How content personalization enhances response rate of campaigns

If there is any chance of getting a response from your prospects, it is through personalization.

Suppose there is a healthcare company that has come up with a new technology for reducing hospital infections- 

Here is what a generalized, one-message-for-all kind of content will look like –
An email campaign giving details of the features of the products, pricing, and a CTA button for a demo or a buy now option.

Here is what personalized marketing would look like –
An email campaign separately targeted towards various personas (hospital admin and procurement, doctor). Emails for each persona would specifically speak about the challenges faced by each persona and how the technology addresses the challenges. Personalization can be done in many ways, from choosing the right words to giving discounts based on the persona.

But why go to such an extent for personalization? Here are some statistics to make it clear.

•    84% of buyers are more likely to buy from sales reps who understand⁽¹⁾ their business.

•    74% of customers feel frustrated when the website content is not personalized⁽²⁾. 
•    68% of customers expect brands to demonstrate⁽³⁾ empathy. 
•    52 percent of customers⁽⁴⁾ expect offers to be personalized.

Further, when you see it in a B2B context, personalization becomes all the more important because it helps to clarify the concepts of the product during the long buyer journey. Tweaking of content and customer experience along the way helps to make a strong case for your product.

Benefits of content personalization  

• Better and targeted customer engagement  –

Would an audience engage with content that is meant for the masses, or is there a better chance of engagement when the content is personalized, as if the brand is talking directly to them and answering their questions or addressing their problems? Several studies have shown that customers expect personalized content.

• Better scope for lead nurturing  –

As you learn more about the people who are interested in your work, you can give them more personalized experiences. That is an essential step in lead nurturing. With every personalized content piece, the prospect gets one more reason to continue engaging with your company.

• Positive impact on buyer’s decision-making –

When audiences see content that is in sync with their needs and their prior actions, it has a positive impact on their buying decisions. Every touchpoint prepares the prospect for a decision.

• Increased conversion rate –

With every step of personalization (emails, social media marketing, retargeting), the chances of conversion improve because the audience starts seeing content not as random experiences but as meaningful, relevant, and incremental exposure to content that is tailored to their needs.

Effective Ways to Personalize Content 

Now, the next question that arises is how to go about personalization. There are different ways in which you can make content relevant to audiences.

 • Personalization based on personas  –

Every persona looks at the same product from a different perspective. For example, the end-user of a software would look for features and ease of use, whereas someone from procurement or accounts would focus on pricing and return on investment. Your job is to ensure that you are delivering personalized content to each of them; focus on what matters to them. You can collect customer data from various sources (surveys, social media profiles, existing customers) and identify their pain points and motivations.

• Personalization based on the stage of customer journey  –

When a prospect is in the awareness stage, pushing them to buy the product can scare them off. But if you offer them valuable assets such as brochures, how-to videos, and blogs, it will help them be more receptive to your marketing efforts. Similarly, if a prospect is in the consideration stage, a free demo offer would be great!

• Personalization as per segments –

Your leads could be segmented as per industry, job title, gender, geography, and so on. It makes sense to personalize content as per the segments. For example, even if your product is used across industries, you wouldn’t want to market it the same way for all the industries. The personalization (in terms of challenges, pain points, and benefits) may vary as per industries to make it more relevant for the audience.

• Personalization as per account-based marketing –

Most B2B companies are already using account-based marketing, however personalization is one of the key success factors. Here, you target a particular account and personalize content keeping in mind the challenges faced by them, who their competitors are, their future needs, and industry trends. To make it work, you will have to look at data from various sources and gather information such as assets that they are downloading, their areas of interest, how many users are using the free version of your software, etc.

• Intent-based personalization –

This is more dynamic and context-based personalization. It depends on the action of a user right now and then offering relevant content. It can be possible through extensive learning about possible customer journeys and choices and predicting their behavior. One can get quality leads by focusing on the intent of the audience when they take an action: was the intent to find a service provider or was the intent simply to gain more information?

Today, there is no escaping content personalization. In fact, it is only getting more sophisticated by the day. It is as much your need as it is the need of your prospects. Prospects connect better with the brand when they see consistent and relevant content from it. When their challenges are understood and the required content is delivered to them at the right time, your campaign is bound to deliver better outcomes.

Reference and Citation-

1. https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/customer-expectations/?sfdc-redirect=369  

2. https://www.markettailor.io/blog/45-stats-on-why-personalization-is-important-in-digital-marketing 

3. https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/customer-expectations/?sfdc-redirect=369 

4.  https://www.salesforce.com/resources/articles/customer-expectations/?sfdc-redirect=369