Marketing Studies Reveal What Customers Really Want
Marketing Studies Reveal What Customers Really Want
For decades, marketers had relatively few ways to collect information about what actually worked for their customers. Focus groups were costly and time-consuming and tended to give misleading information, while surveys were often met with radio silence or a litany of complaints. Today, we're more connected with consumers than ever before, and as a result, we can find out what they want and how to best serve it to them.
In 2016 alone, there have been several fascinating studies which can help you decide how to give your customers what they want, what they respond to, and what will help them convert.
Personalization works, but tokenization doesn’t
A survey conducted by Adlucent found that consumers prefer a personalized advertising experience. 71% of respondents to their survey noted that they prefer ads which are specifically tailored to their interests and shopping habits.
Survey respondents were also fairly open about giving personal information if it meant sites they enjoyed could better personalize their shopping experience. 44% of those who responded said they’d volunteer their name and email address.
However, it’s best to stick with what you know consumers like based on previous purchases, browsing data, and survey information, rather than making sweeping assumptions. Fluent found in a recent survey that most women deeply dislike marketing that’s supposed to be directly specifically for them—but that they see a lot of it.
From O’Dwyer’s:
The study found that nearly three-quarters of all females surveyed — 74 percent — said they prefer marking messages that are gender neutral, as opposed to messages geared specifically toward women.
Regardless, 73 percent of the women surveyed said they receive marketing messages directed specifically to women at least sometimes. Only 27 percent said they rarely or never see these messages.
The takeaway? Personalize to customers by gathering information about them, not marketing to the idea them.
Brands need to actually engage with customers
Everyone likes the idea of marketing on social media, but if you’re just broadcasting, rather than engaging, your customers will notice—and they’ll leave.
SproutSocial’s second quarter survey found that most brands don’t respond to their customers, especially in the instance of complaints. In fact, just one in 23 customer messages received a response, according to their findings.
Not only that, but Sprout found that when customers are upset by the radio silence they receive, one in three will actively seek out a competitor instead.
Customers overwhelmingly prefer to use social media or a website’s live chat feature when dealing with service issues, and brands who neglect to take care of their customers can miss truly lose out. The lesson here, then, is that it’s worth it to invest not only in your marketing strategy, but also in how you’ll address any issues your customers have. If your social media strategy includes a set-it-and-forget-it mindset, be prepared to lose loyalty.
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