In our increasingly digital and time-poor world, the sheer volume of content, products, and services served up to us every day is staggering. The key to cutting through all the noise, edging out your competitors and making sure it’s your stuff that gets noticed? Personalisation.
Personalisation is about creating dynamic content that is specifically relevant to a particular user. For example, on a university website adding personalisation functionality means you can serve up certain content to international students and other content to domestic students.
How it works
Digital personalisation uses algorithms to compare stored data with a user’s profile and generate an experience that’s unique to that user. Perhaps they’ve registered for an online account or filled out another type of online form. Or maybe they’ve bought something or simply ‘liked’ something on Facebook. Additionally, cookies and algorithms can track their browsing and searching habits as well as their location.
The personalisation cycle
In business, personalisation works cyclically: The more you learn about your customers, the more you can personalise your service specifically to them. The more content you provide that is relevant to them, the more they’ll interact with your company, and the more you’ll learn about them and their interests.
As you gather more and more information on your customers, you can use this data to improve their experience and make your marketing even more effective. If you’re doing a good job, customers will think that the messages they’re receiving are tailored just for them.
Savvy customers
And that’s what they want. These days, most people don’t mind being monitored, if it’s well done. In fact, they want to receive messages that are relevant to them. They want to be targeted; it saves them time.
As consumers become more sophisticated, they’re aware of the information they’re sharing online. They actually like the idea that a company is getting to know them. Likewise, companies are getting much better at understanding their customers. The question then becomes, do your competitors know more about your customers than you do?