From smartphones and social media to tablets and apps, we’re living in a world where we’re constantly connected with the people and things we love. Many of us can’t start our days without first checking our email or social feeds to see what we might have missed while we were sleeping.
This constant connectivity is great (despite what some say it’s doing to our attention spans), but so much screen time also exposes us to an influx of messaging and content from companies trying to sell to us, which can lead to digital overload.
With so much content constantly fighting for our screen space – some studies have estimated we’re exposed to anywhere from 4000 – 10,000 branded messages every day – we have a tendency to just tune everything out.
This inclination is a troubling one for marketers – how are you expected to compete with such intense competition, cut through all that noise and get people to pay attention to what you’re saying?
The People-First Approach
For years, marketers focused on getting more messages onto more screens, but this tactic is no longer effective. Consumers are tired of being peppered with impersonal messaging and being treated like generalized demographic segments – they want content that is catered to them and their unique interests. The good news for marketers? It’s fairly simple to give consumers what they want. Start by collecting and leveraging first-party customer data, which includes things like age, gender, income, interests, communication preferences, previous purchasing behavior, social engagements, etc. These attributes will help you gain a better understanding of your customers so you can provide relevant content that is more likely to capture their attention.
Technology Can Help
Once you’ve gathered customer data, technology can bring things to the next level. Artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics can help you automate and deliver personalization to customers throughout their journey, no matter which device they’re using. With the right algorithms, these technologies can determine customer intent and identify what type of content will work best for certain individuals, so you can deliver your message at the precise moment a customer is likely to engage.
Key Takeaways
What? Device use is at all-time highs, but it’s now harder than ever for marketers to cut through the noise and get their message heard.
So what? Taking a people-based approach to marketing can help get your message heard and build better customer loyalty.