Higher response and engagement rates are the No. 1 reason to use personalized content, according to June 2015 polling from the CMO Council. It was the only benefit cited by more than half of senior marketers worldwide who responded to the survey.
But many other benefits had solid followings backing them up. Just under half of respondents said personalized or enriched content made for more timely and relevant interactions—which, presumably, are themselves a way of boosting response and engagement rates. More than two in five also agreed that personalized content converted more customers.
While there are many challenges associated with personalized content and creative, the rise of programmatic is also driving greater usage of it. Nurullo Makhmudov, director, online user experience & strategic initiatives at Sears Canada, told eMarketer earlier this year that the retailer had extensive capabilities to serve relevant marketing messages to shoppers on its site.
“When we are serving back to the consumer the same products that they are interested in or had researched, it provides a reminder and a comfort of convenience of access,” he explained. “Or, it’s an invitation to come back and finalize your purchase. In that sense, it becomes a highly personalized and individualized execution.”
Personalized ads aren’t just for the web. In-store personalized display or beacon ads can be important drivers of brick-and-mortar purchases, according to Adroit Digital.