Personalization: Your Key to Driving High Conversions.
It’s Marketing 101: Directly addressing a customer or prospect’s needs/pain points will catch their attention. And they’ll engage with your marketing long enough to see your offer and make a decision.
But there’s a deeper level of making your marketing all about a customer … It has to do with entering the conversation already going on in the prospective customer’s mind.
Ideally, you want your marketing to join that conversation at the right moment, where your voice will be welcomed because you are contributing to what’s top of mind to them.
To do that, you need to know:
● Who the prospective customer is
● What they want at that moment
● What’s preventing them from getting it, and
● How your solution will best help them.
For example, some of our most effective client campaigns target people who are moving.
Reason: New home buyers average $12,000 in spending on their new home, according to the National Association of Home Buyers. New movers buy furniture, televisions, appliances, home improvement and repair supplies, flooring, landscaping equipment and much more.
But they are also looking for specific items — some want a new lawnmower and miter saw; others want new bedroom furniture; others want to do major renovations of flooring and kitchens.
Without knowing more about specifics, your campaign isn’t about the conversation in their heads at the time. You’re guessing that your campaign will attract enough customers at the right moment. That wastes money … and it’s unnecessary with today’s technology.
Data drives decisions. Personalization drives conversions.
We know people who move are going to buy goods and services at nearly five-figure levels in the first 12 months. What we don’t know is the exact conversation going on in their heads at any given moment.
So, let’s look at how that conversation develops in their minds.
What do people do when they are interested in buying?
They go online to research and window shop — even if they intend to purchase at a store (74%).
Sometimes, they may drop by your site and bounce. Other times, they may click through and do some research. And still other times they may go all the way to filling a cart — only to abandon it.
- And the mental conversation goes something like this:
- “We need to get flooring for the kitchen.”
- “I’ll go online to look at options.” [Studies colors, textures, shapes, prices.]
- “This looks great. I’ll get this …” (clicks through cart)
- “On the other hand … maybe I’m being too hasty and should keep looking.”
As the statistics show, it’s more likely than not that a cart will be abandoned. You need to retarget those abandoned browsers. They already took action on your website. These are warm-to-hot leads.
Now what? How do you enter that conversation with the prospective clients who are ready to buy?
First, you need the web-browsing session data. What were they looking for? What level of interest did they show? You need to separate high-intent buyers from casual browsers.
Next, you’ll need the product category selection. You need to identify what they want and what solution you can offer. You’ll need to have specific pictures and messaging personalized to them. So if they are looking for furniture, you’ll need to go to the next step … if they are looking for bedroom furniture, you’ll be able to show them what you offer.
Then, you’ll need to act quickly, but not too quickly. Time is of the essence. But — paradoxically — there is a natural pause for reflection with abandoned carts. (We’ll explain more in a moment.)
Finally, you need to mix up the channels. Your prospective customer is online, but they are talking about buying products in the real world.
One reason direct mail is so effective is that you can personalize, move quickly, and also leverage that “pause for reflection” in the real world.
They are away from their computer/mobile device, even if it’s printed and mailed the next day. They are in a different mindset than in the instant-gratification attention span of a computer. If your ad is personalized and arrives a day or two later, they will no doubt review your offer again.
While email retargeting and ad retargeting are effective options, they can also feel a little intrusive at times. That’s why direct mail retargeting is so effective. It’s a powerful tool in the mix (and an essential one). Here are the steps we’ve found to be the most effective:
- The shopper visits your website
- They’re identified and a postal record collected
- Data is scored to identify the best opportunities and separate out low-intent prospects
- A personalized direct mail piece is created, printed, and mailed the next day
The high-intent prospective customer then gets a customized direct mail piece speaking directly to them about something they’ve been reflecting upon … and then see the power of your offer.
Of course, all campaigns are tracked and brought into a feedback loop, so we can work together to adjust and improve your results.
Want to learn more about how you can leverage the power of personalization in the direct mail channel to retarget more effectively and boost your sales? Let’s chat.