A Successful Digital Experience Begins and Ends With Customization
What makes an effective digital customer experience? Don’t look any further than within the word ‘customer’ itself. The first 6 letters tell you everything you need to know. “C-U-S-T-O-M."
In 2019 and beyond, consumers expect a CUSTOM digital experience, tailored to their exact needs and wants.
Why? It’s simple — because they can.
Pictured above: A quiz is a perfect example of a customized online experience for your audience.
Why Customization Matters
With all the data floating around just waiting to be captured and leveraged, it has become increasingly obvious to consumers, which brands are listening and which ones aren’t.
The good news is that it doesn’t matter (too much) how tech savvy you are or how big your budget is. The brands that truly know their customers are the ones that win. It is their in depth knowledge that allows a brand to create the most customized content, on-point advertising, and unique online experiences, that will ultimately make a consumer say, "Oh wow, they really know me, they understand my needs, values, and lifestyle, I trust them, I will buy from them, and I’ll tell my friends about them.”
In short, customization separates the lazy brands from the trustworthy brands. The greedy brands from the authentic, passionate brands who deserve to take our money. One of those groups has done the leg work, the other has not. Which one do you think comes out on top?
Digital’s “Custom” Hurdle: Replicating that Feeling of Trust from Traditional Shopping Experiences
Before diving into what digital customization looks like, let’s journey back, to a simpler time, when people bought things in person and not online. Remember that? Back then, customization was easy. It was as simple as training good sales people to greet each customer as they walked in. “Hi, Welcome” and after giving them a few minutes to look around, asking “Are you finding everything ok?” Simple acts of kindness and attention were enough to make a customer feel taken care of and would keep them coming back. The best sales people learned to remember names, share some anecdotes, ask returning customers how their grandchildren were, did they have a nice Thanksgiving, etc etc.
At the end of the day, brick and mortar businesses were able to create unique, customized brand experiences and establish a repertoire with their clients, all it took was some interpersonal skills.
However, in the transition from brick and mortar to digital shopping, a great deal of trust, communication, and customization has been lost. We no longer see faces, just profiles, we no longer ask questions or share anecdotes, we click "add to cart" and “proceed to checkout.” Essentially, the customization that is required to make a consumer feel special, valued, and respected in many ways has disappeared during this transition, and businesses are struggling to replicate that feeling of trust online.
Well established brands with access to the newest technology and biggest budgets have been able to build trust more quickly, but what about smaller businesses that are still making the transition to digital? They may not have a brand name that is well recognized, and with the increase in online competition, consumers who would normally have bought from their store because it was around the corner, may now be choosing an online super store thousands of miles away that delivers to their doorstep.
So how can businesses create an effective digital experience regardless of technology or budget?
5 Essentials to Building Online Trust
1) Create your client avatar(s)
This will be easier for more established businesses, but should never be overlooked, especially because it may change over time. Create profiles for your priority clients and add as much detail about them as possible, where do they work, do they have a bachelor’s degree, how many children do they have, how do they spend their free time? The more intricacies you can flesh out, the more you can use this in your marketing content to speak directly to the consumers you most want to attract.
2) A secure, mobile optimized website.
Customers need to know their information is safe if they are going to give you their credit card info, and your website absolutely must be mobile optimized if you want people to buy anything in the first place. If your website is not up to standard, invest in a revamp immediately.
3) A social media community
5 years ago, digital marketers would tell you it’s important to have a social media presence, but that is no longer enough. Today’s experts understand that brands have to create a community. This means not just signing up for an account on Facebook and Instagram and posting updates, it means starting conversations, commenting on other accounts, and rallying customers around values and local community initiatives. This is where brands differentiate themselves by showing exactly who they are, and when done appropriately, their consumers support them 100%.
4) Automated email sequences
Remember, we don’t own our social media profiles and if they were to suddenly disappear, all those followers we engaged would be lost if we didn't also encourage them to subscribe to our email lists. Segmented email lists are the epitome of customization, because you can create as many lists as you need to satisfy the variety of consumers you cater to. It is also a way of checking in with customers, just like sales people of yesteryear. You can ask them about their grandchildren, or what they’ll be doing for Thanksgiving and steer the conversation towards your products, services, or causes you care about and remind them this personal touch and customization is why they chose your brand in the first place.
5) Don’t forget about in-person experiences
Though digital is taking over our marketing strategy, it’s still important to offer in-person experiences like holiday parties, or even online webinars or workshops where people can be somewhat face to face even while remaining remote. 9 times out of 10 I still hear clients say that referrals and networking are how they get the majority of clients, and that is just further proof that trust and communication are so vital.
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