Brands need a Customer Profile today more than ever. Think back to 2000 for a moment – think about the channels that brands were using to market to consumers. I can think of 2 or 3. Fast forward to 2018, where there are dozens of ways for brands to interact with consumers. As the number of channels grows, the demand for consistent messaging only gets more difficult.
Customers want a seamless conversation with brands across all channels. It makes sense why they want this; if you have a conversation with a friend, and two weeks later they totally forgot what you discussed, wouldn’t you be frustrated, too? Marketers have data from all interactions with customers, so we can always remember those conversations. Unfortunately, it’s probably a different conversation within each marketing channel, which leads to a confusing experience for customers. Marketers need to overcome the hurdle of siloed data, to create one single conversation with each customer.
Creating a Customer Profile
One way to achieve this single conversation across all channels is with a customer profile. Marketers can compile data from all marketing channels into one customer profile that can be sent back to all marketing channels, creating a personalized, seamless conversation that is relevant to the customer and their lifecycle.
What is the difference between messaging based off data combined in a customer profile, and messaging based off data still siloed in different channels? After all, if the promotions and other messages are the same, shouldn’t the conversation look the same whether you have the profile or not? Check out these different scenarios:
Conversation with a customer profile
- Sean is searching for a ring for his girlfriend. He knows which store she likes, so he creates an online account and signs up for their emails. While browsing, he sees a few rings online that he likes, but he wants to see them in person. The rings are added to his cart so he doesn’t forget the ones he liked.
- The next morning, Sean gets an email from the store, letting him know that one of the brands he was looking at is on sale this week, in-stores only. He goes into the store, but can’t remember which rings he put into his shopping cart.
- A store associate asks if she can look up Sean’s account, and sees his online shopping cart through her store tablet. Sean is able to purchase the ring he wants, and he goes home a delighted customer.
- A few weeks later, Sean receives an email, informing him that the necklace to match his ring is now on sale. On top of that, he received a 15% off coupon in the mail this week. Sean goes into the store and purchases the necklace using the 15% off coupon.
- After Christmas, Sean receives an email thanking him for his purchase and asking him to review the two purchases he made during the Christmas season.
Conversation without a profile
- Sean is searching for a ring for his girlfriend. He knows which store she likes, so he creates an online account and signs up for their emails. While browsing, he sees a few rings online that he likes, but he wants to see them in person. The rings are added to his cart so he doesn’t forget the ones he liked.
- The next morning, he gets an email from the store, letting him know that men’s shoes are on sale this week. At the bottom of the email, there is a mention of an in-store sale on jewelry items. Sean goes into the store and looks at the jewelry, but he can’t tell if the rings he liked are on sale.
- A store associate comes over and asks if she can help Sean find a ring. He pulls out his phone and signs into his account on the web browser to see his online shopping cart. They are able to find the rings he was looking for, but it was hard to have to navigate the website on his phone.
- When Sean gets home, he logs onto the computer to see the same advertisements for the ring he just bought! He has to be careful and not ruin the surprise.
- After Christmas, Sean receives an email advertising the ring he just purchased, as well as women’s jackets for the store’s post-Christmas sale.
Controlling the Customer Experience
In both scenarios, Sean ended up getting a ring for his girlfriend. However, the multichannel conversations between Sean and the brand were different, leading to different experiences. With a customer profile collecting and distributing Sean’s data across platforms, the experience less frustrating, and more relevant his customer journey. Ultimately, Sean ended up making a second purchase, increasing his revenue and future value with the brand.
When marketers combine customer data into one location, and can distribute the same data across multiple channels, they create a single conversation with a customer that is informed by the growing relationship, not by the channel they use. Visit our website to learn how we help brands create a Customer Profile so they can have a one-to-one conversation that will grow their incremental revenue.
