Future Proof Your Marketing Efforts Through Personalization

Consumers are bombarded with upwards of 10,000 brand references every. single. day. With a stat like this, no wonder consumers are tuning out advertising content. And the vast majority of the content consumers are exposed to does not resonate, nor will it inspire a change to consumption behaviour or purchase decisions.  In fact, much of today’s content is more likely to push consumers further away. 

While this is true, the competing reality is that consumers desire, and demand, personalization in the way brands market to them.  Personalization marketing allows brands to engage with the right consumers in a manner that makes them feel unique, valued and understood.  Brands who are able to connect with their consumers with messaging, offers and experiences that are tailored to the individual have a significant advantage and ability to stand out in a highly complex and competitive marketplace.

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Why is Personalization Marketing important?

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Personalization marketing is important because consumers demand it, and, when executed well, it drives sales and growth.  The vast majority of consumers expect personalized communication from brands and are frustrated when that expectation goes unsatisfied.  Consumers want to connect with brands that demonstrate an understanding of them, and create messaging, content, offers and experiences that are meaningful to them.  Successful personalization drives stronger consumer engagement, increased conversion rates, improved consumer retention, and a better brand image.  What's more, companies who execute personalization well deliver significantly more revenue from those activities than their competitors, generating growth and efficient returns on marketing investments.

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How can Consumer Packaged Goods brands succeed in breaking through the advertising noise, differentiate themselves and increase revenue with their limited marketing resources?  A key element to success is to be better than the competition when it comes to leveraging personalization in marketing efforts.  In fact, the best personalization marketing efforts deliver a significant return-on-investment.  Why?  Because personalization marketing comprises of tactics that tailor messages, offers and experiences to individual consumers in a way that is meaningful and relevant to them.  Waste is minimized with marketing tactics delivered to high potential consumers.  Personalization creates stronger consumer engagement, leads to increased conversion rates, improves consumer retention, and leads to an enhanced brand image. 

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Let's break it down...

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Stronger Consumer Engagement:  When consumers feel valued they have stronger engagement and emotional connections with brands.  With strong engagement comes higher levels of trust.  Brands that demonstrate a strong understanding of the needs and preferences of their consumers earn higher levels of trust.  Consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they receive a personalized offer or experience.  Effective personalization builds closer relationships with consumers, boosting loyalty and increasing the commercial impact of those consumers to the brand.

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Increased Conversion Rates and Consumer Retention: Consumers are more likely to respond to a campaign’s call-to-action when the offer or experience is tailored to their unique needs and preferences.  Quality personalization efforts increase the likelihood of converting interest to intent, and ultimately, to actual purchase.  Further, when consumer needs have been met, and a connection made, those consumers are more likely to make repeat purchases, fueling a more loyal and stable buyer base.  

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Enhanced Brand Image:  Personalization allows consumers to view brands as being attentive and understanding of their needs.  This drives a more positive brand image, which in turn increases loyalty and fuels word-of-mouth recommendations.  Executed successfully, personalization engages consumers such that they share their positive experiences with the brand, leading to expanded consumer reach via the social media networks of a delighted and engaged consumer base.

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But how?

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Personalization marketing is key in today’s diverse and complex marketplace.  There is no question that consumers demand personalization, and they filter out content that is generic or poorly targeted.  Getting the most out of marketing budgets and tactics is paramount, and while leveraging personalization sounds easy, the reality is that many CPG brands struggle to create the connections that make consumers feel special and valued.  There are several reasons why CPG brands often struggle to successfully implement personalization marketing strategies.  Some of the biggest challenges associated with building meaningful consumer connections include a lack of quality consumer data, a highly complex route to market, and often a lack of expertise.

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Prioritize Data Acquisition:  Impactful personalization marketing requires accurate and comprehensive consumer data, at an individual level.  Many CPG brands struggle to collect and manage the necessary consumer data.  The changes to privacy legislation, and third-party cookies, makes this challenge all the more daunting.  Organizations who prioritize first-party data strategies, and effectively leverage that data, can break through and create unique, tailored experiences for their most valuable customers.

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Uncomplicate the Route to Market:  Most CPG brands have complex routes to market that include distributors and retailers, increasing the distance between the brand and the consumer.  Limited direct consumer interaction, and supply chain complexity makes it more difficult for brands to collect, manage and coordinate personalization efforts.  

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Build Personalization into your Marketing Strategy:  Often, because of the challenges associated with data collection and management, as well as route to market complexities, CPG brands do not prioritize marketing efforts leveraging personalization.  This creates a gap in the deep understanding of consumer data, consumer behaviour, and marketing technologies necessary to successfully implement personalization marketing. Marketing teams need to consider investing in technology to take personalization to the next level. Including personalization in the strategy up front will set your team up for success in the long run when it comes to executing a personalized approach to marketing to your consumer.

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Despite these challenges, CPG brands that are able to implement personalization marketing can reap significant benefits.  These benefits include stronger relationships with their consumers, increased consumer engagement and loyalty, stronger returns on marketing investments, and increased revenues.  Is it a challenge? Yes.  Impossible, no.  In fact, many emerging CPG brands are leading the way in the space of personalization marketing.  Why?  Because they began their journey as direct-to-consumer, creating and leveraging first-party data strategies to drive engagement, community, and sales traction and growth through personalization technology and tactics.  By investing in data, technology and resources, CPG brands can stay ahead of the competition and stand out in today’s competitive marketplace.

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Takeaways

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Personalization marketing is critical for brands to understand, leverage and get right.  Brands who understand their consumers the best are well positioned to break through the noise of almost constant advertising content.  They leverage well defined data acquisition strategies, segment audiences precisely, and leverage tactics and technology to deliver unique experiences to the consumers most likely to drive growth and profit. 

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Omnichannel product experience companies like Sampler are uniquely positioned to help CPG brands successfully tackle personalization marketing challenges.  Digital sampling is a powerful tool that allows brands to create tailored experiences for their consumers.  Through omnichannel product experiences, Sampler allows brands to collect, segment, and action against high quality, attributed, first party consumer data.  Through optimal audience segmentation and offering relevant samples, CPG brands can create successful digital campaigns that deliver sustainable growth for their business.

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About the Author

Krista Thompson is an Information Services executive and consultant with BritOn Solutions Group.  With over 20 years experience delivering profit enhancing marketing and sales guidance to Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturers and retailers, Krista has a passion for analytics, innovation and business transformation.  She is known for orchestrating and leading change, harnessing the power of team and creating value for stakeholders.

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