Editorial
The Gist
- Shift focus now. Instead of relying on hyper-personalization, focus on creating tailored customer experiences that respond intelligently and empathetically to real-time customer behavior.
- Leverage reactivity. Reactivity in marketing often outperforms proactive approaches by allowing brands to adapt to customer needs and behaviors in real time, creating more genuine connections.
- Use smart tech. Invest in AI and technology tools that analyze customer behavior and provide responsive content, helping you deliver value-driven experiences rather than intrusive personalization.
As marketing trends come and go, one thing that hasn’t stopped is the inexorable progress of data and technology in how we target, plan and execute marketing. That’s led to a somewhat unhealthy obsession with attempting to make all brand communication personalized to the individual, whether that individual wants it to be or not.
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.
I'm challenging the supposed superiority of “hyper-personalization.” It's time we shift our focus to something far more effective and less intrusive: tailored customer experiences. Let me explain why and how.
The Pitfalls of Hyper-Personalization
There are varying degrees of personalization, and hyper-personalization is a term that smacks of something being taken a step too far.
Trying to create something truly unique for the end user might seem appealing in theory — like a tailor-made suit or custom piece of jewelry — but in practice, it often misses the mark. It fails mainly because, like with the examples above, the occasions where that level of individuality is needed are few and far between. When it’s not wanted by the individual it’s aimed at, it veers into creepy territory, and because of the complexity of delivering that message on a 1-to-1 basis, it’s also costing a lot more money.
Before going down this road, try to really understand the value equation between the brand and consumer. Is it a momentous occasion where a truly personalized experience that demonstrates you know the end user to that degree will deliver exponentially more emotional or practical value to them? And even if that is the case, is it affordable to deliver that on a one-to-one basis to everyone in the audience? The likely answer to both of the above is usually going to be no.
Related Article: The Hidden Dangers of Over-Personalization in Marketing
Embrace Tailored Customer Experiences for Better Results
Instead of attempting to predict, preempt and involve yourself in a customer's every move, focus on creating tailored customer experiences that respond intelligently and empathetically to their behavior in real-time. This approach allows you to enhance the moment, adding value to their experience when it’s relevant and timely in ways that build upon what’s happening naturally.
Implement systems that can quickly adapt to customer behavior, and use personalized data to augment them if needed. Prepare to be reactive. For example, if a customer clicks on a video about product features, serve them more detailed product information that’s informed by data you may already have about them or others who have exhibited similar behaviors.
The Power of Reactivity in Marketing
Here's a bold statement: Reactivity often outperforms proactivity in marketing. While planning is essential, being overly proactive can lead to interactions that feel artificial and disconnected from the customer's actual needs.
Build flexibility into your marketing plans. Rather than creating rigid campaigns months in advance, develop a framework that allows for real-time adjustments based on customer interactions and emerging trends.
Use Technology to Deliver Tailored Customer Experiences
We need to avoid being all “hyper” and instead look toward value-driven experiences, and technology should play a crucial role in their creation. There are many tools out there that can help us understand which content resonates most strongly with our audiences. For example, we have a system at Journey Further called Salient, which mimics the Google algorithm to determine the most relevant content to run. Meanwhile, AI can generate increasingly engaging, reactive content on the fly, allowing us to respond more quickly and effectively to customer behavior.
Look to invest in tools that help identify context, along with AI-powered tools that can analyze customer behavior in real-time and generate appropriate responses. This could range from a chatbot that understands and responds to a wide range of customer queries, to a generative system that dynamically adjusts website content based on user behavior.
Real-World Applications of Tailored Experiences
Let's examine some practical examples:
- Event ticketing: Instead of predicting which events each customer might want based on their entire purchase history, focus on their “in the moment” behavior to tailor their experience. If someone is searching for particular genres or browsing certain shows on a site, start to filter and supply messaging that reinforces these searches and provide advice and reviews on the best options.
- Retail: Rather than bombarding customers with ads based on their browsing history, create an AI-powered shopping assistant that can respond to customers' immediate needs and questions as they shop, recommending alternatives and providing another means to upsell and cross sell with intelligence.
- Beverage: Instead of personalizing every advertisement, consider creating AI-powered "virtual brands" that replicate the social effects of your products in digital spaces.
Start small. Choose one area of your marketing strategy to apply these principles and test the results before rolling out more broadly.
Related Article: Navigating the AI Customer Experience Retail Landscape
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Planning for the Future of Customer Experiences
As we move forward, it's crucial that we continually reassess our strategies in light of changing consumer preferences and technological capabilities. By prioritizing reactivity, leveraging appropriate technologies and always keeping customer experience at the forefront, we can create marketing strategies that are not only more effective but also more respectful of our customers' privacy and preferences.
Regularly gather feedback from your customers about their experience with your brand. Use this information to refine your approach and ensure you're truly meeting their needs, not just following the latest marketing trend.
It's time to move beyond the era of hyper-personalization and embrace the power of tailored customer experiences. By being prepared to react intelligently to customer behavior, we can create more meaningful, empathetic, effective and genuine interactions with our audience. Are you ready to make the shift?
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