By Hena Aposhian (guest writer and former DeeMer)
When thinking of the holiday season, our minds automatically shift to the sparkly decorations and joyful celebrations. However, in the world of marketing, the winter holidays play a crucial role in boosting sales for businesses and reconnecting them with their audiences. More specifically, there is one strategy that acts as a turning point, and that is personalization. In this article, we will see how personalization elevates holiday marketing strategies and why most businesses need to employ this strategy to reach success during this jolly time of the year.
Personalize, you say?
Transitioning to personalization in the marketing toolkit goes beyond incorporating a new technology or a stratcomms. It requires a shift in mindset. Instead of creating targeted marketing campaigns based on what customers are actively searching for, businesses or any marketing agency should strategize around what customers need, and even go beyond by expecting and anticipating their needs before they are even aware of them. At Deem Communications, when assembling customer data and predictive insights, we prioritize relevance and predict the next requirements and desires of our customers.
With strategic marketing, we propose to tailor advertising and overall content to meet the needs of each consumer. Yet, the impact is inevitable. And what better time to benefit from such a strategy than the busy holidays?
Personalized holiday marketing strategies
In our 17 years of experience in the rapidly changing markets and technology, we have noticed that as companies prepare for the holiday season, personalized strategies become the centerpiece on the top of the Christmas tree. Whether it involves customizing promotions and discounts according to customer behavior, incorporating strategic thinking through dynamic pricing and special holiday offers proves to be an effective method for attracting more and more attention. The addition of personalized christmas-themed content, such as gift guides and individualized email campaigns adds a deeper element that builds a deeper emotional connection with the audience.
Use of personalization tools
It is no surprise that the process of incorporating personalization involves leveraging the latest technologies. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), combined with analytics of customer data, can help businesses comprehend individual preferences and predict their behavior. For instance, personalization engines help our experts analyze customer data to deliver customized content and recommendations. Data analytics platforms deliver actionable insights into customer behavior and preferences, and personalized landing page tools tailor landing pages to specific customer segments, presenting relevant content and promotions. The strategic usage of such tools by companies exemplifies the capacity of technology to elevate the customer experience not only during the holidays but also in the long run. Recently, our agency implemented a personalized product in Armenia for a world renowned chocolate company. We used existing data to assess best options for Influencer Marketing and promotion.
Advantages of personalization during the holidays
By customizing their content, communications strategy, promotions, and discounts based on customer behavior, our creatives have offered companies options to provide a more engaging and fun shopping experience. Let’s look at some of the specific benefits that arise from incorporating personalized strategies during the festive season.
1. Enhance customer experiences
How does the incorporation of personalization affect the customer experience? By integrating marketing automation and personalized tools, businesses will be able to craft an optimal experience for each customer. Utilizing comprehensive customer data through collection and analysis, you can automatically customize the experience on an individual basis. Moreover, through predictive modeling and lead scoring, there is the potential to enhance revenue. Whether it’s receiving targeted email campaigns or automatic product recommendations through various channels and platforms, customers will begin to value this personalized approach, having your business/product at the top of their list.
2. Build brand loyalty
Before even trying to implement personalization into your marketing strategy, it is important to understand that personalization is more than prompt sales and gaining dozens of customers overnight, as it plays a crucial role in fostering long-term customer loyalty. The foundation of loyalty is trust, and personalization is essential in building that trust. Combining positive customer experiences with personalized interactions leaves a long-lasting impression that not many other strategies can offer.
3. Provide genuine motivation for the customers
The role of personalization, public relations, and branding extends beyond a mere name or logo, as it becomes a mirror of how a brand sees itself and its audience. When companies combine personalization with strategic thinking, they make sure that their customers’ needs are met, without having to overwhelm them with unnecessary products. Once implemented, companies can address their clients’ needs through gift guides, shopping assistants, and interactive elements like polls and quizzes, encouraging active participation and communications from the audience’s end.
Challenges of personalization
As we mentioned above, personalization can be of great benefit, especially during the holiday season. Yet it is also important to address some of the challenges that may arise with it, especially in the areas of privacy and genuineness. One way to avoid such issues is by providing transparent data practices. To find the right balance between personalization and authenticity, companies will have to avoid issues related to excessive personalization and guarantee that personalized content remains applicable only to the customer. Years ago, when we were implementing Byblos Bank Armenia’s holiday Housing Loan promotions, our marketing team sought to remain genuine and authentic while creating the promo. This turned out to be one of the best campaigns for the banking sector at the time.
Conclusion
Whether an SME or a large-scale business, the role of personalization in holiday marketing should not be undermined. Going into the holiday season, leveraging personalization through innovative strategies will help distinguish any business and drive sales. We believe that once implemented correctly, personalization will become your brand’s biggest tool and help you build a deeper relationship with your customers that will extend the holiday season. Sometimes, it helps to seek the support of experienced agencies such as ours. Always here to help!
