Marketing personalization | How to humanize your brand
When it comes to marketing, automation can mean everything from changing the first name of someone in an email template to using artificial intelligence to serve up customized personalized content to the next visitor to your website.
But here, I’m going to uncover the power of ‘reverse personalization’.
Reverse personalization
For most businesses, the idea of personalization goes beyond just the custom fields in your email templates. There's all sorts of machine learning and artificial intelligence and technology you can incorporate to personalize the experience for your customers, clients, or prospects.
But before you do any of that, I recommend you try reverse personalization.
Last week, I did some research into personalization and reverse personalization by ordering a pizza from Domino's, using the Domino's mobile app.
As soon as I’d ordered my pizza, that’s when the reverse personalization started. I was able to track my order and under the additional information, I’m shown a series of order updates. First it tells me my that Sarah put my order in the oven at 1:58 p.m.
The Domino's order tracker is a superb example of reverse personalization. By telling me that Sarah put my order in the oven at 1:58 p.m.,they are humanizing the brand for the customers they serve.
I never used to care who was making my pizza. I didn't know their name nor did I want to, but suddenly, I do know their name, and I care even more about the Domino's brand because I've been introduced to Sarah.
The future of all branding is personal
The future of all branding is personal and Domino's knows this. Each time that blinking status changes from one to two to three to four, their customers connect with Domino's in a deeper way.
And ironically, all they've done is exposed their behind the scenes process and people to me, the consumer.
Reverse personalization... easy, but so powerful
If you doubt that reverse personalization works, you can do this. Any day of the week, any time of the day, go onto Twitter and search Domino's pizza tracker, and just start reading the tweets. You'll find tweets like this: “Can we talk about how great the Domino's pizza tracker is? Claps for Roger who just inspected my pizza to ensure perfection,” and “Waiting for Domino's pizza tracker to tell you the name of the sweet, sweet soul who is delivering your pizza is the equivalent to a big little reveal.”
How can you embrace the concept of reverse personalization?
It's actually really easy, and here's your homework.
Take your very next client or customer, and instead of just sending them a thank you note or a receipt or passing them off from your sales person to someone that's gonna handle the actual account, maybe you should consider doing this. Introduce them to your shipping person, or create a video introducing your client to the person who will actually be servicing their account.
Just remember, personalization isn't just about using your client or customer's first name, it's a much deeper concept than that. It's about humanizing the brand and the experience you provide for the customers and clients you're servicing.
Reverse personalization can be cheaper, faster to implement, and massively powerful.
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