Think about this…
You are using a software and you run into some trouble. You can’t seem to figure it out. You’re getting frustrated.
You try to reach out to the customer service.
But all you get?
A chatbot that keeps going round and round and doesn’t seem to help much.
How would you feel?
Not so good.
How would I feel?
Contents
🫂 Personalization Vs. 🤖 Automation
Now… as a consumer, I like the human touch of a brand. When I get to talk to people.
Recently, I wasn’t able to access my ConvertKit account because of some billing issues.
I sent an email, got a reply within 5 minutes from an actual person and my issue was resolved within 15 minutes.
I like that personalization part.
But, from a brand owner’s perspective?
You also need to automate certain things if you want to scale.
The question is…
How do you go hard on automation without compromising on personalization?
🤔 Factors to consider
Let’s accept it.
Too much automation = less personal touch = generic interactions that fail to resonate with customers.
That’s a bad sign!!
You need to find a balance between personalization & automation.
And for doing that, here are 3 factors you need to consider:
1/ Customer expectations
Customers today expect personalized experiences that cater to their individual needs and preferences. Period.
You have to put yourself in their shoes and think from the customer’s perspective.
2/ Industry trends
Look at what others are doing in your industry.
If your competitors are relying too heavily on automation, there’s an opportunity for you.
An opportunity to differentiate yourself by providing personalized experiences.
This is something I learned from Nietzsche.
When everybody is doing X, you do Y.
3/ Technology
Look at what kind of technology is available at your disposal.
I mean… advancements in AI and data analytics have made it easier to gather and use customer data for personalization.
Automation tools have become so sophisticated that they offer options for customized messaging and tailored campaigns.
Once you understand these 3 factors, the meaty part that follows becomes simpler.
🚀 What you need to do
I’ll put it into 7 action steps.
That’s pretty much all you need to do to find a balance between personalization & automation.
Let’s go.
1/ Understand your target audience:
Everything starts with understanding your target audience.
You need to conduct thorough market research to identify your target audience’s preferences, pain points, needs, and expectations.
You know I’m a big fan of customer surveys, interviews, and social listening.
2/ Define personalization goals:
Using the information you gather from your research…
Determine the level of personalization that aligns with your brand and meets your customers’ expectations.
Set specific goals for personalization, such as:
- Addressing customers by their names
- Tailoring content based on their interests
- Recommending relevant products/services.
3/ Collect and analyze customer data:
This is a really crucial step that changes the entire game.
You need to set up proper tools to collect relevant customer data, such as website analytics, CRM systems, and social media monitoring tools.
Analyze the data to find insights about customer behavior, preferences, and patterns.
Identify key touchpoints and customer journey stages where personalization can have the most impact.
4/ Automate repetitive tasks:
Identify repetitive tasks that can be automated without sacrificing personalization.
Utilize automation tools for tasks like email marketing, lead nurturing, or social media scheduling.
5/ Personalize content as well as communication:
Craft personalized content tailored to your target audience’s interests, pain points, and stages in the buyer’s journey.
Use marketing automation platforms to segment your audience and deliver targeted messages.
This is where the data you collect comes in handy… as it helps you in segmenting your audience.
This way you can leverage dynamic content and email personalization features to deliver tailored experiences at scale.
Win-win.
6/ Humanize customer interactions:
Identify touchpoints where personal, human interactions are essential, such as customer support or sales calls.
Train your team to deliver exceptional personalized experiences and establish authentic connections with customers.
Please use chatbots and AI-powered tools to enhance, not replace, human interactions.
Use them to provide instant responses or route different sorts of queries efficiently.
7/ Continuously iterate and optimize:
Regularly review and analyze the effectiveness of your personalization efforts.
Monitor key metrics like customer engagement, conversion rates, and customer satisfaction.
Collect feedback from customers to understand their perception of your personalization efforts.
Adjust your automation and personalization tactics based on insights and feedback received.
🧠 Keep in mind
If you follow these 7 steps religiously?
You won’t ever have to worry about the balance between your personalization and automation efforts.
See.. in today’s world?
You cannot survive in business without adapting to technological advancements.
The key?
Use it to your advantage.
Your customers will thank you. Your future self will thank you.
And that’s all for this episode of Man vs. Machine.
Found this article helpful?
Join The Marketing Fundamentals Newsletter for FREE and get the finest, simplest, and most effective marketing ideas that (actually) work straight into your inbox with only one power-packed email per week, every Tuesday.
(No daily spam or jargon… just pure value!)
0 Comments