Top Customer Personalization Strategies | The Alternative Board

Customer personalization is one of the most effective engagement strategies today. While the personalization trend has been evolving for years, some early adopters include big household names. It has been more than 20 years since Amazon began leveraging customer data like browsing histories and past purchases to create personalized recommendations to users. Not long after, Nike offered consumers the ability to design their own athletic shoes. Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke campaign featured common first names on labels and had folks racing to find their or their loved one’s personalized cans. And people loved it, so it only makes sense that the rest of industry would jump on board the personalization train. And they did.

Today’s customers now expect a personalized experience from most of the companies with whom they do business. From customized grocery store coupons to song suggestions on their music apps, customers have an expectation of personalization that will help them make purchasing decisions. Personalization makes them feel connected, engaged, and valued.

McKinsey & Company recently reported some fascinating statistics related to customer personalization:

• 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions.
• 76% of consumers say they get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.
• 76% of consumers say that receiving personalized communications was a key factor in prompting their consideration of a brand.
• 78% of consumers say personalized content makes them more likely to repurchase.

But does slapping someone’s name on a can or predicting their next purchase really make for a more loyal and engaged customer? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Customer Personalization Strategies for Small Business Owners with No Tech Team

While customer personalization is important, not every business has access to some of the advanced technology, data infrastructure, and other high-end personalization tools that are leveraged by large companies. Nor the tech teams that can implement them.

But personalization doesn’t need to be out of reach, even to small businesses. In fact, creating a personalized experience can take very little effort and resources.

Here are some non-technical, low-cost ways to start incorporating personalization into your communication and customer engagement strategies:

1. Say Their Name

You are probably already blasting emails and newsletters to your customer base. Make sure that you always salute them by name at the top of the correspondence. This is done by inserting a merge field and selecting “First Name.” All email platforms including MailChimp, Constant Contact and others, include this capability.

2. Ask Them Their Preferences

Email your customers surveys or even gather this information at your POS if you have one. Customize your promotions or offerings based on the results. Make a list of customers with similar wants or needs, then create communications that leverage that personal information.

3. A Thank You Is Worth a Thousand Words

While it might seem a little old fashioned, a simple, personalized thank you note can be a very compelling loyalty tool. Even better if the message reflects empathy or something unique or specific about that customer’s experience.

4. Talk with Them on Social Media

If your business has a presence on social media (and it really should) make sure to remain consistently interactive in your communications. When followers, who are in all likeliness current, past or future customers, comment positively on your posts, thank them and let them know how much you appreciate them. If the comment is a complaint, validate their concerns and apologize. If an issue is unresolved, provide them a personalized path to a solution.

5. Put the Spotlight on Them

Consider incorporating some of your great customers in your newsletters, social media posts, or even simple case studies. While this might not be reasonable for everyone, it is a wonderful way to recognize your top customers and reinforce that they are seen and appreciated. Even a simple callout on social media can feel pretty special.

Customer personalization doesn’t have to be high-tech or complicated. When you consider it from a connection perspective rather than a data implementation, you pare the purpose down to its core meaning. Ultimately, it’s about demonstrating to your customers how much you appreciate and care about them. And you don’t need a tech team for that.