:: TALK TO THE PERSON NOT THE PERSONA
With any relationship in life, successful communication is a two-way proposition based on mutual interest. Even the best of friends will on occasion tune each other out when the conversation becomes too one-sided. So, smart marketers are learning the imperative of keeping communications relevant and two-way.

For many, a first step in the right direction to a better understanding of customer needs and wants has been the utilization of personas. The emergence of sophisticated direct marketing tools and a broader array of marketing channels make it easier than ever to reach out and touch individual customers where, when, and how they want to be reached. This is why now is the time for marketers to move beyond the generalized customer personas and talk to each person one-to-one.

Introduced in 1991, personas have evolved as a popular technique for marketers to attempt to segment customers better and address their needs and wants more effectively, giving marketers the background they need to create more targeted messages. But do personas provide the information a marketer really needs?

When it comes down to directly connecting with the customer, marketers have to be prepared to talk to the unique individual. There are very few of us who fall neatly into an amalgamation of customer attributes and therefore to achieve a meaningful level of relevant communication to the customer, marketers must build marketing programs that are responsive to individual customer preferences and data.

Because of the complexity of creating hundreds and hundreds of various communications messages, speaking directly to the customer has had its challenges for marketers. Fortunately, new marketing techniques help drill down to an individual’s preferences and behaviors, enabling far more targeted and relevant communication. Whereas personas have the potential to miss the mark completely, preference-based direct multichannel marketing approaches are based on the preferences of individual customers, and lead to more successful marketing programs and more valuable customers.

Many of these programs start with creating “Preference Centers,” which enable consumers to self-select future marketing communications offers — letting them choose where, when, how often, and the type of information they wish to receive. This information, combined with the behavioral, transactional, event, and life stage data available on each customer, enables companies to trigger timely relevant communications that map directly to the individual.

For example, Jill, 35, a single mother of two with an income of $75,000, recently opened a checking account with her local bank. Based on transactional data, her account balance is unchanged. This behavior – leaving money in the bank unused –triggers a communication specifically geared toward Jill regarding the benefits of opening a CD and how that may be better suited to her needs for saving or setting aside funds. On the other side of the spectrum, there’s Jenn, 37, a single mother of one with an income of $82,000, who also recently opened a checking account. There’s a lot of activity on her account and she’s continually in danger of spending more than she has deposited. These transactions trigger communications to her on a weekly basis alerting her that her account is overdrawn. Based on her behavior and needs, the bank has sent her an offer to open a savings account – or a line of credit – that could be linked to her checking account to help alleviate this problem. This highly granular level of communication provides customers with the confidence that the bank not only views them as special and unique, but understands how to meet their needs better than any competitor out there.

Talking about "customer relationships" is easy. The hard part is making them work for each customer, and thinking of the success of each message, not just each campaign. The quest to understand and act on individual consumer habits and behaviors may seem daunting. But the payoff for careful planning and using the right marketing tools comes in the form of increased customer and firm value. The alternative? Taking shortcuts that will undoubtedly lead you down the wrong path and leave you scrambling to win back your customer again and again. If you speak to the person, and not the persona, chances are you’ll discover a customer loyalty you never imagined possible.

Andy Frawley, CEO, Click Tactics, Don Peppers, and Martha Rogers, Ph D. adapted from the full article which originally appeared in DM News.

The full article can be found here .

 The DMA