Personalization reigns supreme in today’s consumer-driven world. Shoppers are looking for experiences designed to meet their specific wants, needs, and desires. They want e-commerce retailers to anticipate what they are looking for and to serve it to them across various channels. This can look like a crafted email, a timely SMS message, or even curated recommendations across a brand’s homepage.
New technology is making these consumer demands possible. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools are helping brands stay relevant and consistent with their personalized communications. However, it’s also important for brands to keep a human touch element and avoid feeling too pushy or persuasive. With that in mind, here are three tips for keeping your sales personalized but automated.
1. Collect Audience Data
You can’t personalize your sales if you don’t know what resonates most with your audiences. A campaign on the benefits of a product to busy moms won’t resonate if your audience is college-aged teenagers. Collecting audience data is the first step in knowing who your desired audience is as well as who you are currently reaching. By knowing their demographics, hobbies, interests, online searching habits, and purchase behaviors, you’ll be able to precisely target your messaging.
Thanks to AI, collecting audience data has never been easier. Through machine learning algorithms, AI tools can easily analyze and decode vast amounts of stored data. This technology can summarize the information so your marketing and sales team can best understand where the gaps currently are in your messaging and how to refine your campaigns. Automotive AI systems, for instance, can notify you of high-potential leads so your dealership sales team can concentrate on the individuals most likely to make a purchase. With this information, you can create a personalized approach while also offering well-rounded customer service.
2. Personalize Websites and Content
In sales, every touchpoint matters. An individual’s first interaction with your website or social media page can shape future touchpoints. Consistent branding and messaging ensure that your brand stands out and impacts brand recognition and recall too. That said, consumers want to feel like they’re unique buyers and are looking for brands to tailor the shopping experience to their needs. Instead of a blanketed home page, for instance, they want curated shopping lists based on their prior search and buying history.
Amazon Personalize, for example, uses machine learning and AI to serve customized homepages and recommendations for shoppers. It incorporates generative AI for website and content creation. Netflix is another great example of a brand that curates content based on past user experience. It recognizes what type of movies and television shows a viewer has enjoyed in the past and provides recommendations based on these insights. These dynamic pages are served automatically, meaning they are based on a visitor’s real-time interactions and engagements.
No matter what industry you’re in, a personalized website and curated content can help enhance a user’s overall experience with your brand. You’ll be seen as a company that cares about each shopper’s unique needs and provides them with a user-friendly shopping experience. This can lead to longer site visits, more conversions, and increased brand loyalty.
3. Deploy Targeted Marketing Messages
Once a sale occurs, the game isn’t over; in many ways, it’s just beginning! Keeping your audience engaged and loyal to your site takes work. However, it’s much easier (and more cost-effective) to keep a lead than it is to find a new one. At the same time, having your sales team focus on nurturing existing clients means they aren’t spending as much attention on finding new leads.
The solution is an automated campaign that is deployed by different triggers. As an example, once a shopper makes a purchase they are automatically sent an email confirming their order and providing important tracking information. After the shopper receives their order, another email is deployed a few days later asking them how they are enjoying the product. If it’s a product that needs to be refilled, such as a makeup item or packaged food, another email or SMS is deployed asking them to refill their purchase.
This simplified example of an automated marketing campaign ensures that your audience stays engaged while also keeping your sales and marketing teams in the field to find new leads. The key to the success of these bespoke marketing messages is to ensure they are both timely and relevant. By leaning on AI data, you can segment your audience lists based on prior purchases and the likelihood of repurchasing.
Tips and Takeaways
This is only the beginning of personalized sales. Newer tools and enhanced AI capabilities are changing how consumers interact and engage with brands. There will be even more opportunities for businesses to craft tailored messaging and deploy targeted campaigns to consumers. Personalization will remain top of mind as these technologies shape shoppers’ preferences and buying habits.
In the meantime, businesses that can adopt current technology that attracts the attention of engaged consumers and recruits them to the business’s loyal audience pool. Automating certain marketing and sales tactics will allow your team to focus on more strategic tasks. So rather than developing complex sales journeys, lean on AI and other tools and platforms to do the work for you. Your consumers — and your bottom line — will thank you.
