‘Tis the season for one-to-one marketing

A recent shopping survey (by Harris Interactive for MyBuys) revealed 84% of people polled shop online. But what’s most important here is that 60% of customers say they are more likely to shop with a retailer that e-mails specific recommendations based on their interests and previous purchases rather than a generic message. This survey also found 53% of people prefer to shop with retailers that personalize their shopping experience and 65% would like retailers to offer e-mail alerts for new products or sales from brands or categories they like.

I’m making this point because it emphasizes the importance of relevant personalized messages instead of one-size-fits-all marketing.

If you’ve heard me speak, you’ve heard me make this point. I make it in every public talk I give: one-size-fits-all marketing does NOT grow loyalty, repeat business or word-of-mouth; personalized care, service and communication does. Be relevant at all times. Exceed expectations and you will gain repeat business from your current customers.

A one-size-fits-all message is what you might use as a newspaper ad--the same offer for thousands of people doesn’t speak directly to needs or preferences. A lot of junk, I mean direct mail, is often one-size-fits-all, however, they are improving the relevancy of messaging and that will improve the success rate of such efforts. For example, a UK based supermarket chain Tesco gets a 25-30% response rate to customized materials instead of the one-size-fits all newspaper insert which have low response rates.

Speaking in a more relevant way to your customers based on what you know about them is called one-to-one marketing. Even if you can’t get your e-mails or marketing efforts to speak to each customer individually based on their interests, you can speak to sub-segments of your customers in a more relevant way. And ‘tis the season. You want to sell more? You want to get more repeat business from your customers? Figure out what they need and market to them in a relevant and compelling way. Phrase your communication with language your customers use, and describe the benefits of your product or service in a way they would. Don’t use fake or stuffy marketing lingo.

‘Tis the season to sell more by being more relevant. Try one-to-one marketing and watch the results.