How do you make your digital marketing messages personal?

Now, once you’ve got all this intel, that’s when the magic happens. You can start speaking their language. You’re not just throwing messages out there hoping something sticks. Nah, you’re aiming straight for the bullseye. Addressing their struggles, cheering on their goals, and getting in sync with what moves them. To keep it 100, personalization is like being the DJ who knows exactly what the crowd wants to hear. When you drop that track that everyone vibes to, that’s when you know you’ve nailed personalization. So, get to know your audience, fine-tune your message, and watch the connection grow!

Personalized marketing is all about relevance. In one campaign, we segmented our list by industry to speak directly to each prospect's needs. Sending construction companies content about digital transformation wouldn't make sense. But relating our messaging to pain points in their sector changed everything. Open and click-through rates increased by over 20% when we tailored our emails to each industry’s specific challenges. Things like mentioning competitor names, relevant data stats, and industry terminology made a huge difference. It showed we understood their world and needs. Of course, you need the data and segmentation to personalize at scale. But taking the time to dig into what makes each customer and industry tick goes a long way.

By using customer segmentation tools, you can create personalized experiences, increase retention, and boost revenue. There are many customer segmentation tools available in the market, but some of the best ones are Userpilot, Baremetrics, Heap, Kissmetrics, Segment, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Piwik PRO, Reveal, and Google Analytics.

How to Make Digital Marketing Messages Personal: • Address your audience by name. By addressing someone by name, you show that you're paying attention to them and that you value their patronage and opinion. • Use relevant language and imagery. Make sure your content is tailored to the interests and needs of your target audience. • Share stories and testimonials. People are more likely to connect to your brand when they can see how it's helped others. Share stories and reviews from your customers to show how your products or services have made a difference in their lives. • Make recommendations. Give your customers product and service suggestions that are relevant to them and their interests.

"The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing"- Tom Fishburne. So, how do you make marketing doesn't look like marketing? The answer is, well, you guessed it right- Personalization. Google defines 'Personalization' as "the action of designing or producing something to meet someone's individual requirements." So coming back to the point- How do you make digital marketing personal? - Create audience segmentation. - Track the behaviour pattern of each segment. - Build a buyer's persona/reader's persona for each segment. - Produce dynamic content for each segment. **Tip: Write for a single reader and not for a crowd. Carry a one-to-one conversation in your writing.

in addition to using dynamic content, you can also enhance personalization by segmenting your audience effectively. By categorizing your audience based on demographics, interests, or previous interactions, you can tailor your digital marketing messages to suit the specific needs and preferences of each segment. This approach allows for even more targeted and personalized communication, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

Think about it: if you’re shopping online from New York, you probably don’t want to see offers only available in LA. Or if you’ve been checking out sneakers on a website, it would be dope to get ads about those kicks instead of random products. Using dynamic content is basically saying, “Hey, I see you. I know what you’re about, and I got exactly what you need.” Whether that’s on a website, in an email, or in an ad, it’s about keeping it fresh and relevant for every individual user. It grabs attention, makes your users feel understood, and boosts engagement. So if you ain’t on that dynamic content wave yet, you better catch it fast! It’s the future of creating experiences that resonate.

The key to leveraging dynamic content is effective segmentation. For example, using city images and specific offers based on the user's location can drive a significant lift in conversion. Many examples quoted here are geared toward new user acquisition. But you can also leverage dynamic content to build a habit and stickiness in your product and move your North Star metric, such as weekly active users. Based on the user's content consumption, you could tailor recommendations in your lifecycle marketing to drive retention and loyalty.

I use dynamic content wherever I can. This way you can automate your marketing and be personal still. One way how I use dynamic content for newsletters: I identify various segments, collect special fields of interest, as well as personal data. This way I can choose already on a first level, who is gonna receive the mail at all but can also define within the email itself which sections are displayed for which segments. I then begin to insert personalization tokens, for example, to address the recipient properly and to make sure the email is sent in the name of their key account manager. Furthermore, I can personalize various sentences to fit their profile - only adjusting content slightly to be more personal.

Dynamic content allows you to customize elements of your message based on the recipient's preferences or behavior. For example, you can show different offers or recommendations based on their previous interactions with your website or app. This level of personalization can greatly improve your campaign's effectiveness.

When I did cold email for the first time, my cold email open rate was stuck at 15%. Then I began adding prospect names to the greetings and subject lines. That one small change rapidly increased our open rate to over 30%! Studies show using names makes messages 60% more personal. 91% of people also say they're more likely to engage with brands who recognize them. Little personal touches like names make prospects feel valued as individuals, not just metrics. And feeling recognized goes a long way in building meaningful connections. With Firstsales.io, personalizing at scale is easy. Our platform handles integrating name fields and data seamlessly. Small personalization, big impact.

Sliding that name into email subject lines or those greetings? That’s a game changer. It’s like a digital handshake, making folks feel like you’re talking directly to them and not just broadcasting to the masses. And don’t even get me started on chatbots and social media. Making them personalized? That’s next level. But like you said, there’s a fine line. You don’t wanna be that annoying friend who says your name every other sentence. Overdo it or use it in the wrong context, and it can feel gimmicky, even insincere. And nobody wants that. Always keep it authentic. It’s not just about personalization; it’s about genuine connection.

If you want to address your customer by name on all of your digital marketing channels I do recommend being very upfront about that. One way to convey this is by giving the customer the control to easily change their settings within a profile or even in a user account. Otherwise, it might scare them away if you overdo it.

When personalising your communication, being human and authentic can mean writing like you talk. Your opportunity when personalising your written communication (in email marketing or LinkedIn posts) is giving people a sense of what a conversation with you would be like. This helps your readers get a better sense of your personality. It will also help you enjoy the process of writing your marketing messages. This is why you need to be careful using ChatGPT and other AI writing tools to write your content. Yes - they are helpful - but your tone of voice is unique to you. And it's what makes you stand out to potential clients and helps them decide if you are 'for them'. Trust your voice.

I have found intentional posting and digital engagement take your long-term message a lot farther than jumping on a trend for trend's sake. Consider adding a personal testimonial to the original content being shared, reposted with your own thoughts, or remixed! When you think of how best you receive difficult concepts and information, preferably through authentic storytelling, you always remember the points made during true human connection! Digital marketing should be no different.

Remember that personalization extends beyond data and technology. A warm and conversational tone, along with storytelling, humour, or expressing gratitude, can make your digital marketing messages more personal. Consider using your name, photo, or signature for that personal touch. Authenticity matters. Avoid coming across as robotic or generic in your communication to establish a genuine connection with your audience.

Absolutely! The key is human connection. One little detail that I still remember from a marketing campaign of ClassPass that I got a while back was when the sender included a picture of herself and her dog below her signature and said, "Her favorite way to move is to walk with her dog." :)

Alongside asking for feedback and preferences, remember that engaging with your users in this way not only makes your digital marketing more personal but also demonstrates a genuine commitment to meeting their needs. Utilizing surveys, polls, quizzes, or forms allows you to gather valuable insights about their satisfaction, expectations, and opinions. Additionally, offering choices regarding communication frequency, format, or content type empowers your users and enhances their overall experience. By actively seeking their input, you not only improve your offerings but also foster a stronger bond with your audience.

One thing I have found helpful is asking them what they think about the topic of the email or how they think I can improve my newsletter. I believe that it forces them to reread the content and engage.

Testing and optimizing your digital marketing messages is vital for personalization and effectiveness. Employ A/B testing, heatmaps, and analytics to assess message performance across variables like headlines, images, offers, and CTAs. Utilize metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and conversion rates to gauge audience behavior. Regular testing and optimization enable ongoing learning, allowing you to fine-tune your messages, enhance personalization, and maximize impact.

*Address your audience by name. This is a simple but effective way to show that you're speaking to them directly. *Use humor or emotion. People are more likely to remember and connect with messages that make them laugh or feel something. *Share stories or testimonials. People love hearing about other people's experiences, so this is a great way to build trust and rapport. *Ask questions. This is a great way to get people engaged and involved in your message. *Be yourself. People can spot a fake from a mile away, so it's important to be genuine and authentic in your marketing messages.

You should also consider using location-based segmentation strategies to approach your customers during the time of year when they're most likely to need your product.