact with customers, strong personal interaction helps you stand out. Tell them about some discount they’d like to know about, send best wishes to them on occasions like birthdays and anniversaries or just drop a “Hello”. Instead of force-selling your premium products, take the time to understand what their specific needs are. Engage your prospects and customers in a healthy dialogue that makes them feel connected to you and your brand.
5. Constantly revise your campaigns based on assessments
People’s needs change, so do the dynamics of personalization. Today’s buyers and sellers are equally adept at picking up on the latest trends that flood the markets. Inability stay abreast of trends, terms and technology can result in poor sales. Gather your sales team and give careful consideration to revising your selling strategies on a timely basis.
Use methods like A/B testing and social listening to determine what resonates with your audiences. Whatever method you choose, remember to keep “value-adding” as the basis of your ventures.
6. Invest in a smart sales enablement software
If you don’t have a sales enablement software, chances are you are going to lose out on the most important part of the exercise. Only a sales focused automation system can help you accomplish most of the steps mentioned in this post. Train your reps to combine the efficiency of a sales enablement system with their own selling skills to make personalization a core element of your selling game.
No matter what technology you use, remember that you are selling to people and they value the experience you give them. Customized selling with tailor cut content is a surefire way to get your customers to like you.
