Anne Schatek, Senior PR Manager at 1&1 IONOS, highlights five useful ways businesses can use customer insights to increase both sales and brand awareness. Whenever using customer data, make sure to refer to the laws and restrictions that apply to data use
1. No one’s the same: Use data to target individuals
Who are the people I’d like to sell my products and services to? Targeting helps marketing be what it should be: target-oriented advertising. If you know your target customers and display your adverts in a tailored way, you can ensure your marketing is reaching the right people. With daily analysis, you can record how effective your targeting filters are, adjust them, and react quickly to market changes.
What you need: Make sure you know your target customer profile.
2. Behavioural targeting: How does a potential customer act online?
A user’s behaviour online is determined by their ‘digital fingerprint’, which is tracked through their activity across several websites. Behavioural targeting uses this information to customise the type of adverts users receive. Similar to retargeting, behavioural targeting increases the relevance of an individual advertisement to the user viewing it.
What you need: The data generated by Cookies and anonymous user profiles.
3. Retargeting: Turning undecided shoppers into customers
Given that users have already shown their interest in your website, products or services at some point in their search history, the goal is to retarget them in such a way that converts them into a customer. Showing advertisements to potential customers after they’ve visited your website, can act as a reminder of your brand, and help achieve a higher click through rate (CTR) as customers are encouraged to head back to your website.
What you need: The data generated by Cookies to help retarget potential customers.
4. Stay social
Social media is a perfect platform for gaining consumer insight. Show personality on your channels, and open a dialogue with existing and future customers to understand feedback on your products. It’s vital you ensure your social accounts are linked up with Google Analytics too, so you can track where visitors have come from and where they’re heading next. Social platforms are ideal for building brand loyalty, and ensuring essential repeat business from customers that understand and value your brand.
What you need: Social profiles for your business, and easy to set up Google Analytics: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1008015?hl=en
5. Constantly analyse
Understanding what works for your business is fundamental to its success. However, what works successfully one day, might not the next. Whenever using consumer insights to shape advertising and marketing strategies, it’s vital to A/B and even C test the content. Whether that be online adverts, landing pages or product images, you should constantly analyse what generates the greatest impact, and use this knowledge to shape future content and activity. Advertising can be expensive, so it’s vital to understand consumer reaction, and ensure you’re getting the best return on any investment.
What you need: Data to monitor the impact of content, whether that be unique links and click through rates, Google Analytics or word of mouth feedback.
Anne Schatek
Senior PR Manager at 1&1 IONOS
ionos.com
