Many companies have been trying to personalize the content they create for the target audience as much as possible, since that’s common advice they get and is supposed to be one of the best ways to really engage with customers.
Most consumers want to see content and advertising that’s personalized and relevant to them and their interests, they just don’t want to notice it when it’s really happening.
In fact, according to research, many people tend to feel angry, or even creeped out when they learn that the ads that they come across are presented to them based on their own personal details.
However, it’s important to remember that the personalization that most companies can achieve doesn’t really seem to be personal.
Most of the strategies that companies rely on are collecting data to then parroting back to the customers what the business has learned from those customers.
Although this type of information might be accurate for the audience, it doesn’t always make the customers feel like the business really knows them and it also doesn’t scale too well.
That’s why it’s important for companies to first think about what they are trying to achieve with their personalization efforts.
The most important goal is to deliver the right messages, to the right people, at the right time. Instead of trying to create content that’s personalized, companies should be striving to create personal content.
Although personalization tends to work in many cases, companies should start focusing on giving their customers content that makes it feel like it was made specifically for them instead.
Demographics
The most important thing when companies are trying to create targeted content for their target audiences by using technology is to focus on the context.
Instead of trying to identify someone’s demographic information, companies would fare a lot better if they started their content creation strategies by asking why a potential customer would want to build trust with the business through thought leadership, for example.
Additionally, the answer should always be that the company is trying to give its customers the best possible experience.
Personalization
As a potential customer starts moving down the different stages of the buying journey before they become a paying customer, they should start receiving more personalized messages from that business.
Since the company is learning more about that potential customer, it’s important to start addressing that potential customer directly.
That’s why it’s smart for companies to provide more open experiences when they first encounter potential customers so that they will be able to see themselves in different pieces of the content the company is publishing.
As the relationship between the business and the potential customer starts to develop, the topics of conversation should strive to become a lot more specific to that person in particular.
Finally, when a potential customer is about to become a customer, and even after that step, all communications from the business should be as personalized as possible.
Ronn Torossian is the Founder & Chairman of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States.
With over 20 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America’s most prolific and well-respected Public Relations professionals.
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