3 Easy Ways to Personalize your Customer Journey TODAY

Hiii Team, 

This comes to you from Philly. After a month away, I have been eager to get back to the US and into my regular rhythm. 

Jet lag aside, we’re thriving and ready for a strong end of June. 

Before we kick off, two really solid gems from Taylor, one of the sharpest in our space. He’s been on a roll recently and we can’t (and won’t) ignore it. 😀

1. The hard truth about increasing LTV

2. Iterative testing isn’t how large brands drive demand

Over the last few weeks, I’ve met a handful of brand-side Retention Marketers in Tel Aviv and have asked all of them the same question:

Without a ton of extra time on your hands, how are you thinking about personalization?

The answers I received weren’t exactly shocking.

Most brands view personalization as an everything-or-nothing type of thing.

Either they personalize down to the ad a customer came in from, or they do zero zip nothing at all. 

🙃 🙃

Today, I’ve got some easy personalization wins almost anyone can do without skipping your hard-earned lunch break.

Let’s chat.  

Before we get into it, a massive shout-out to Insense for sponsoring this week’s newsie. 

Like me, you’ve probably tried various UGC and influencer marketing platforms, but Insense stands out for the following reasons:

• There’s no manual outreach; creators that match your requirements apply directly to your campaigns in minutes.

• You can start collaborations immediately and get UGC within 10 days.

• Run diverse campaign types from UGC and product seeding to affiliate, from TikTok Shop to Meta whitelisted ads, and more.

• Increase influencer activation rates to 60%; through responsive and vetted influencers from Insense’s diverse creator marketplace.

Join major eCommerce brands like Clinicalskin, Bearaby, and KOS Naturals, who use Insense as their holistic platform for UGC, influencer posting, and whitelisted ads on Meta and TikTok.

Book a free 1-2-1 strategy call by July 5 and get $200 for your first campaign.

I’d highly suggest you check them out.

Personalized Email and SMS Campaigns

Let’s start with the two powerful titans: email and SMS. When done right, they can deliver highly personalized experiences that drive engagement and sales. When done incorrectly, they are spammy and annoying. 

1. Segment Your Audience by Behavior

Rather than sending generic messages, break your audience into segments based on their behavior. Here are a few simple ways to start:

• Purchase History: Tailor your messages based on what customers have bought. If someone recently purchased a winter coat, follow up with accessories like gloves or scarves. A quick text like, “Hi Sarah, complete your winter look with our fan-fav leather gloves” with some social proof like a customer quote can be super effective. 

• Loyalty Program: Treat your VIPs as such. Send exclusive offers or early access to new products to your most loyal customers. An email like, “Jessica, as a loyal member, enjoy early access to our summer collection”. Segmenting based on loyalty tier is the simplest segmentation I hardly see brands do well. 

2. Segment Your Audience by their Reviews

Next, let’s dive into segmentation based on customer reviews. This can provide valuable insights and allow you to tailor your messages even further:

• 5-Star Reviewers: Reward your happy customers. Send them a thank you email or SMS with a special discount on their next purchase. If they loved product x and gave it 5 stars, what other products might they love as well?

• 1-Star Reviewers: Address concerns and rebuild trust, or maybe better understand what they hated about the product and offer something else. For example, if you have a moisturizer for oily skin and one for dry skin, filter 1-star reviews on the regular skin moisturizer for the word “dry” and offer them to try the one for dry skin instead. 

3. Dynamic Content Blocks

Now, let’s talk about dynamic content blocks. These allow you to create a single email or SMS template that changes content based on the recipient’s data.

For instance:

• Product Recommendations: Show products related to their previous purchases or browsing behavior. Most ESP (email service providers) offer this, Yotpo even has AI product recs…

• Location-Based Content: Highlight store events or offers specific to their region. No brainer if you have retail locations.

• Behavioral Triggers: If someone abandoned their cart, remind them of what they left behind with a gentle nudge and maybe a small discount to sweeten the deal.

Tailored Website Experiences

Moving on from emails and SMS, let’s talk about personalizing the experience on your website. Small tweaks here can significantly enhance user engagement and conversion rates.

1. Personalized Recommendations:

Display personalized product recommendations based on browsing history, past purchases, or trending items in their location.

For example, if a customer recently bought a yoga mat, show them accessories like yoga blocks or water bottles when they return to your site.

If you want to avoid a whole entire site optimization, just do it in your cart with an upsell app or in your checkout with PDQ. 

2. Dynamic Content:

Use dynamic content on your website to create a more personalized experience. Show different homepage banners, product collections, or blog posts based on the visitor’s behavior or profile.

For instance, new visitors might see an introductory offer or popular products, while returning customers might see items they’ve previously viewed or similar products. This makes the experience more relevant and engaging. Apps like Visually help you test this. 

Personalized Customer Support

Customer support is a critical touchpoint where personalization can make a significant impact and really does not take a ton of extra effort. 

By using customer data effectively, you can turn support interactions into opportunities to delight and retain customers. This is something that growth marketers around the world have recently learned. 😏

1. Leveraging Macros for Efficiency and Personalization:

First up, let’s talk about macros. Macros are pre-written responses that can save your customer support team a ton of time, allowing them to focus on more complex and personalized interactions.

Macros don’t have to be generic. They can and should be customized to address specific customer needs.

2. Creating Effective Macros:

• Identify Common Issues: Start by identifying the most common issues your customers face. These could be related to product usage, shipping inquiries, return policies, etc.

• Craft Personalized Responses: Instead of generic responses, craft macros that are personalized. For instance, if a customer frequently inquires about product recommendations based on their past purchases, create a macro that pulls in their purchase history and suggests related products.

• Use Dynamic Fields: Many customer support platforms allow you to use dynamic fields in your macros. These fields can automatically insert customer-specific information such as their name, last purchase, tracking info, or loyalty status. This makes each response feel more personal and relevant. (Gorgias CRUSHES macros and dynamic fields)

3. Using Customer Support as a Concierge Channel:

Next, let’s elevate your customer support by transforming it into a concierge service. This is especially effective if your products require any sales guidance, such as makeup shade matching or product pairing advice etc.

Concierge-Level Support:

• Personalized Consultations: Offer personalized consultations through your customer support channel. For instance, a makeup brand could provide a virtual shade-matching service where customers can get advice on the best products for their skin tone.

• Expert Recommendations: Train your support team to provide expert recommendations based on customer needs and preferences. This could be through live chat, phone calls, or even video consultations.

• Follow-Up Support: After a customer makes a purchase, follow up with personalized tips and advice on how to get the most out of their new products. This shows that you care about their experience beyond the darn sale.

Benefits of Concierge-Level Support:

• Increased Customer Satisfaction: Personalized, expert advice can significantly improve the customer experience and satisfaction.

• Higher Conversion Rates: Customers are more likely to make a purchase when they receive personalized recommendations and guidance.

• Stronger Loyalty: Providing exceptional, personalized support can turn one-time buyers into loyal customers who return again and again. We’ve seen this play a role in actual LTV at Jones Road. 

I know some of these are a bit of a lift, but by gently giving a sh!t, most brands can implement some of these and personalize experiences a whole lot more than they do at the moment. 

That would be a win for customers and a win for brands.

That’s it for this week!

Any topics you'd like to see me cover in the future?

Just shoot me a DM or an email!

Cheers, 

Eli 💛

P.S. Looking for inspo on your next email/sms campaign?

I know you will love this.