How to create a customer-driven marketing strategy that works

Marketing used to be a lot less complicated. Today, the way users interact with brands is evolving remarkably with continual changes in technology and the proliferation of channels. Consumers are no longer following a linear path when it comes to shopping. Switching between multiple devices and channels is the new trend. Once upon a time, in-person and online shopping used to be different events, but now switching between the two when making buying decisions and completing transactions is almost an everyday practice. To win, businesses should be available to customers through their preferred channels at the right time and right place. So, how do you give your customers what they want and when they want it? With a customer-driven marketing strategy that works.  

To become the first choice of customers, you need to get your marketing strategy right. That is where omnichannel personalization comes in. With hundreds of definitions of what omnichannel personalization is in different industries, it can get confusing, and you might even get lost in the jargon. Some think omnichannel personalization is just another buzzword that has no significant meaning. But that is not true! With omnichannel marketing, you can enhance customer experiences by personalizing every touchpoint of their journey. This is done by tracking real-time insights into customer’s behavior and buying patterns.  

There’s far more to learn than its basic definition, though. So, without further ado, let’s dive deeper into how to craft a customer-driven marketing strategy that works.  

What is Omnichannel Personalization and why is it important?

Omnichannel personalization is focused on understanding customers through their behavior across all channels and targeting them proactively. From a customer’s point of view, this means tracking their preferences, history, and actions across all devices and platforms, and gathering data to understand their needs and preferences which appeal most to them. Customers only come back if the experience they got was an unforgettable one. So, as a marketer, make sure you grab the opportunity to make their experience count.

Just having satisfied customers is not enough in today’s era. If you want a booming business, you have to give the customer what they want when they want it. With time, omnichannel marketing is growing in popularity. A study mentions 67% of eCommerce companies say omnichannel is “very” or “quite” important to their business. Companies using omnichannel strategies retain 89% of their customers, and those who don’t only retain 33% of their customers. Another set of incredible stats shows omnichannel personalization connects with customers 4.3x faster than the business benchmark and 43% higher than single-channel promotions. This means using a combination of multiple touch-points and displaying relevant messages to customers at the right time on the right channel yield higher engagement and conversion rates. The stats say it all.

Now that we know why omnichannel personalization is the need of the hour, let’s see the keys to succeeding by creating a customer-driven marketing strategy that works. Businesses lose out when they lack a foolproof plan that will help make a difference. Here are the tips and tricks you need to learn to improve your omnichannel retail strategy.

Expectations Are Outpacing Efforts to Be Personal

1. Map the customer journey and define the strategy

Creating a customer journey map helps you understand where and how customers interact with your brand. You can track the path your customers follow to perform a specific action on your website or offline store. You should look at the point they left (if they did not check out) and see what put them off.  

To offer an orchestrated omnichannel experience, you need to know their pain points and how you can help. Let’s break down your strategy for customer mapping in 4 simple steps:

Identify your customers: Find your potential customers and whether or not you can convert them. Understand them in-depth from who they are and where they live to what their age and gender is. You can get this information from a CRM or a current buyer’s persona.

Identify their pain points: What is your customer’s motivation to purchase, and what drives them to check out their cart? Are there any problems they cannot find a solution to?

Identify their interaction points: What channels are your customers using to make purchases? What platforms are they interacting with you on the most?  

Track the path of conversion: How do most of your customers convert? Customer paths are never straight. They might visit you in-store and then convert online, or view your social media posts and then visit your store. Your aim is to define the most common paths.

2. Undergo a competitive analysis

Keeping track of your competitors and knowing how they manage their omnichannel experience is a smart move. Businesses recognized as omnichannel brands can be your benchmark. Once you understand their omnichannel strategy and the gaps in your customer experience based on the competitor analysis, you can create a customer-driven marketing strategy that works.

3. Use the right personalization tool and tech stack

Personalization is the key to a successful omnichannel strategy because the last thing customer would want to see are irrelevant ads!  71% of customers feel frustrated when their shopping experience is impersonal, and 36% of consumers believe that brands should offer more personalization. For them, there is no excuse for a “personalization gap” to exist in the 21st century. 

If you want to take your personalization game to the next level, investing in the right personalization tools and tech stack is necessary. The right combination of both things will aid you in creating an effective data strategy and achieving multiple benefits. Let’s take a look at what will be in store for you:  

• You can collect data from multiple touchpoints along the customer journey, which will help you gain valuable insights into customer behavior and buying preferences.  
• Get a 360-degree view of your customer journey and easily track interactions across all channels.  
• Get detailed segmentation and analysis by cleansing and organizing customer data.  
• Quickly and easily access and analyze any data you need, which is easier if you have a fast and reliable way of collecting information. Keep a record of customers previous purchasing behavior and then create your personalization strategy accordingly.  

To complement this, you will also need the right tech stack to ensure that your personalizations get delivered across multiple channels.

4. Be agile: start small, test often, and learn

Start small. It is realistic and efficient to start somewhere you can gradually work your way up. Personalization is not an overnight success; it requires a lot of time and effort before you start seeing any results. Diving straight in and trying to personalize everything at once will not work. You will just get overwhelmed in the process and won’t be able to see where you made mistakes. So, it is better you start with small sections and see the effects, what works and what doesn’t. Focusing on a few key channels and touchpoints will help you create a perfect personalization strategy on a smaller scale before expanding it.

The most important part, remember to enjoy the process and learn from your mistakes. Every personalization effort is a new opportunity to understand your customers in a better way. And remember every small step of the process helps towards creating a customer-driven marketing strategy that works.

Wrapping It Up

The future of marketing is personalization. The best way to achieve this is through omnichannel personalization, which focuses on creating seamless experiences that customers love. By implementing this you will be able to bridge the gap between online and offline channels in no time. Create a lasting impression on your customers by delivering tailored brand experiences, Customer-Driven Marketing Solution by Confiz, can help you create a growth strategy for your business that works!

But how do you define your personalization purpose and create the right customer journey? Let Confiz help. Contact us at marketing@confiz.com, and we can help you leverage the platform to help you create a customer-driven marketing strategy that works.