How Brands Can Start Adding Personalization to the Customer Experience

Customer experience ranks up there as one of the things that matter most to brands today. 

Do it well, and you’ve got a legion of happy customers who will come back to you again and again. Do it poorly, and you’ll get dropped like a hot potato. With so many options, it’s easy for customers to shop around until they land with a brand that gives them what they want.

What’s key to remember about this is customer experience is something that should coordinate across channels. For every interaction and transaction consumers make, you need to consider all the touchpoints they engage with along the way.

Here are a few ways to start adding more personalization to emails and improving your customer experience. 

Getting away from focusing on transactions

Did you know approximately 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from brands that provide tailored experiences? 

Experience matters so much today, a far cry from not that long ago when many brands put a big focus on the transactional side of the relationship. Now, communicating with consumers in a way that makes them feel like they are just a number turns them off. They find it’s lazy marketing — and it rarely gets rewarded.

Instead, take a step back and look at your customers, understand what they want, their motivations, what matters to them and use that to develop messaging across your brand. Yes, it’s more complicated and takes time. But doing everything you can to connect with customers and offering more personalization throughout every touch point can make a huge difference.

Understand the battle going on in the inbox

There’s no denying marketing right now is difficult. You’re competing on several fronts — first, against other brands and products, and second, against your customer’s attention. Time and attention are two of the most valuable resources consumers have today, and they aren’t willing to hand theirs over lightly. 

You have to take all of these factors into play when crafting your messaging across your brand. If you can’t win both the battle between brands and the battle of attention, you will fall behind. That’s not just a hot trend either, across the board consumers want more tailored content.

Here’s where personalization and finding ways to individualize the content your customers receive can help you start gaining ground, converting consumers, and improving your ROI.

Want some examples of how you can begin crafting these types of emails?

We thought you’d never ask. So let’s look at a few key ways you can start transitioning to personalized content and imagery in your emails in a way that will help you stand out.

An easy one is with shipping tracking. Of course, we all get these emails when we order something online, but many brands miss out on the opportunity these emails provide to connect with customers.

Yes, provide data about their package. But, you can go beyond that and include relevant information that also delivers value, such as personalized product recommendations, discounts, or related content that tie to their purchase. That helps drive repeat transactions.

Another place where you can deliver value to consumers is through a loyalty program. Unfortunately, here’s another area where a lot of brands are dropping the ball, not sending emails to a group of people who could potentially be some of their most consistent customers. 

Start by moving beyond the generic. Sure, you can give customers point counts. But why not develop personalized content, including rewards, discounts, or VIP events, around members reaching specific loyalty levels. It’s another way to add more personalization into the mix while encouraging action.

These are just two easy examples most brands can start incorporating into their marketing strategy right away. 

Keep the customer top of mind

The more time you take to develop ways to connect with your customers and find ways to engage with them, the better.

Let’s face it, personalization is here to stay, and consumers will continue to want individualized experiences from brands. The good news is you’re in a great position to start delivering.