As consumer needs continue to move the world of online business forward, the era of mass marketing is beginning to come to an end. In its place, personalized content marketing is quickly becoming the new norm as consumers look for brands that cater to their specific interests. Whether or not you’re familiar with this new trend, in this article, we’re going to explore some simple ways you can begin personalizing your brand’s content to stand out from competitors and grab the attention of your target market.
What is Personalized Content?
In a nutshell, it’s content that’s been created for specific scenarios and different segments of your target market. This includes building customized landing pages, email campaigns, or recommendation lists for each customer that visits your site based on their behavior and interests. A perfect example of this is Amazon, which creates a custom homepage for each visitor, or Netflix and their “Recommended For You” section which suggests shows and movies you might like based on your history.
Though it can be used in a variety of ways and across pretty much all marketing channels, in its essence, personalized content is a way to connect with your audience on a deeper level and show them that you understand their wants and needs.
Why Write Personalized Content?
The web has no shortage of content between blogs, social media, and websites, making it increasingly difficult to stand out in the eyes of consumers. Personalized content, on the other hand, grabs the attention of visitors by showing them content that has the highest probability of holding their interest. What this means is, the more you know about your target market, the better you’ll be at meeting their needs.
As a result, when you show your target audience exactly what they’re looking for, they’ll be more inclined to stick around and potentially become a paying customer. When you connect with your audience on a more personal level, naturally your engagement will go up, but so will the positive experiences that consumers are having with your brand. Personalized experiences are what modern consumers are coming to expect rather than the same article or email campaign that’s sent out to the masses.
How to Write Personalized Content
1. Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the best ways to start personalizing your content. We’re not just talking about putting their first name at the top of the email, we’re talking about creating campaigns for specific segments of your audience based on where they are in the sales funnel. It’s fine to have your email marketing automated—in fact, we encourage it—but you want to be sure the content is speaking to your audience with a conversational human tone that delivers an experience specific to the user.
When you start to build campaigns based on the platform your customers are using, their level of familiarity with your business, and the specific interests they’ve expressed, you’ll naturally begin to see higher open rates and conversions. This is one of the most cost-effective ways to immediately begin implementing personalized content into your marketing strategy.
2. Segment Your Target Audience
No matter how broad or narrow your target audience is, you can always do more segmenting based on demographic factors, where they are in the sales funnel, how long they’ve been a customer, and what level of interest they’ve expressed in your brand. Though it will add some extra work, not only will you learn a lot more about your customers, but the campaigns you build for each segment are going to be more targeted as well.
You can also use calendar reminders to keep up with customer birthdays, anniversaries, follow-ups, and just about anything else that keeps you in contact with them on a more personal level. Even for customers that have already bought your product or service, a simple “how are you enjoying your product?” email can work wonders and increase the chances of repeat business.
3. Use the Right Language
While a lot of creating personalized content is based on different segments of your target market, the language you use when creating the content is also very important. You want to deliver valuable content as it relates directly to individual consumers, but you want to do so by using a tone that resonates with them. Make them feel like you’re talking to them personally rather than to hundreds of other potential customers at the same time.
It’s also important to maintain your brand voice because that’s one of the ways consumers relate to your brand. Brainstorm some jargon and conversational phrases that you can pepper into emails to make them feel more personal while staying true to your brand’s voice.
Examples of Personalized Content
1. The Custom Email Campaign
If you have an eBook that customers can download or a free course that they can take, one of the best ways to implement personalized content is by structuring an email campaign around the topics covered in the eBook or course. This way, they’ll know the email is specific to their actions and you’ll get another point of contact.
2. Live Chat Greetings
When potential customers are landing on your page for the first time, having a live chat or popup that greets them can help create a positive first impression. Give them the opportunity to communicate directly with your brand and express why they’re interested.
3. Utilize Anniversary Offers
Customers love to feel remembered by a brand even after they’ve made a purchase. One of the best ways to do this is by sending them special coupons for their birthday or 1-year anniversary. You can also ask them to complete a survey to show them you value their feedback.
4. Use Targeted Advertising
If you’re looking for a way to further aid your personalized content strategy, consider using targeted advertising. Plug in the specific demographics, interests, and behaviors of the segment your targeting and let your ads do all of the hard work while you collect interested potentials.
Personalized content is just one of our 2018 Marketing Must-Dos. To see all five marketing must-dos, download the free eBook below:
