6 Ways to Use Personalization to Increase Conversions
Credit: Shane Barker
According to Salesforce, 76% of consumers expect that companies should have a better understanding of their needs and expectations. And 84% said that they enjoy being treated as real people, instead of as just numbers.
Personalization is not only expected by consumers, but also necessary to help you increase conversions. According to Convert, personalization is possible in anything and everything which is consumable by customers.
You should leave no page unturned while exercising personalization with your customers. Here are a few ways you can use personalization to increase conversion.
1. Segmentation
The first obvious step to personalization is to segment your customers. You will not be able to personalize if you don’t divide your customers into groups based on common characteristics.
Geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral commonalities are the four basic criteria for segmentation. Based on these factors, you can personalize all your marketing efforts.
For example, based on segmentation you may know a customer’s language is not English. That customer will appreciate receiving communication from you in their language, (even if your actual store language is English).
Based on segmentation, you may know the gender of your customer. You can send personalized products in your emails based on that. You can send more specific products if you have done behavioral segmentation as well.
While sending discounts and offer emails, segmentation will help you understand what kind of discount will work for which segment. For example, offers for college goers and working professionals should be different.
2. Personalized Website
According to Invesp, 53% of shoppers value personalized experiences while shopping online. 45% of shoppers like a website better when it gives them personalized recommendations. Therefore, personalize your website for better conversions.
You can use platforms like Duda to build a super personalized website. You can have customized pop up offers and discounts. You can choose from several triggers like time, location device type, number of visitors and campaign URL. It also lets you change images according to special events and holidays.
You should also have a live chat or a chatbot on your website. The bot will show your customers around and offer products based on their behavior.
Amazon has been personalizing their website and product recommendations since 2013 (if not before).
3. Personalized CTAs
An effective call-to-action (CTA) is vital because it has the power to convert. While personalizing your emails and website, make it a point to personalize your CTAs too.
As the name suggests, a call-to-action should be action-oriented. Make it personal. iMPACT ran an A/B test of a personalized and a non-personalized CTA button. In a month’s time, they found a 78.5% increase in conversions with the personalized one.
Make your CTA button copy relevant to your product or offer. Make it a button which solves a problem that your customer might be facing. Do not use generic words like “submit” or “download.”
These words look directive and no one likes to be told what to do. Instead, use copy which focuses on the benefits. For example, “Send me my PDF,” as Kissmetrics uses on their CTA button.
When we talk about CTA buttons, landing pages are clearly going to come into the picture. Start tracking what consumers are doing on your website. For example, track the products they are viewing and adding to their carts, what they’re buying, and what they have purchased before.
Based on all of these, create a personalized offer or landing page for your website visitors. They might be surprised by your diligence to make them feel special. Above everything, they will be happy and that can help increase your conversions.
4. Personalized Emails
In today’s digital marketing world, there is no room for non-personalized junk emails. And legally, you can email somebody only if you know a few things about that person, and of course have their permission.
Try to find out who the person is, including their basic details like name and location. Go a step further and send emails based on their behavior on your website.
Automating your emails helps make sure that you never miss an opportunity, and it also saves you time.
If somebody has just signed up, send them a welcome email. Abandoned a cart? Remind them at regular intervals. Upsell and cross-sell based on their behavior and purchase history.
Remember, again the CTA button and the landing page are very important parts of an email. There should be a coordination in terms of color, subject, and copy.
Monica Vinader, the British jewellery shop, customizes emails like a pro. They take the first letter of the customer’s name and use it in the jewellery image in a way that it looks engraved on it. It passes on the message that it’s just made for that particular customer.
5. Explore Programmatic Ads
Programmatic ads open the door with crucial information about your customers, especially regarding their interests. Therefore, you can come up with more relevant ads at the right times, in the right places.
This no doubt improves your credibility as a brand, and it can also help increase conversions. The Economist does this well with their intellectually curious audience. They used programmatic advertising and their awareness in the US increased by 64%. Consideration also increased by 22%, and willingness to recommend by 10%.
6. IoT is the Future of Personalization
The internet of things could be the backbone of the next generation of personalization. Stay connected with your customers wherever they are and whatever they are doing.
It has a scope of being relevant like never before. For example, a consumer’s smartwatch may show ads of better running shoes in the morning. It already has the information that running in the morning is a part of their daily routine.
To Sum Up
A personalized website with personalized content is something that you must have to engage and convert your customers better. In fact, go the extra mile and explore big data, IoT, and programmatic advertisements to stay ahead of your competition.
Never purchase readymade emails or contact lists for your campaign because they are exactly the opposite of personalization. Track users’ behavior and gather as much information as possible. Make individual customer profiles and update them regularly to stay relevant.
