The Daily Carnage

It’s one thing to know your user, it’s another thing to talk to them on a personal level. It seems like a no brainer for some. Still, a lot of marketers don’t get that the companies that show they care by putting the thoughts and emotions of people first are the ones that will see customers stick around long-term.

The thing is, a lot of people get segmentation and personalization twisted or treat it the same. Personalization and segmentation couldn’t be more different. Segmentation is grouping customers together according to characteristics (the big players being demographic information). Personalization is customizing messages to individuals themselves — not just the group they belong to.

Let’s go shopping. A simple way to know the difference between these is in a retail environment:

• Segmentation: Stores don’t pile kids’, men’s, and women’s clothes all together. Each category of clothing has a different rack, section, or floor before organizing them into further subcategories.
• Personalization: When a stylist works with you, they are going to dig deep to understand your taste, what flatters you, and your price range.

What many marketers run into is the trouble of disorganized contact lists with slightly different messaging going to segments. Segmentation alone is not going to increase a brand’s customer lifetime value meaningfully or lead to growth. Personalized marketing is going to have to drill down further.

We’re talking that sweet, sweet data, people. Simple forms of personalization (such as putting someone’s name in a subject line) are cool, but the good strategies take it further with personalized recommendations, omni-channel optimization, and eventually, predictive personalization. You’re going to have to get to know your customers and gather that data.

At the end of the day, customers expect personalization and relevant services to them. Engaging them, gathering their preferences, and creating unique experiences is what marketers need to do to meet those expectations.

Online shopping is easier than ever, but shopping in-store has its advantages. If you’re looking for new outfits, you’ll want to try before you buy. We’ve all received clothes in the mail that either didn’t fit or didn’t look quite right on us. Plus, how would you go about shopping with friends online? It’s just not as fun.

Narrowing down your shopping selection to two outfits and trying them both on is the old school A/B test. It’s still you either way, but which outfit is more you. Speaking of A/B testing, Databox is sharing 12 tips for improving your Facebook A/B tests.

• Limit the changes you make. Obviously, we all want to find the right formula that works best, and there are many variables to test. While you can certainly take the time to test all your variables, only do so one at a time. If you test two or three variables at once, you won’t know which one may have played the biggest role in the success or failure of the test.
• Take advantage of the Facebook algorithm. Nobody knows Facebook like Facebook. The platform knows who your audience is, so it’s worth taking advantage of what Facebook has to offer to reach your audience, namely Campaign Budget Optimization.
• Consider the time frame. A/B tests put your ads out into the real world and report results back to you. To gather quality results, you must allow enough time for the tests. Four days tends to be the sweet spot, so start with that and adjust accordingly. A smaller audience may need more time, while larger audiences can stick to the lower end of the spectrum.
• Consider human psychology. People process information in a “think, feel, know” format. Appeal to the way people think and you’ll have more positive results in attracting their attention.

Read the full list of tips from Databox.