In the old days, everything worked based on trust. The door-to-door salesman made the most money by selling his story as much as he sold the product. If people felt a connection with him, they bought the product.
Although the manner through which people buy things has changed, human nature hasn’t. In fact, with people becoming increasingly wary of over-automation, personalized touches and a customer-brand connection can set a business apart from its competition.
Content Marketing
Just having a website that has information isn’t going to sell anything. Forbes Magazine notes that not only is content marketing on the rise but the personal story in the content is the real attention grabber.
People need to feel that the content is providing them an emotional connection that creates a sense of identity with the product and company. When they feel this emotional connection, they are more likely to invest money and time in the product or service. If a business can get people crying, it can get people buying.
Email Marketing
People don’t automatically delete every marketing email they receive, despite popular belief. In fact, research shows that personalized emails drastically increase open rates and click-through rates. An increase in click-throughs leads to an increase in the money a business makes.
For businesses trying to find cost-effective ways to increase their revenue, investing in a way to personalize emails sent to customers is THE “way to go.”
Video Content
Video marketing tends to piggyback off the tactics of both content marketing and email marketing. According to FM Digital Group, personalized emails that link to video content on a company’s website amplify the emotional impact that either strategy has on its own.
Video content more easily draws on emotions and allows people to experience what others are feeling. Instead of reading sanitized words that tell a story, video content provides a visceral visual that shows a story. Video content on a website has more impact by appealing to people’s emotions.
Social Media and the Right Channel
Social media is nothing new. However, since most people live their daily lives on social media and are intensely connected to it, it is rapidly becoming one of the most personal ways to connect with customers.
Forbes recently noted that the way in which marketers will innovate their social media marketing programs is the ultimate game changer. They are finding new ways to incorporate live video feeds now provided on Twitter and Facebook. They are also using Snapchat and Instagram to further engage the younger demographics. Both kinds of strategies will help to sustain a business.
Takeaways
Small businesses are always trying to find the best return on investment they can when it comes to marketing. However, the personalization trends for 2017 are nothing more than putting a new suit on an old salesman. If people live their lives electronically, businesses need to appeal to customer emotions, not by knocking on their doors, but by pinging on their computers.
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