Content marketing automation basically means using software to streamline, automate, and scale content marketing efforts. It involves using tools and platforms to automate the creation, distribution, and analysis of content, as well as to manage and optimize the customer journey.
However, with any type of automation, there is a risk of losing the personal touch. In this in-depth article we’ll explore 5 ways you can add a layer of personalization on top of your content marketing automation process.
1. Segment Your Audience
Audience segmentation is the process of dividing your audience into smaller groups based on certain criteria, such as demographics, interests, behavior, or location.
It is an important aspect of personalization in content marketing because it allows you to create more targeted and relevant content for each segment of your audience.
Here are some benefits of audience segmentation for content marketing personalization.
Improved Relevance
By segmenting your audience, you can create content that is specifically tailored to the interests and needs of each group. This can lead to higher levels of engagement and conversion, as the content will be more relevant and valuable to the reader.
Greater Efficiency
Segmentation allows you to create and distribute content more efficiently, as you can focus on specific groups rather than trying to appeal to your entire audience at once. For example, you can segment based on the distribution channel, where each segment is most active.
Enhanced Targeting
Segmentation enables you to target your marketing efforts more effectively, as you can use data about each segment to inform your content strategy and tactics.
Overall, audience segmentation is a powerful tool for content marketing personalization, as it helps you to create more relevant and targeted content that resonates with your audience and drives business results.
2. Use Data to Personalize Content
70% of marketers actively invest in content marketing. However, these investments could yield a much higher return if the content was personalized. Luckily, there are several ways to gather data about your audience to inform your content marketing personalization efforts.
Website Behavior
One way to gather data about your audience is to analyze their behavior on your website. You can use tools such as Google Analytics to track metrics such as page views, time on site, and conversion rates. This data can help you to understand what content is most popular with your audience and how they are interacting with your website.
Surveys
Another way to gather data about your audience is to conduct surveys. You can use tools such as Google Forms or SurveyMonkey to create and distribute surveys to your audience. These surveys can ask questions about their interests, preferences, and behaviors, which can provide valuable insights into your audience segments.
Social Media
You can also gather data about your audience by analyzing their activity on social media. For example, you can use social media analytics tools to track metrics such as likes, comments, and shares on your social media posts.
This data can help you to understand what types of content are most engaging for your audience on social media. Once you have gathered data about your audience, you can use this information to create more targeted and personalized content.
For example, you can use the data to create and plan content that is relevant to the interests and needs of specific audience segments. Another tip is to tailor your content to the behaviors and preferences of your audience.
A third way is to segment the content based on posting times. You can choose the best time to post on each social channel and use social media management tools to post according to when your audience will show the most engagement.
By using data to inform your content strategy, you can create content that resonates with your audience and post it at times when it will receive the most engagement.
3. Use Automation to Trigger Personalized Emails
Personalization can also mean time relevancy. Meaning, the particular time of offering content to a customer or visitor is personalized.
Here are a few examples of personalized email campaigns that businesses can send to their customers.
Welcome Emails
When a new customer signs up for an account or makes their first purchase, a business can send a welcome email to introduce themselves and thank the customer for their business.
Personalization in this email could include the customer's name, information about their first purchase, and personalized recommendations for other products or services they may be interested in based on their purchase history.
Birthday Emails
If a business collects a customer's birthday information at the time of signup or purchase, they can send an automated email on the customer's birthday wishing them a happy birthday and offering them a special discount or deal.
Personalization in this email could include the customer's name and birthday, as well as a personalized message or offer based on their purchase history.
Re-engagement Emails
If a customer hasn't made a purchase or engaged with a business's email or social media campaigns in a while, the business can send an automated re-engagement email to try and win them back.
Personalization in this email could include the customer's name, information about their last purchase or engagement, and a special offer or incentive to encourage them to return.
Abandoned Cart Emails
When a customer adds items to their online shopping cart but doesn't complete the purchase, the business can send an automated email reminding them of the items left in their cart and encouraging them to complete the purchase. Some marketers use AI writing tools to further automate the content generation and further personalize it.
Personalization in this email could include the customer's name, a list of the items left in their cart, and a special offer or discount to incentivize them to make the purchase.
Post-purchase Emails
After a customer makes a purchase, a business can send an automated email to thank them for their purchase and ask for feedback or reviews.
Personalization in this email could include the customer's name, information about their purchase, and personalized recommendations for related products or services they may be interested in.
It's worth noting that personalization is more than just adding a name in the email template. It's also about providing targeted or relevant content, offer or recommendation.
Making the email look visually appealing and dynamic with images and videos, if relevant, would make the recipients feel engaged and valued. To achieve that it’s recommended to use the best email outreach tools for the best results.
4. Use Dynamic Content to Personalize Website Experiences
Dynamic website content refers to the type of content that changes or is personalized based on the user's interactions, behavior, location or other factors. This means that different users can see different content when visiting the same page or part of the website.
This approach allows for more personalized and engaging experiences for the user, based on their previous interactions and interests, by giving the website the ability to show different content to different users, and make the website more relevant and useful to them.
Below are a few examples of how businesses can use dynamic content to personalize their websites.
Personalized Content
Based on a visitor's browsing history or interests, a website can use dynamic content to recommend articles, videos, infographics that the visitor has previously engaged with.
For example, if a customer has shown an interest in a specific topic, a website can show them related content that aligns with that interest.
Personalized Landing Pages
Based on a visitor's location, browsing history or search history, a website can use dynamic content to create personalized landing pages that cater to the visitor's interests.
For example, if a customer is browsing from a specific location, a website can show them information about local stores, deals or events that are happening there.
Personalized Product Recommendations
Based on a visitor's browsing and purchase history, and other data, a website can use dynamic content to show personalized product recommendations on the homepage or product pages.
For example, a website can use an algorithm to recommend similar products to what a customer has viewed or purchased in the past.
Personalized Promotions and Discounts
Based on a visitor's location, browsing history, and purchase history, a website can use dynamic content to show personalized promotions and discounts.
For example, if a customer is browsing from a location where it's currently cold, a website can show them a promotion for winter clothing.
Dynamic content can be created by using tools like web scraping, web personalization software, or with the use of personalization and marketing automation platforms.
Utilizing dynamic content as part of the content strategy will enable businesses to create website experiences that are tailored to the specific needs and interests of individual visitors, which can increase engagement and conversion rates.
5. Test and optimize your personalization efforts
Testing different versions of personalized content is important because it allows businesses to determine which approach is the most effective at engaging their audience and achieving their goals.
Personalization is not a one-size-fits-all solution and what works for one business or audience may not work for another. Testing allows businesses to find the right balance of personalization that works for their specific audience and goals.
Below are some more important tips for analyzing and improving the effectiveness of personalization efforts.
Use A/B Testing
A/B testing allows businesses to compare two different versions of personalized content and see which one performs better. This could be comparing two different subject lines, two different recommendations or two different calls to actions.
Analyze Customer Data
Collect data on customer behavior, preferences, and interactions with personalized content. This data can be used to identify patterns and insights that can inform future personalization efforts.
Monitor Customer Feedback
Pay attention to customer feedback on personalized content, and use this feedback to improve future content. This includes gathering customer feedback from the customer service team, surveys, social media and feedback forms.
Use Web Analytics
Use web analytics to track engagement and conversion rates for personalized content, and use this data to determine what's working and what's not. You can track how many visitors are engaging with the personalized content, how long they are spending on the site and what actions they are taking.
Monitor Results Over Time
Keep track of the results of your personalization efforts over time and make adjustments as needed. Personalization is an ongoing process and results may change over time as customer preferences, behaviors and trends evolve.
Continuously Improve
Keep experimenting, testing and adapting your personalization efforts to find the right balance that works for your audience. Personalization is not a one-time solution, but an ongoing process that requires continuous testing and optimization.
By testing different versions of personalized content, businesses can gain insights into what works and what doesn't work and make data-driven decisions to improve their personalization efforts over time.
Additionally, by continuously monitoring and analyzing customer data, customer feedback and web analytics, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their audience and optimize their personalization efforts to better meet their needs and drive desired results.
Key Takeaways for Using Content Marketing Automation for Personalization
So, you're familiar with content marketing automation and how it streamlines, automates, scales and impacts your content marketing efforts. But you don't want to lose the personal touch or the way it's used to write or edit copy.
Let’s recap 5 ways you can add a layer of personalization on top of your automation process.
First, segment your audience. Divide them based on criteria such as demographics, interests, behavior or location. This way, you can create more targeted and relevant content for each segment, leading to higher engagement and conversions.
Secondly, use data to personalize your content. Gather information about your audience behavior, preferences and activity on your website, surveys, and social media. This will give you insights to create content that resonates with your audience.
Next, use automation to trigger personalized emails. Send timely and relevant content to your audience that is triggered by specific actions or events.
Then personalize website experiences with dynamic content. Use tools and platforms that allow you to change content based on user interactions, behavior, location, or other factors.
And finally, monitor and improve. Use analytics to track engagement and conversion rates, and use this data to adjust and optimize your personalization efforts. Remember, personalization is a continuous process, so keep testing and experimenting!
