One to One Marketing

Consumers today expect a greater level of personal communication from the companies with which they do business. The internet has caused consumers to expect that we are remembered when we shop. From Amazon.com remembering our book purchases and our bank know our transactions, we have come to expect all of the places we shop to remember important details about how we do business. Knowing that our customers have grown to expect this type of interaction requires that business provide marketing pieces that speak personally to them. One to one marketing (sometimes defined as personalized marketing) is simply a strategy for customer relationship management. Through one to one marketing tactics, companies can provide a greater level of personal interaction and personalized relevance to their customers thus engendering greater customer loyalty and increase profits. During the course of any transaction businesses gather a significant amount of information. Not only do we know the address, phone number and contact name, but we also know what products were purchased, how much money was spent and quickly a customer pays. Leveraging that information can provide a greater level of customer interaction that can increase customer buying behaviors But, how to you start?

The key is to take the data you already have and start to apply it to your customers. The simplest form of one to one marketing is a simple mail merge in Microsoft Word so that instead of a letter saying “Dear Valued Customer” it says “Dear Tom Smith.”

As you become more proficient in how you handle your data, you can get very fancy by including variable images. For example, if your customer is a man that has purchased motorcycle accessories from you, you might include pictures from Strugis. If your customer is a woman that has purchased camping equipment, you might include pictures of great outdoor destinations. Understanding that you already have the data you need to provide more personalized marketing pieces is the first step to providing a personal message that can help your customers to want to do more business with you in the future.

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Corey Smith is a co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.