There’s no denying that we’re becoming an increasingly digital society. However, this is presenting a challenge for marketers as they struggle to work out the best way to engage and develop meaningful relationships with this new breed of digital consumers. It’s connecting with the millennial generation which is proving a particular stumbling block as their preferences and behaviours are significantly different from that of other demographics. Given the significant buying power the millennial demographic holds, it’s critical for brands to be connecting with millennials in a manner that is appealing to them.
Millennials like to coordinate their own shopping experience through digital channels, social media and mobile communications. There’s a huge amount of consumer data available to marketers across all of these touchpoints and now they’re under pressure to be using this to their advantage and consistently delivering the personalised experience that today’s consumers demand. Brands need to recognise that there is no longer the same path to purchase for every customer, instead there needs to be a unique level of engagement.
To do this, an overhaul of marketing strategies is essential to align them with the millennials’ needs. These customers are always-connected, touching their smartphones 36 times per day and many touching two different devices daily. These days the primary way for consumers to engage with brands is through digital devices and they expect brands to be just as connected as they are. So how do you take the data you have and create a marketing strategy that will actually resonate with your millennial target?
The Power of Social Media
Social media has been fully embraced by younger generations. Gone are the days of using traditional methods, such as email and search engines, for content discovery, now consumers are turning to social networks for this. Conventional marketing funnels are irrelevant thanks to consumers customising the way that they find news. What marketers need to be doing is breaking through with relevant, valuable, non-promotional interactions. Today, marketing success hinges on customers seeing, engaging with and then sharing a brand’s content on their social networks. To drive this essential content sharing, content must be personalised to consumers.
Get Them to Trust You
Building customer trust is also essential for marketers and nurturing customer experiences that are mutually rewarding needs to be a priority. So that they can deliver this consistently, brands have to understand what the shopper is looking for, along with details about their purchase history. This becomes increasingly difficult when shoppers are using multiple devices. Brands also need to make sure customers are aware of how their data is being used and they should always ask customers to opt-in and respect preferences for frequency – transparency and openness is key in order to build and maintain trust.
Data-Driven Strategies
With consumers facing a barrage of marketing messages, what often happens is that they tune them out. Things like email blasts and generic content just end up ignored. However, data derived from social channels enables brands to listen in, predict buying behaviours and engage with the customer in a two-way dialogue. Developing a meaningful customer relationship has to be about more than just getting the sale. At the end of the day, a relationship and personalised brand experience is what generates loyalty in the long run and keeps customers coming back.
Before beginning to use customer data, marketers need to determine a strategy for collecting and using it. Customer data is a valuable source of intelligence to create better targeted marketing messages and when these are done right, they add value for customers. On the other hand, if they’re done wrong, they can appear intrusive or offensive. Customer data needs to be used deliberately to deliver consistent, considerate and relevant messages. Once a brand is able to establish the necessary level of credibility, customers will start to become brand advocates.
And Of Course, Measure and Report
Measurement and reporting are critical when it comes to data use. Marketing campaigns should be agile enough to reinforce what’s working but then also immediately revise what isn’t. An agile approach will help messages stand out and remain relevant at every touchpoint.
A mutually rewarding customer relationship is far more successful than a campaign. Focusing on how to use data to create a personalised customer experience and foster engagement must be the aim for brands. Leveraging information about customers to better connect with them and participate in the natural buying cycles of their customers is a sure fire way to success.
By Paige O’Neill, Chief Marketing Officer at SDL.
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