shutterstockWith big data and powerful analytics, it’s easier than ever for companies to target and play to their shoppers. Using robust, open-source technology, brands can build highly personalized recommendations and boost their bottom lines along the way.
But, personalization also helps brands connect with their client base (and vice versa) on an emotional level. Done properly, a brand can lock in faithful customers for the long-term.
In short, the future is personalization with a purpose. The best, most savvy brands will use data and customization to build a bond and turn their customers into lifelong evangelists.
An emotional connection drives loyalty.
First, it’s important to understand that an emotional connection is the foundation for brand loyalty.
Research shows that companies which can connect deeply with their customers often perform better. In an analysis of 1,400 branding and advertising case studies in the UK, those campaigns which featured only emotional content performed twice as well (31 percent) as those with only rational content (16 percent). Purely emotional content also performed a tiny bit better than campaigns that mixed rational and emotional content (26 percent).
That’s not all. In a Harvard Business Review article, analysts found that emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as highly satisfied customers. These customers with a strong bond are simply more invested in your company–and your success. They buy more products, visit your website or storefront more often, are less sensitive to price, and recommend you to more people in their social circles.
One reason for this might come down to a quirk of human nature. Though it’s often said that people do business with other people (and not companies), one exception may be those companies with strong personalities. For example, this includes companies which treat their customers like friends or loved ones, cultivating an engaged community, and making products just for them.
The first rule of thumb: the more a company seems like a living, breathing person (and less like a corporation), then the more likely it is to connect with customers. Now if your company comes across as a person (say, a hip friend), and builds things just for your customers–then the game is yours to win.
How to use personalization to build an emotional connection
Pulling this off isn’t easy though. One way to do this is to pay more attention to laying the groundwork for a relationship with your customers. In fact, the most effective companies build in this emotional aspect into every part of their business–especially where it concerns personalization.
Glossier is a great example. The name is a clever play on words, combining the gloss of makeup with the personal curation of a dossier. Founded by Emily Weiss, a reality TV star turned businesswoman, Glossier cleverly built a thriving community around its blog. It helps that the company comes off not as a makeup producer, but as Buzzfeed puts it, “your best friend…
