By: Nicole Pamar
The digital ecosystem is get getting bigger and more complicated by the second and attention is the new currency. How do you acquire that attention when you have limited time?
It is our job, as marketers, to catch the attention of the hyperconnected customer with an 8 second attention span. It has been suggested that goldfish now have longer attention spans than humans. Hard to prove, one would assume, but maybe not an unrealistic metric.
We are attempting to market “effectively” on multiple channels and multiple devices: smart phones, computers, tablets, radio, t.v’s and watches. On top of that, we are attempting to further automate repetitive tasks whilst attempting to create the illusion that the automated communication is individually personalized. We use all the tricks to go with it, spelling mistakes and my favourite “sent from my iPhone (when in fact sent from an email marketing platform). However, the question remains: how do we better engage our audience?
How Do We Continue To Engage Our Audience?
Today personalization is the goal for marketing automation. Thanks to machine learning algorithms natural language processing is getting close to the point where it is harder to tell whether you are talking to a human or a computer.
Of course, this raises the issue: do humans want to engage with machines? It makes sense from a business point of view – it’s cheaper to have an automated chatbot than a call centre. From a customer point of view – what are they gaining? Is there a new found speed with chatbots? Probably not. Are customers getting better services with automation and artificial intelligence? Maybe?
Data Is The Answer for Automation:
How do we use data to further individualize the process and how do we automate this process to further capture data and keep users engaged?
1) CHATBOTS:
The answer to the above question, “How do we use data to further individualize the automation process and how do we automate this process to further capture data and keep users engaged?” ~ Chatbots. Chatbots will most likely propose strategies and tactics for overcoming business & individualization problems.
This is already being done with in app messaging and automated phone promoting. However, with further algorithms and machine learning bots will most likely be able to come up with solutions to problems we have yet to achieve.
2) MICROMOMENTS:
Marketers need to know what their customers are trying to do in a particular micromoment.
This is paramount for automation because once the marketing content is sent, effectiveness must be measured. Think of yourself… most likely, you sit down at your computer or login into your phone to purchase a new pair of running shoes. Open your browser, you search, black running shoes, you are bombarded with a plethora of options, ads and then you find the pair you want. You click on the image, you select your size but then a pop up alerts you that you have a new text message.
You then reply to said text message. Now you go back to the shoes but your toddler needs you. You leave your computer, picking up your iphone and walk away. A few hours later you remember your shoes and begin the search on you cell phone.
It is in those “micromoments” that we need to capture your attention and bring you back to your task – shopping for black running shoes.
3) BEHAVIOURAL PERSONALIZATION:
This is not the norm. We are usually hyper focused on persona’s; A personalization tactic that focuses on what the customer does, not who they are. Unlike buyer persona’s that go out of date, behavioural data is based on the very latest action the individual made online making it more relevant. For example, a behavioural triggered email from a company to its prospective customer is highly personal and reminds that user exactly what they just left in their shopping bag… ie… “hey, we noticed you left your black running shoes in your shopping cart. Would you like to finish your purchase?”
No matter what we do to re-engage with our users it must be personalized and it must be measured. If attention is currency, we are fighting a never ending battle of novel shiny things in the digital ecosystem. Automation is our answer to the problem.