What are some successful content personalisation strategies?

The old saying remains gold - "Consumers are the king." A brand MUST know their audience to the core. Listen to your audience. They are interacting at different touch points - offline meet ups, events, at malls, cafes, shopping, online search behaviour, ads, social channels etc. Identify the need that you are trying to solve for. What are you trying to solve for them? A better convenience? Affordable price? One stop shop? Social status? To know the real triggers, a brand needs to step into the culture, community & competition experience to understand the white gaps that can be possible solutions to existing needs. Research, be it primary or secondary, if conducted well can reap long lasting results for the brand.

Personalizing your content is crucial because it's a reflection of you and your unique perspective on the world. It's a way of expressing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences. However, the importance goes beyond just showcasing your viewpoint. It's about understanding why you want to share this with others. Personalization is not only a form of self-expression but also a way to connect with your audience on a deeper level. By tailoring your content to resonate with their interests, preferences, and needs, you create a more meaningful and engaging experience. This connection can lead to stronger relationships, increased trust, and a sense of relatability.

Knowing your audience is really important. Develop detailed profiles of your ideal customers, including their needs, interests, and pain points. This helps tailor content to resonate with specific segments. In addition to this, utilize website analytics, email clicks, and surveys to understand user behavior, preferences, and content engagement.

In my experience, here are some key strategies: Data-Driven Insights: Use analytics to understand your audience’s behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns. Audience Segmentation: Divide your audience into segments based on demographics, behavior, or interests. User Journey Mapping: Understand the different stages of your audience's journey and create content tailored to each stage. Interactive Content: Utilize quizzes, surveys, or polls to gather direct feedback from your audience about their preferences and interests. Retargeting Strategies: Implement retargeting ads to serve personalized content to users who have previously interacted with your brand, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

My favorite way to find out my audience is to directly speak to them. If you can, conduct small interviews with your followers or customers, and ask them questions. Interviews can be written or via the phone or a Zoom call, but you must feel the real person behind your order number or their user ID. Make sure they know you value their time and effort and give them something in exchange: a promo code or a free PDF file with useful and relevant information.

Once you've grasped the importance of personalizing your content, it's time to define what you aim to achieve with this strategy. You need to set specific and measurable goals that match both your business objectives and what your audience wants. For instance, maybe you're looking to raise awareness about your brand, attract more potential customers, keep them engaged, or ultimately drive more sales. Whatever it is, having clear goals helps you stay focused and track your progress effectively. So, think about what success looks like for you, and tailor your personalization efforts to get there!

I would recommend starting with one or two channels, so your efforts are more focused. My client recently has achieved significant growth in followers while focusing on just one social media channel. Dedicate one month and spend it creating and refining content for one channel, and you will see groundbreaking results.

While you absolutely need all of that, you also need just… publish it. Just publish your content, even if it’s not perfect yet, even if you are unsure of your tone of voice and KPIs. Each published content piece brings you closer to your goals, and each time you don’t publish - you lose a great opportunity to connect with your audience.

Identify metrics that will indicate whether you're meeting your objectives. These could include click-through rates, time spent on page, conversion rates, social shares, etc. Develop different versions of your content to test elements like headlines, images, call-to-actions (CTAs), content length, or format. For example, you might create two versions of an email with different subject lines. Look at the data to see which version of your content performed better. Analyze why certain content worked well to gain insights into your audience’s preferences.

When implementing personalization methodologies, it's essential to strike a balance between creating a tailored experience for the user and maintaining efficiency in your processes. Use predictive analytics to anticipate user needs and preferences. This proactive approach to personalization can be more efficient than reactive methods. Ensure that personalization strategies respect user privacy and comply with regulations. Excessive data collection or invasive personalization can backfire and slow down processes due to legal complications. Ensure that personalization strategies respect user privacy and comply with regulations. Excessive data collection can backfire and slow down processes due to legal complications.

From the time you start writing and till your final draft is ready do the most important thing in between and that is connect with your audience, it's like getting a reality check. While your characters might be stuck in their emotional bubble, people out there have been through all sorts of shifts and changes. That's why it's crucial to get out there, travel around, and chat with folks. You'll be amazed at how much they've evolved since you started crafting your stories. Their perspectives have grown and shifted, leaving your old descriptions in the dust. So, hit the road, meet people, and update your storytelling to keep it fresh and relevant!