Be More Relevant, DamN it..
Given how many messages and notifications we get in a day from the world around us, should brands be doing more to understand the type of comms a customer would want to receive, would engage with, or would consume, to then be able to cut through the white noise and stay relevant?
It Feels Like We Should Do More …
When you register with a brand or loyalty program today, customers are still typically asked for general consent to allow brands to engage. This is great, it’s a starting point, but I still haven’t seen any brand ask what (or how) I want to be communicated about.
If we take that further, I have not seen many brands use their data to better understand what their customers are actually consuming from them. The focus is typically on what offer worked best. Surely this is a missed opportunity? Surely this is budget and resource that could be better used?
As a customer, how many emails do we get everyday that we ignore because we know most of the content is pointless for me. But why should it be like this when we have, in my opinion, such an obvious path in front of us to being more relevant?
The ‘go-to’ when it comes to being relevant has always focused on offer and/or product. ‘We think you would like this product, because you bought this previously…’
Sure, that’s a good starting point, but there are so many more ways to be more relevant, to be more targeted.
‘But What Does Being Relevant Look Like?’ I Hear You Ask …
Funny enough, this too is also quite personal(!)
I can be relevant by engaging a member at the right time of day, or right day of the week, or through the right channel, or with the right offer construct (Fixed Bonus Points vs Multiplier), or with the right offer validity period, or simply with the right tone of voice.
I could go on, but I think you get my point…! Figure out what in your toolkit could be personalized, then pull that lever!
Ok, How Do We Become More Relevant?
Like I said, we have a lot of opportunities in front of us.
Loyalty teams, I’m calling you out first, we can be doing more today.
First, a simple checkbox on registration, for example, can allow members to tell me they want to know about offers, new products, and the brands sustainability initiatives, for example. Even preferred channel and day of the week to be engaged with would help you on this path. A contact preference center that can be part of the registration journey or something members can tap in to on request.
Another way is also through your customer touch points. Progressive profiling is a known feature within the world of Loyalty, but again, very rarely used to actually build actionable insight. Why not have a pop-up in the app that asks if a member if they would value comms on a particular product, or on types of offers, or about the brands sustainability initiatives?
If not a contact preference center or progressive profiling, your CRM data can be just as insightful. Team Analytics now need to do some (more) work!
Your data tells you a customer is not engaging with certain types of messages, or doesn’t read your emails but likes Push, or typically opens your message on a Thursday even though you sent it on Tuesday, for example.
All of these data points should be captured, and are great ways to enhance your engagement strategy.
Even better, all of these initiatives aren’t something that needs to happen overnight. Iterative builds and enhancements would be just as powerful, and as you evolve, you will be unlocking new insights along the way!
I have worked in a few brands where it’s something we would love to do, but always one of those requirements to get deprioritized first when needs must.
Always felt like a missed opportunity to become more targeted and more relevant and, ultimately, build a deeper connection with our customers. Let’s change that thinking. One relevant email at a time…
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