Have you ever shopped online with a store and found yourself getting personalized ads and recommendations from the brand? Or, have you shopped for clothes online and, before entering the virtual store, had to answer a few questions about your preferences? These are just a couple of examples of companies trying to provide you with a personalized brand experience.
Think with Google reported in 2018 that 61% of consumers expect brands to create a personalized experience for them. Segment reported that 71% of people feel frustrated if their brand experience is not personal.
So, what exactly is a personalized brand experience? And how can you go about creating one that your customers will love? That is what we are exploring in today’s article.
What Is a Personalized Brand Experience?
When a business uses information they have learned about you in order to make your interactions with that brand more suitable to your interests, this is known as a personalized brand experience.
At first glance, this may appear intimidating. No one likes to think about corporations taking your information, especially if you don’t directly give it to them. And while it is not uncommon for businesses to use things like cookies to learn more about you, there are also many examples of straightforward ways that this is done.
For example, some online stores may ask you a few questions before you begin shopping or create an account. Pull&Bear, a retail store, begins by asking customers whether they are shopping for male or female clothing. They will continue asking a few more questions, and then the customer can begin a shopping experience that is personalized to their interests. Overall, it makes the process much easier for customers, making them more likely to buy from the store in the future.
Coca Cola
One of the most widespread examples of a personalized brand experience is the “Share a Coke” campaign, launched in 2014. It began as an outreach effort to target millennials by using some of the most common first names from that generation.
As the campaign saw more and more success, it began using less specific labels, such as “husband” or “teacher.” Today, you can even visit the website and enter a name to get your own personalized Coke bottle.
Coca Cola sales increased and #shareacoke has been a number one trending topic on social media. Overall, the personalization effort has seen huge success, as evidenced by the fact that it is still going strong more than six years later.
Personalized Brand Experience and User Experience
By its very nature, a personalized brand experience aims to provide powerful user experiences.
It helps decrease information overload, giving customers only the information that is relevant to them. Customers feel more engaged, and so it helps them connect more with the brand and products. They feel like a valued member of a community. Lead generation goes up, mainly because the right messages are served to specific people at a time when they are ready for them.
There are many benefits to giving your customers a personalized brand experience, but there are also difficulties on the user experience end. It takes research into why a person has visited your website in the first place, predicting what the customer will find interesting and how to best serve them this information, and creating customized messages.
Know your audience and what it takes to get their attention. Create buyer personas to understand them better. And when in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask them what they’re looking for through online surveys.
Data-Driven Personalization
Data is often the driving force behind this type of personalization. When people think about data and personalized brand experiences, they tend to think about the role that their data plays.
It is mainly concerned with sending customers their message at the most optimal time. The most common way to get this information is to look at your website’s data insights. When are the most popular times for people to be visiting your website? What pages are they looking at and when?
From there, this trickles down into looking at specific transactions that have been completed recently, if you have a e-commerce website. This continues into social media and campaign engagements.
Implementation for Small Businesses
Since most of the time we associate personalized brand experience with large corporations who have spare time for data mining, it can be hard to see if there are any possible implementations for small businesses. However, there are plenty of opportunities for companies of all sizes to use this technique.
Make-at-Home Kits
Many bakeries and restaurants have taken advantage of prepared foods that customers can then purchase to make at home. By letting them fill out their preferences on your website, you can allow people to enjoy your food with the satisfaction of preparing it in their own kitchen.
Email Personalization
If you have a newsletter as part of your brand, an easy way to add a touch of personalization is to set the email up to send with the receiver’s name included. It is attention-grabbing and usually very easy to do. Not to mention, Pinpointe Marketing found that using someone’s name in an email increases their chances of opening by 15-35%.
Set Up a Rewards Program
Offer customers deals and discounts when they shop online with your store. By doing this, you are essentially letting them choose how to use the rewards you have given them for being a loyal customer. They will appreciate the autonomy and come back for more.
Personalized brand experiences are all about giving your customers the best, most effective interactions with your company. It’s a tactic for increasing brand loyalty and getting to know your audience base better. If you’re interested in getting these sorts of insights from a professional team, Vervology would love to help out! Get in touch with us for a free consultation.