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• Personalized marketing is all Personalized marketing is all the rage!

  • From: AlexaR
  • Description:

    As a marketer, I've always been interested in trends. What's the in, what's out and why. Recently, I have noticed a trend that speaks to the very heart of my work as a marketer. The trend towards personalization in marketing, has been slowly taking hold of consumers and business to business customers as new technology makes it easier to target one customer at a time.

    In the early '90s, before the internet took off, I read a book that changed my outlook on marketing. This book insisted that each customer must be thought of as an individual. This book explained how creating a personal customer experience is the best way to build a loyal customer base. Today, companies use social media, website ads, and even specific product recommendations to speak directly to customers, one at a time. The book I refer to is Guerrilla Marketing , by Jay Conrad Levinson and it was first published in 1983! At that time, the concept of personal marketing was revolutionary. In the age of mass media, marketers believed that bigger was better. "Where can I reach the most people at the same time?" was a common question. Now, we ask ourselves, "How can I customize my advertising to speak directly to the buyer?"

    This brings up another interesting point, did Guerrilla Marketing, the best selling marketing series of all time, propel this change in attitude? My answer is a resounding "yes!" Why? Because although the internet and new technology has facilitated one-on-one communication, it is the change in attitude of people that made the internet what it is today. It is the change in attitudes that drives innovation. Entrepreneurs can envision the shifting needs and desires of the people and therefore create products and services to fulfill those needs.

    So, what else did this great book teach me? It taught me to think outside the box and look for creative ways to connect with my target audience. Today, we see examples of this all over the business world. Several companies are creating blogs to interact with their customers. Others are even giving customers a chance at co-creation. This trend, coined "customer-made" by people in the marketing industry, has been catching on like wildfire. Companies like L'Oreal, MasterCard, and even McDonalds have jumped on that bandwagon. But directly engaging your clients in co-creation is also found in Guerrilla Marketing. The book taught me years ago, to ask for my customer's input.

    Now, with so many major companies joining in to make the marketing experience more personal, what does the book say about differentiation? We must over-deliver! We have to exceed our client's expectations in order to compete. What other factors do you think has impacted the trend toward social networking?

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  • 2 years ago
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