Everyone likes to feel special, to feel that something was done with them in mind. That’s why 75% of customers have stated they’re more likely to buy a product that was personally recommended to them.

As a business, however, it might feel like a challenge to reach each of your individual customers on a personal level, let alone those who might only be potential customers. But it is possible to personalize your marketing, and it’s a great way to make your promotions stand out and — hopefully — generate leads.

So let’s get into what personalization in marketing is and why it’s important.

What Is Personalized Marketing?

Personalized marketing is marketing that is designed — usually through data analytics — to be unique to each prospective customer, their interests and preferences. This is often done through email marketing. It may include:

• Addressing the email with the receiver’s actual name
• Sending the receiver offers and news that specifically relate to their interests
• Signing off emails with a human name rather than just the company

Personalization can also be used to encourage customer loyalty. For instance, online pet supply retailer Chewy asks customers to give the names of their pets when they sign up. Chewy has been known for sending handwritten cards and even flowers in the event of the passing of a pet or to wish your pet a happy birthday, making them seem less like a brand and more like a friend.

Why Is Personalized Marketing Important?

To say today’s market is oversaturated is a vast understatement. There are over 3 million small businesses in the US alone, to say nothing of franchises and larger corporations. But in 2021, there were 134 consumer units. Although a copasetic relationship between customer and business has always been important, these days it’s easy for consumers to feel like they’re just a number to the businesses they work with. And it’s all too easy for businesses to treat them that way.

Consumers are human beings. So are the people founding and running businesses. With the rise of the internet, of automated customer support, and so much remote communication, that human element can sometimes get lost, leaving consumers feeling burnt out and underappreciated. They may feel that all a business wants is their money, that they don’t care about the human behind that money.

While your brand may need to keep the lights on and reach your growth potential, it’s also important to remember the customers that support you financially. Treating your customers as human beings reminds them that you appreciate them and care about them on a deeper level. It helps to build trust and a rapport with your audience. This can encourage prospective customers to take the final step in making a purchase, and will engender loyalty in current customers.

How To Personalize Your Marketing

There are a few ways that you can work to make your marketing more personal. These are a few of the most effective strategies for personalized marketing.

Collect Data

Collecting data on your target audience will help you to understand their interests, their preferences, the issues they might be facing, and what draws them to your brand. You can collect data through:

• Cookies on websites or apps
• Conducting a survey among your target audience
• Doing market research on the different demographics in your target audience
• Using a data and statistics dashboard

With the results of the data you collect, you can send more targeted, personalized promotions, offers, and information that is actually relevant to individual consumers.

Personalize Your Emails

Most businesses send emails to email lists, but that doesn’t mean you can’t personalize those emails. You can section your email list into different categories based on interests, demographics, or other relevant factors. By creating sections, you can send out more targeted emails, rather than sending one general email to the whole of your email list.

You can also use apps to incorporate the first name of each individual contact, even in a mass email. Although this is a small touch, it can be an effective one, showing that you think of each contact as a human being and not just a number. Consider signing your name, rather than just your brand, at the end of each email as well. You can even add a digital image of your signature for an added touch.

Create a Thank You Page

A “thank you” page pops up after a customer makes a purchase or completes a transaction on your website. It thanks them for doing business, lets them know that their purchase is confirmed, but it can also help in terms of personalization.

“Thank you” pages can show similar high-ranking products based on the customer’s purchase, as well as offering special discounts or offers because of their purchase. You can also use a “thank you” page to link customers to a satisfaction survey, which can help you better understand their needs and preferences going forward. It’s a great way to show appreciation to your customer, as well as pique their interest about related offerings.