Beyond the Click: Data-Driven Strategies That Drive More

Here’s a cheery way to end your month—engagement rates are down again! At an all-time low, no less.

With KPIs looming and the end of Q1 in sight, marketers’ first instinct in these situations is usually to push discounts, loyalty offers, or a decidedly click-baity message. But if only this trifecta of tactics is used, marketers will end up giving away their products and getting blocklisted by spam trackers.

What you need for rock-solid engagement rates is, drumroll please, data. It’s what gives marketing messaging that effortless, personalized feel all while driving lasting loyalty. Saying that communications need data certainly isn’t news, but these tips and tricks on how to use data to its fullest potential will be.

Reduce, Reuse, Refresh

For data-driven prowess, start with the basics. How can you get better and faster results by enhancing what you already have? It starts with a fluid martech ecosystem.

Reduce risk

Data is powerful…almost too powerful at times. Whether it’s a brand sending a message that knows just a little too much about you, your phone clearly listening to your conversation, or the great data-gate of 2021 (Apple MPP and the crumble of third-party cookies), data’s had some risky business in the past.

Beyond tightening policies such as GDPR and CCPA, marketers who are on the ball will go out of their way to avoid any data mishaps before they happen. Take AI, for instance. AI unlocks a new level of data-driven power, but it’s only a matter of time before laws and policies catch up to stymie some of the more unorthodox AI tactics. The time to drill down into ethical practices and unbiased, multiple-model approaches is now so that you ensure seamless marketing during the inevitable crackdown.?

Want more information on ethical AI? Our eBook Ethical AI in Marketing: Navigating Privacy and Trust is made to help marketers avoid bias, safeguard privacy, and boost customer experiences without compromising brand integrity.

Reuse strategies

When you’ve got a good thing going, keep it going. If your customer only opens transactional emails, add onto those messages to motivate a little more interaction. An abandoned cart email? Add basket-builder products that help them reach free shipping. Order confirmation or shipping update? Layer some product recommendations that relate to the item they’re purchasing.?

For brand awareness messages, a modular approach is the secret to reuse, recycle success. Not only do modules make it easy to slide in next-best actions, they change the game for marketers’ hottest commodity: creative assets. When modules are combined with automation, the same creative can be layered with new, relevant information for the customer, unlocking multiple uses.

Refresh data

Data does not age like fine wine. Data points that power relevant personalization today can be irrelevant and just plain confusing the next. For successful data use, marketers need to loop in real-time data that automatically refreshes at the moment the email is opened.?

To keep the real-time data flow going, steer clear of silos. If you have multiple data repositories and disconnected integrations, it’s time to let the tools in your tech stack be friends and work together.

Tech Tips to Add to Your Stack

As any Apple fan knows, the synchronicity of an iPhone, Apple TV, and Airpods is an unparalleled feeling. Marketers, your tech stack should feel the same way with all of your tools working in unison like a well-oiled machine.?

Ready to achieve the tech stack of your dreams? Here are 4 ways to do it:

1. More Data, More Problems - Contrary to popular belief, more data isn’t the solution to better marketing or a more efficient tech stack. After all, most marketers have more data than they know what to do with. The key is to hone in on activating high-quality data and streamlining disparate sources—such as your CRMs and loyalty solutions. This way, you have an accurate, diverse data set for activation, testing, and targeting.
2. Quick and Slick Content - The need for automation is pretty much a truism for marketers at this point, but if you’re only using it for deployment or basic copy and image generation…there’s room to grow. Take things a step further by marrying personalization with AI generation. Automating your processes will cut down the hours of editing generic content, completing the process in one fell swoop.
3. Deployment < Deliverability - Only using your tech stack to deploy a batched email program is so 2010. In a rapid-fire marketing landscape, marketers need their messages to be delivered in real-time, across devices, and act as a bridge for personalized communications. Whether it’s orchestrating campaigns, powering customer journeys, or mapping solutions, a tech stack that supports a consistent, scalable customer experience is what will make your marketing future-proof.?
4. Set an AI Foundation - What’s one topic that keeps coming up in this newsletter? If you guessed AI, you’d be correct. It’s for good reason, because AI is quickly becoming a critical piece to producing branded communications that are both scalable and personalized.?That means integrating flexible, multi-model AI into your tech stack should be priority number one. From generative AI to machine and deep learning, incorporating this tool will power engaging experiences while providing a holistic view of customers.

Content for Your Data-Day Life

From integrations to APIs, the data conundrums never stop. Here’s some one-stop-shop content to get on top of all your data-driven woes:

• May the Force Be With You - Salesforce is cloud 9 for most marketers, and the CRM conglomerate has recently announced how they’re improving their data processes further by integrating with Movable Ink.
• Touchdown Analytics That Score - Curious to know what Super Bowl ads hit and which ones didn’t? Learn from the marketing conglomerates before you with this deep dive.?
• Many Sources Make Light Work - Lots of data sources means a 360 view of customers…if they’re all working together—learn how to turn your data into a mosaic of customer needs and preferences.
• Short and Sweet - Your SLs are too long. Find out why in MediaPost’s latest benchmark report.
• This API is Flawless, Don’t You Let It Go - APIs are the key to transforming data into visual content, so if you want 3 ways to make it happen, this is the post for you.

Asda’s On a Mobile Mission

Asda began before digital CRMs and data warehouses even existed. Needless to say, the UK-based retailer had a lot of work on their hands to shore up their omni-channel data. See how Emma-Louise Birch (Senior CRM Manager) and her team at Asda efficiently enhanced their data-driven personalization and skyrocketed loyalty program performance.

??Marketing Moments We’re Loving??

• The Marketing Hall of Fame (Super Bowl Style): Watched the game, or were you really just tuned in to see Usher or Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce? Either way, the Super Bowl had a marketing highlight for everyone, in and out of the inbox.
• Loyalty Is on the Move: Mobile makes customers “appy,” especially when it comes to loyalty programs. Get a deep dive on the latest mobile stats and how the device is slated to drive long-term engagement in 2024.
• Venturing Outside the Pizza-Box: When you’re hungry, you need to know where your pizza is–down to the minute. Get the scoop on how Domino’s keeps their customers updated every step of the way, from when the pizza enters the oven to when it’s delivered on their doorstep.
• Who Created CeraVe? The internet is confused, thanks to the skincare brand featuring Michael Cera in their Super Bowl ad. But has the confusion actually made CeraVe’s commercial the most successful brand-awareness ad yet, or is its credibility on the line?
• Loyalty for a Lifetime: Customer lifetime value (CLV) is a common North Star metric—but how can marketers understand, calculate, and leverage this information for their messaging? This article covers it all.

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