We’ve all likely experienced some sort of personalized marketing online, regardless of whether or not we are aware of it. It might be an email with your name entered in the subject line, a Facebook ad in your news feed for a product you recently viewed online, or even a direct mailer with a coupon for a follow-up service. No matter which tactic was employed, this kind of personalization is now becoming the norm for big and small brands alike. One very effective way to achieve this is through inbound marketing, which allows brands to hyper-personalize their messaging to a degree that has never been possible before.
Inbound marketing works by attracting new leads, cultivating relationships, and turning those leads into customers through content marketing, social media, and other channels. This pull marketing technique aims to draw consumers to you organically through brand content, such as blog or resource, and nurturing leads with targeted email campaigns to turn them into customers. Inbound marketing requires investment in order to purchase a software license for a tool (such as SharpSpring or Hubspot) that will work for your organization, as well as staff resources to manage and fulfill your inbound strategy. However, if executed well, an inbound marketing approach can be an effective method of bringing customers to your organization.
Here are some ways to use inbound marketing to provide a more personalized experience to current and potential customers:
Website personalization — If you use a robust inbound marketing platform, you likely have the capability to personalize your website content to each user based on information you have gathered about that person. Say, for instance, you are building a relationship with a lead who has filled out a form on your website to request an infographic that you’ve created. The next time that user is browsing your site, you don’t want them to be bombarded with calls-to-action (CTAs) to download that same infographic again. Instead, you may want to use dynamic CTAs that automatically change depending on the user IP visiting your site, displaying content relevant to your visitors. This way, you can help ensure that any time leads are on your site they are viewing content that resonates with them, increasing likelihood of conversion.
Email automation — Personalizing emails has been a practice for a long time, but not quite at the level you are able to achieve with inbound marketing software. Not only can you include merge variables, such as the contact’s name, company name, and other custom field details, but you can also have certain actions trigger the sending of other customized emails to a contact. For instance, say you have a page on your website dedicated to your service prices. You may have included a CTA on that page for users to request more information or schedule a call, but not everyone will notice or take action. You can set up automation so when a user visits that pricing page one or multiple times and does not fill out the CTA form, an email is sent to the user with messaging around pricing and taking the next step (assuming the lead’s contact information is known). Instead of simply asking the contact to schedule a call, the email could include a resource that speaks to the cost benefits of your service–this personalized approach is a great way to educate your prospects and nurture a relationship with them.
Whether you’re just getting started with inbound marketing or you’ve been using it for a while now, there are always opportunities to make your customer experience more personal. Take a look at your marketing materials–your website, emails, and resources–and consider how they would look to someone who didn’t know anything about your brand. Put yourself in the shoes of different types of people viewing your site, whether they’re in a different buying stage or have different pain points that they’re looking to solve. Does your marketing speak to them? How can you personalize each viewer’s experience to make it as relevant as possible? Taking these answers into consideration as you tweak your inbound marketing strategy will put you on the best track for success.
If you need help formulating an inbound marketing strategy, or are looking for ways to add personalization to your marketing, contact Concierge Marketing today to schedule a free 30-minute consultation.