Brands are increasingly looking to integrate themselves into our daily lives and routines. From TV programmes to digital communications, brands are trying to create a natural and emotional connection between what we do, and the products and services they provide.

For example, WARC recently noted that product placement on TV is starting at a much earlier stage of the process (even at script writing stage). It’s also being incorporated into social and mobile games more and more. So that’s why we’re likely to see EE branded bus shelters in tonight’s EastEnders, Farrow & Ball paint in Thursday’s Grand Designs and Gatorade featured in the latest EA Sports game. But it’s extending into store too. Tesco recently announced that it is installing in-store cameras which will scan customers and play ads tailored to the age and sex of the unsuspecting shopper.

Customer relationship marketers are also thinking smarter and accelerating their use of demographic data and purchase behaviour. Some are starting to use more advanced analytical tools to analyse the content consumers engage with beyond the products they’re looking at and serve content they think we’ll like and engage with even more

Targeted, timely and relevant messages have therefore never been more important. But standing out in an increasingly crowded inbox can often be rather difficult. Triggered or event driven emails, based on either profile information or specific changes in customer behaviour, are a great way of standing out from the crowd. They can range from Domino’s sending out a blast to their customers on the evening of a big game to BMW sending out a reminder about your car after a major storm. In fact the average open rate for triggered emails is far higher than the open rate of standard eNewsletters - 50% versus 10% in fact (Econsultancy, ExpertSender, Oct 2013). Customers enjoy receiving personalised emails that aim to help them, the success of ‘Amazon recommends’ being a perfect example.

At Table19, we’re using triggers in CRM more and seeing record response rates and brand engagement as a result. We’ve helped our clients to decrease the amount of non-targeted or less ‘smart’ CRM communications that we’re sending out, and helped them with strategies to use data and real-life events to make them a more natural and welcome fit in people’s inboxes.

Here are five tips to be more ‘seamlessly integrated’, no matter if your budget is big or small:

1. A quick and easy win is seasonality. Obviously at Christmas time it’s a no brainer to ‘tis the season. In fact, we’ve already helped one of our clients achieve fantastic response rates just by doing something different: giving away free stuff when everyone else is purely promoting their sale items.

2. Purchase History Follow Up. Whether it’s holiday deals to Corfu or raincoats for girls aged two to eight, serving up a deal on what someone has looked at or something similar, is always an easy way to be relevant. This is something Starbucks could have used: as someone who doesn’t ever touch a flavoured drink, offering me a free flavoured drink only (with a minced pie, something I don’t like, either) doesn’t feel like much of a ‘treat’. Including (as a fall back option) to get my regular latte for free would have been a small but relevant touch.

3. Basket Abandon Follow Up. If someone has been searching but not buying, this is a great tactic to get browsers to convert to purchasers. Basket abandons are on the increase, so this is especially relevant for the travel, fashion and retail sectors. Sending a simple follow up mail can lead to as much as a 33% increase in purchase. (Salescycle, Q3, 2013)

4. Real Time Information. There’s more software out there that allows you to easily pull information from websites into your communications – whether its updated prices, countdown clocks, or weather reports – all will lead to increased accuracy and timeliness. Using software like Moveable Ink will allow your emails to be automatically updated when someone opens them – perfect for one hour ‘flash’ sales, a change in the weather or time, or to beat competitor prices.

5. Geolocation. It’s not new, but not many marketers are taking advantage of it and engaging with customers when they’re in your store (or, in a competitor store). Sending them a money-off discount when they’re in a shopping centre for your product is an easy way to remind customers you’re nearby, and seamlessly reward them at the same time (provided they want to hear from you, that is)!

Obviously there are plenty more ways to take advantage of the data that is now available to target your customers, but for the smaller companies that don’t have the time or facilities available to mine huge amounts of data, this shows there are ways to still stay ahead of the game. With Christmas already here, taking advantage of some of the more simpler tactics is more important than ever. If you’re not doing it, one of your competitors will be – which could mean the difference between a sale and a lost customer.

 

By Claire Meadows, Senior Planner at Table 19.

 

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