The Importance of Gaining a 360-Degree View of the Customer

Gaining a 360-degree view of the customer is so important. The more information we have about our customers, the better we can understand them and meet their needs. A 360-degree view of the customer takes into account the content they have consumed, the stage of their journey and which products they have today.

In our last installment of this six-part series, we explored how to use personalization to drive customer success through portfolio expansion by showcasing complementary products. But we often encounter customers that are very happy with the version they are on, no matter how old it is. We hear customer comments, such as “it just works” or “it’s reliable.” Why upgrade when the product works fine as-is? Even when the product version is no longer supported, customers may still feel confident maintaining the status quo. How can we challenge that loyalty, such trust in our own solutions? 

Going Beyond Features and Benefits

We can continue to build upon this existing digital relationship with customers by analyzing which pages they visit and seeing what content piques their interest. We can move beyond messages that focus on the features and benefits of newer versions because they can easily find that information on a what’s new page. Rather, take the opportunity to understand the fears or challenges with upgrading. Is it cost prohibitive? Is the jump too great from a technological perspective? Have they made too many customizations on their current system to upgrade?

Understanding your customers, and specifically their reservations and values, will enable you to deliver personalized content to close the gap on some of the issues causing their reluctance to upgrade to the latest version. Personalized messages can be subtle or overt. For example, by promoting professional services or highlighting customers who have successfully made the jump to the latest version, we can subtly hint to unsure customers that there is help available to get them through the upgrade process. Through unique promotions, we can also make prohibitive costs seem within reach. We can even leverage before and after videos to highlight the value of specific features. The options are endless.

By integrating your marketing automation system or customer relationship management tool with Sitefinity, you can get a 360-degree view of the customer. This information can be so valuable for personalization, as it enables us as digital marketers to offer a more relevant journey to our customers. 

Key to Engagement: The Right Content at the Right Time

As this series comes to an end, I wanted to leave you with a few guiding principles I live by when it comes to personalization:

1. Segment your audience. Use a unique identifier to clearly identify your audience, differentiating these visitors from others.

2. Go to where the conversation is. Leverage the channels and pages on which your audience predominantly resides to deliver your message.

3. Refine your message. Build stronger connections with your audience by engaging customers with the most relevant message.

4. Clearly define your CTA. Go into each campaign knowing exactly what you want the user to do.

5. Continually optimize. Personalization is an iterative approach, so be sure to continuously optimize to stay in sync with your visitor as they move through the customer journey.

6. Personalize responsibly. Personalization can be powerful—the opportunities are nearly endless. Just make sure you are using personalization strategies in a responsible and relevant manner.

Today’s companies have access to more customer data than ever before. By using that information to personalize campaigns specifically to target audiences, you can build a captivating customer experience that is sure to delight loyal clients and first-time prospects alike.