In 2011, Coca Cola launched its 'Share a Coke' campaign in Australia, which was a personalised campaign with the most common Australian names printed on Coca Cola bottles and cans.

The result was more than 250 million personalised bottles and cans sold over the summer months to a population of fewer than 23 million people at the time.

This personalisation campaign was so successful that it was adopted in other territories, including South Africa. Everyone wanted a can with their name on it. South Africa's 'Share a Coke' campaign went a step further, including a pronunciation guide below each name.

A first name is personal and unique. It is a person's identity and when used in marketing campaigns, it shows customers that their brands of choice acknowledge them.  

Fast forward to 2021. Research proves that personalised emails have a higher click-through rate. When brands incorporate personalisation into their digital marketing strategies, they:
  • build stronger relationships with their customers
  • retain customers for longer
  • encourage word-of-mouth referrals, and
  • create better experiences for new customers.
A smart personalised marketing strategy will reap the following benefits for your brand. It will:
  1. create a better customer experience: Customers will provide their personal information if they're sure their data will be protected. They could even participate in surveys, fill out forms and share their preferences. 
  2. increase revenue: Brands can get better results by talking to their customers in the digital spaces they occupy, and
  3. build brand loyalty: Personalisation will create better customer satisfaction and give brands a competitive advantage.
And so, here are three areas where you can implement personalisation into your digital marketing:

1. Email marketing

Gather customer preferences through sign-up forms and use them to personalise emails to customer persona segments. You will see better open and engagement rates. Be sure to comply with the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act.

2. Video messaging

Customised video messages, technology and research can help you scale personalised video messages. Segment customers based on their passions and preferences and create video messages to cater to each audience type. These video messages should always be memorable, engaging, relatable and accessible.

3. Customer experiences

Build a consistent and seamless customer experience, no matter the touchpoint. Ensure tone and key messaging is consistent whether customers are in-store or accessing your brand online.

While personalising messages at scale is a contradiction, marketing professionals can personalise to large audiences by segmenting audiences based on the data and ensuring that the messaging segments resonate with those segments.

Digital marketing trends are always evolving. Your brand has to keep up with the new methods to engage with customers and potential customers and ensure your brand is always top of mind and top of the conversation.

For more information, visit www.gullanandgullan.com. You can also follow G&G on Facebook, Twitter or on c.