Customized marketing messages are far more than just getting the right name on the email greeting. Leads now expect a seamless user experience designed around them, yet a minority of marketers feel they’re able to deliver on that promise. Personalizing a customer experience starts with getting the data you need to customize interactions, so let’s look at the role data enhancement plays in tailoring experiences to your users.
Contact Data
The foundation of your customization efforts is getting the contact data right. A single typo can throw you off balance from the start. If you’re addressing Kim as Jim, Kim tunes out; you’re no longer speaking to her. Similarly, if you mail to the wrong address, then your prospect never sees your carefully crafted message. Before you can move on to other levels of customization, you must get this one right.
Fortunately, contact data is also where data enhancement can make the greatest difference by filling in missing information based on data you already have on your leads. First-party data you collect directly from prospects becomes enriched with third-party information from a trusted source, such as a list broker or list manager.
Purchasing Data
Effective marketing also requires you to have some idea of what your leads already own and when they started owning it. Purchase histories define your approach when it’s time to sell upgrades or make replenishment offers, letting you speak to what leads truly need instead of guessing who might be in the market. As with contact data, third-party purchase histories can provide a wealth of information to help you meet your prospects where they want you to be. Purchasing records also offer insight into buying habits that shed light on another key aspect of customization: behavior.
Behavioral Data
More sophisticated marketing technology has allowed us to understand far more about how leads make buying decisions and when they’re ready for the sales team. Who are your leads, and how do they interact with your brand? Learn more about them, and you’re able to fit a customized user experience around them with great precision. Timing is key for making the most of behavioral data, so a marketing automation system that features lead nurture programs is ideal for customization.
Great customization puts all the data in context and lets you create marketing messages that feel as though they’re addressed to an audience of one. When leads feel individually cared for at that level, you’ve truly gotten the hang of customization.
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