Insight #019:For Better Personalization – Play the Long Game

When it comes to driving sustainable customer success, patience is vital. If your brand is looking towards ongoing revenue growth or higher lifetime customer value, Customer Success Manager Kerri Linderboom says a long-term mindset is key.

In her work with our Plexure Division, Kerri has spent years helping brands navigate the complex digital environment to drive better customer engagement. She explains, “Managing the customer lifecycle is about understanding your customers as the individuals they are, and knowing how to influence them to get the business outcomes you’re looking to achieve.”

Ultimately, that process takes time – often at least a year – to actually know a customer and provide for them at the best level. What may seem like a tough upfront investment is the best way to ensure lasting success and lifelong customer loyalty.?

Determine your North Star

Have a joint mission, a clear end goal for your brand. “If you don’t, as a collective business, understand exactly what your priority is, you’re never going to get there,” says Kerri.

Before aimlessly pursuing marketing campaigns or developing your new loyalty app, Kerri emphasizes the importance of aligning your vision. “Once you have that North Star, you’ll be able to focus your efforts much more efficiently. With every initiative, you can sort out what will help push you towards your goal, and what’s just noise.”

For many brands, that North Star is something along the lines of increasing their customer base and customer lifetime value – strategically setting up their business to have a consistent, profitable network of loyal, happy customers. When you break down that big-picture vision, the journey to get there requires a robust loyalty program, a seamless customer experience, and top-notch personalization. Now – how do you implement those tactics in a way that will be continuously effective and sustainable?

Get to know your customers

This is the piece that always takes longer than people are often willing to admit – but it’s also the foundation of any effective, personalized experience.

Think about the relationship between brands and customers a little bit like dating. Both parties are looking for something meaningful and lasting – but it’s important to find the right fit. The first few dates are all about getting to know one another. You’ll determine your likes, dislikes, and the surface level information about who you are (think demographics – age, gender, location, profession, affluence). After you’re a month or two in, then you probably have a decent image of your potential partner – and in that moment, it’s important to show that you care and that you want to continue your relationship.

All the answers you need can be found through cumulative customer data. “Which emails they have opened, what days of the week they often buy food out, what kind of sauce they like with their fries – all of this is information that customers are more than happy for brands to know. Paying attention to those behavioral trends is going to show you as a brand how to make them the best offerings.”

With every interaction, whether through a digital channel, a loyalty program, or an in-person experience, your customer is giving you more insight into who they are and what they want from your brand. Combining this data into a robust customer picture usually takes about 12 months.

“That’s where brands need to remember to slow down and make sense of the data they have if they want meaningful long-term results. You can’t expect a shiny new digital system to drive results if you are not listening to the customer needs that are being shared with you.”

Follow your key drivers

Throughout every new campaign or program, brands should be constantly tracking their progress with business metrics such as overall sales, loyalty sign-ups, and customer retention.

“Let’s say at the end of your second year, you have a strong base of loyal customers but you don’t have enough new ones coming through the door. That’s a sign that your everyday service is hitting the mark, but your marketing may be failing. This can be an opportunity to redirect resources that are focused on operations and transfer those efforts into building a better marketing strategy.”

Following indicators will tell you where your pain points are, and give you a hint of where you are falling behind before you’ve wasted too much time and investment.

“What we do at TASK and Plexure is break down those barriers and help brands form those relationships at a large scale.” For brands approaching personalization, remember to think about your customer relationships as a long term investment. Slowing down, defining your North Star, and taking the time to understand your customers is what will show you sustainable development and consistent business growth.