What is Connected Marketing?
Connected marketing is a holistic approach to marketing that focuses on creating a seamless and personalized experience for customers across all channels. It involves integrating data and technology to deliver the right message at the right time to the right person, regardless of where they are in the customer journey.
Connected marketing is important because it allows brands to:
- Better understand their customers: By collecting and analyzing data from all channels, brands can gain a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs, wants, and preferences. This information can then be used to create more targeted and relevant marketing campaigns.
- Deliver more personalized experiences: Connected marketing enables brands to deliver personalized experiences to customers across all channels. This can be done by using data to segment customers and target them with relevant messages and offers.
- Increase marketing efficiency and effectiveness: Connected marketing can help brands to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. By integrating data and technology, brands can automate tasks and streamline their marketing processes.
Examples of Connected Marketing in Action
Here are a few examples of how brands are using connected marketing today:
- Nike: Nike uses connected marketing to deliver personalized experiences to its customers. For example, Nike members receive personalized recommendations for products and services based on their purchase history and browsing behavior. Nike also uses connected marketing to create seamless shopping experiences for its customers. For example, customers can start shopping on the Nike website and then finish their purchase on the Nike app.
- Starbucks: Starbucks uses connected marketing to create a personalized experience for its customers. For example, Starbucks Rewards members can use the Starbucks app to order and pay for their drinks ahead of time. They can also use the app to track their rewards and redeem them for free drinks and food.
- Disney: Disney uses connected marketing to create a seamless and magical experience for its guests. For example, Disney guests can use the My Disney Experience app to plan their trip, purchase tickets, and make dining reservations. They can also use the app to track their wait times for rides and attractions.
How to Implement Connected Marketing
To implement connected marketing, brands need to:
- Collect and unify customer data: The first step is to collect and unify customer data from all channels. This data can be collected through surveys, loyalty programs, website analytics, and social media. Once the data is collected, it needs to be unified into a single view of the customer.
- Segment customers: Once the customer data is unified, brands need to segment their customers into different groups based on their needs, wants, and preferences. This will allow brands to target their marketing campaigns more effectively.
- Choose the right channels: Brands need to choose the right channels to reach their target audience. This may include email, social media, paid advertising, and direct mail.
- Create personalized content: Brands need to create personalized content for each customer segment. This content should be relevant to the customer’s needs and interests.
- Measure and optimize: Brands need to measure the results of their connected marketing campaigns and optimize them accordingly. This will help brands to improve the performance of their campaigns over time.
Connected Marketing in Different Industries
Connected marketing can be implemented in a variety of industries, including:
- Retail: Retailers can use connected marketing to deliver personalized shopping experiences to their customers. For example, retailers can use data to recommend products to customers based on their purchase history and browsing behavior. Retailers can also use connected marketing to create seamless shopping experiences for their customers. For example, customers can start shopping on the retailer’s website and then finish their purchase on the retailer’s app.
- Financial services: Financial services companies can use connected marketing to provide personalized financial advice to their customers. For example, financial advisors can use data to recommend investment products to customers based on their risk tolerance and financial goals. Financial services companies can also use connected marketing to create seamless banking experiences for their customers. For example, customers can use their bank’s app to check their account balances, transfer money, and pay bills.
- Healthcare: Healthcare providers can use connected marketing to provide personalized care to their patients. For example, healthcare providers can use data to remind patients about upcoming appointments and send them educational materials about their health condition. Healthcare providers can also use connected marketing to make it easier for patients to schedule appointments and pay their bills.
Connected marketing is a powerful approach to marketing that can help brands to better understand their customers, deliver more personalized experiences, and increase marketing efficiency and effectiveness. Brands in a variety of industries can implement connected marketing to improve their customer relationships and grow their businesses.
Additional Tips for Implementing connected marketing:
- Start small: It’s not necessary to implement a full-scale connected marketing program overnight. Start by piloting a connected marketing campaign in one or two channels. Once you’ve seen success, you can gradually expand your program to include more channels and customers.
- Use data to drive your decisions: Data should be at the heart of your connected marketing program. Use data to segment your customers, create personalized content, and measure the results of your campaigns.
- Be consistent: Connected marketing is most effective when it’s consistent. Make sure that you’re delivering a consistent customer experience across all channels.
- Be patient: It takes time to implement and optimize a connected marketing program. Don’t expect to see results overnight.
Here are some additional insights on how to implement connected marketing in specific industries:
Retail:
- Use data to personalize product recommendations and promotions.
- Create a seamless shopping experience across all channels, including online, in-store, and mobile.
- Use loyalty programs to collect data and reward customers for their engagement.
- Use social media to connect with customers and create a community around your brand.
Financial services:
- Use data to provide personalized financial advice and recommendations.
- Create a seamless banking experience across all channels, including online, mobile, and ATM.
- Use educational content to help customers make informed financial decisions.
- Use social media to connect with customers and provide timely customer support.
Healthcare:
- Use data to provide personalized care and recommendations.
- Create a seamless patient experience across all channels, including online, in-person, and mobile.
- Use educational content to help patients understand their health condition and make informed decisions.
- Use social media to connect with patients and provide timely customer support.
By following these tips, you can successfully implement connected marketing in your business and improve your customer relationships.
