I came across this article today in Marketing Week and although it specifically talks about B2C, the essentials translate to B2B too.

“Marketers need to remember that customers are happy for them to use their data when this is done intelligently and in an integrated fashion. By employing a tailored approach more effectively, marketers can ensure they give their customers the personal touch that they already expect.”

For me, the key words from this are ‘integrated’, ‘tailored’ and ‘personal’.

1. It’s critical that both offline and digital data are integrated for one complete picture of the customer.So many companies are just not doing this, leaving their customers frustrated.

2. Communications need to be tailored and personal to the individual. It’s amazing how much mass marketing still goes out there – what a waste of budget! If you really want to build a meaningful, long lasting and loyal relationship with your customers then speak to them like an individual and address their personal needs. Your ROI’s will definitely see the difference.

Easier said than done right? Of course you need to be collecting the right data and information on your customers in the first place – something all companies should be investing time, money and resources on. Working with the Loyalty Management Group (Nectar) a few years ago gave me a fantastic insight into this world of data and loyalty analytics. This level of customer intelligence, quality and speed of data is where the really exciting stuff is for the future of marketing. It’s definitely the way forward and revolutionising many businesses.

Tailoring your DM goes a long way – highly-targeted communications, loyal customers and improved ROI’s.

Check out Marketing Weeks article for the full story.