We’re back with another prescription of Marketing medicine.
Instead of our usual breakdown, I brought on a special guest: Carina Pedersen, Senior Lifestyle Marketing Manager at IPSY.
This is part of a new mini-series, Marketing Medicine, where an expert guest and I break down some of the biggest issues plaguing modern Marketing—and give our prescriptions to cure them.
Check it out, it’s pretty sick (sorry, I had to).
In this episode, Dr. Carina and I talked about something every healthy Marketing org should be doing.
PERSONALIZATION.
PERSONALIZATION.
PERSONALIZATION!!!!!!!!
Time to get our MDs (Marketing Doctorates).
1️⃣ The Bar Has Been Raised
“We live in a world that's much more data centric and technologically advanced than the generations before us.
We're starting to notice our customers actually expect brands to craft and customize personalized messages to them; like what their needs are and what their wants are.
They kind of set the tone with brands like Amazon and Spotify, that have really raised the bar in delivering these sorts of crafted personalized experiences to consumers.
And so having had a little taste of that, many customers then apply that and really expect to see that with all brands that they interact with.
If you're able to execute it properly, your customers will feel like your brand actually understands them…which can translate into impacting your business KPIs.
For example, increased customer engagement, maybe lowering your acquisition costs, translating into higher conversion rates and even having better brand loyalty.
(Personalized Marketing is an ARMS RACE and we need to keep up.)
2️⃣ Data Is The Unlock…Only If It’s Clean.
It's really important to keep in mind proper data hygiene.
Making sure that your data is not error-prone or inaccurate, that it's correct, and that you're able to really leverage that and activate it in the campaigns you're crafting.
One thing that goes into that is, yes, having proper data hygiene, but also the processes and regulatory systems in place to ensure that you do have proper data hygiene.
Something we call data governance.
These are typically owned by your technical partners and the teams in your org that manage and own the data.
These rules are designed to ensure that your organization's data is accurate, it's secure, it's accessible, and used appropriately throughout the customer lifecycle.
This ensures that what marketers get is accurate and accessible.
(Think of your Marketing stack as an operating room. You need to keep everything sterile, ESPECIALLY your data.)
3️⃣ Clean Data Is Useless Without The Right Tools.
You can have all the amazing data in the world at your fingertips,
but without the right technology and tools to activate that data and physically personalize your campaigns, you can face many headwinds in bringing your idea to life.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to invest in the right Marketing automation tool and understand how data flows in and out of that tool.
Where is the data coming from?
Who owns the data that's collected?
Are there user behaviors captured in the backend (e.g., the data warehouse) that aren't available to marketers in the tools they use?
Identifying your setup and ensuring you’re truly set up for success is key.
For example, the marketing automation platform we use at Ipsy is Iterable (who just so happened to sponsor this episode!).
4️⃣ Personalization is More Than Just Dynamic Content
Personalization is so much more than just dynamic content in the body of a campaign.
You can think about it holistically—considering all the different ways you can reach your customers effectively.
Think through what channels you want to reach them on, what’s going to be more relevant for your audience, and what type of customer they are.
For example, some customers might respond better to an email versus an SMS, or a push notification if you have an omni-channel strategy in place.
Taking a strategic, well-rounded approach can help you personalize your campaigns more effectively.
(I’ve talked to TOO MANY Marketers that think personalization is including someone's name and sending them an email on their birthday. We need to do better.)
5️⃣ Don’t Expect Overnight Successes
It takes time.
This isn't something that's going to happen overnight.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and it's not a race—it's a process.
By chipping away at the strategy in smaller steps and adding one or two things to your roadmap each quarter, you can gradually build momentum.
Over time, that impact will compound."
