As was evident by the passing of the EU cookie law – to prevent / reduce gathering of personal data for targeted advertising – personalisation, in general, is big business. You only have to look at someone like Amazon to see the effects of a tailored web experience.
There are ways in which you can do the same (all legally of course) which can help personalise the experience for your users. We all know a more personal experience can ultimately better satisfy a potential customer.
Test and measure:
Of course, this is the crux of all marketing, and there’s no better place to do this than online. There are a plethora of great analytics tools available.
Assuming of course you currently have a web presence, this could be seen as the first step. This is where you are able to determine what your customers are looking for, the keywords which they have used to reach your site, and the most popular content.
Armed with this information, you then have the basis for personalising the user experience.
Be aware that when looking at your analytics, those reaching your site on certain keywords are doing so because those keywords must already exist on your site. It’s therefore important to continually test and measure new things / content in order to keep keywords and phrases fresh, which will potentially help to drive new traffic.
Gathering information:
There are many ways in which you can gather information, but here are just a few which you may find useful. It goes without saying that you must ask for permission, and specify how you wish to use someone’s details before they submit them.
Signup ( newsletter / product / service / promotion )
This is a fairly obvious one and captures the least amount of information, which is always a good thing in the eyes of those submitting their details.
In terms of personalisation which can arise from this: not only do you have an indication of the popularity of the selected call-to-action which has driven the user to submit their details, but you have their details to then potentially make contact.
This can then be used for campaigns which can offer further insight, or to simply ask their opinion
Feedback
Let’s face it; the best way to find out what someone wants, is to ask them. There are some pretty comprehensive online feedback services available now, such as ‘getsatisfaction’ and ‘uservoice’, which allow users to submit feedback or suggestions which others can comment on and rate.
Typically, these are used to the greatest effect when used in conjunction with an online service, but there’s nothing to stop you using them in other ways.
More often than not, people want to make themselves heard. If – once they have made their comments – they feel they have been listened to, it will in turn engender a greater sense of customer loyalty.
Many business owners are wary of opening themselves up to detrimental comments with such features. However, comments can be moderated, and ultimately it can only help you tailor and improve your service or product. By providing a platform through which feedback can be made on your own site, you can – to a certain degree – control the message. Those wanting to give feedback, may impart their view on another site or platform, on which you have no opportunity to respond.
Originally by Matt Brown for mekonta.co.uk.