Personalization: Old Strategy, New Tricks

In times of economic uncertainty, it’s less likely that organizations will be comfortable with replatforming or rebuilding their digital presence from scratch. However, in the spirit of “making do” until budgets open again, it becomes more important to leverage what current digital platforms are already primed to do. Personalization, as a concept, has been around and is considered table stakes for the enterprise and digitally-progressive.

However, according to Gartner, “despite the importance of personalization engines, 63% of digital marketing leaders described delivering personalized experiences to their customers as a moderate to significant challenge.” 

The idea is well understood, but implementation, maintenance and leverage is a different story. For an “old news” strategy, how do the results remain so elusive for even the most consumer-focused organizations? 

While there are myriad reasons a personalization strategy might not fulfill an organization’s hopes and dreams, the following three insights can help realize the opportunity for new leads and deeper engagement with customers.

What Cut It Then, Doesn’t Cut It Now

The goals set when companies first began this journey, based on intricate consumer personas and data, have now grown and changed. One could argue that the idea of personalization came on the scene as early as the 1980s, deemed “relationship marketing,” then again in the 1990s as “dynamic content,” and finally in the 2000s as what we know now as personalization. Just as the technology, nomenclature, and data access have evolved, so have the consumers themselves. 

During COVID-19, the consumer demands of digital accelerated to new levels. What once was personal now feels generic. It’s time to re-evaluate goals and move to where the consumer will be tomorrow, not today. Taking cues from industries like media and entertainment, even the most highly-regulated industries like healthcare, biotechnology, financial services, and government entities can create a digital experience that attracts, converts, and drives loyalty with the most sought-after customers.

Content Is One Of Many Facets 

Marketers and content creators painstakingly draft tailored content for every single segment within an organization’s ecosystem. After disseminating expertly with little result, content strategists are now realizing that they haven’t quite gone far enough and can’t do it alone. Hyper-personalization is now the expectation, ensuring the content is visible and packaged in with all the other aspects of the experience. 

With tools like Dynamic Yield leading the way, personalization is AI-powered and includes photography, products, and offers that get customers where they need to go on your site or app, quickly. The full experience can be crafted, driving more meaningful conversions with the same platform. 

Nurturing Isn’t Just For Email

While companies are biding time before a replatform, optimizing experiences is worth the time spent. When it comes to email sequencing and nurture, consistently reviewing results and adjusting parameters is a well-known part of the process. So it is with personalization. 

The tools are more analyst and strategy-friendly than ever, allowing adjustments and testing to truly meet the organization’s objectives and goals. Metrics that marketers are able to adjust extend past CTRs and “add to cart” actions. Consider mobile-specific layouts, recommendation engines, product/service listings, and entire journeys (not only individual touchpoints) when orchestrating the perfect balance of personal and brand experience.

Innovation and experimentation are essential for the success of any organization during times of high digitalization and market volatility. As companies look to extend the life of their current digital experience, hyper-personalization is a lever that marketers can pull to safely experiment and increase business results without an entire replatform or redesign.