Profile information for customers is key to successful marketing. However, customers have been wary of giving out too much information for many valid reasons, such as avoiding online identity theft. Industry experts say that one of the surest ways to get more customer information through business to business email marketing is to watch for previous brand interaction.
Tough as this sounds, it’s not that difficult. Keeping a log of customers’ interactions with the brand can show quickly how they respond to the business’ products or services. This log should track customers’ behaviors over a period of time and through multiple channels, not just emails. For example, find out how long they’ve been customers. Which customers purchase most often? What do they click on in the company’s emails? In other words, what kind of information interests the customer, and how can the business use that same information to improve their customer relationship management?
It’s critical to avoid looking like Big Brother when gathering this data. However, it’s possible to track certain kinds of behaviors, such as clicks in emails, products bought or view, FAQs or other information accessed on the company’s website and user content such as reviews. All of these pieces of information can be used to create personalized but dynamic B2B email marketing.
This type of information allows marketers to segment their audiences better and provide customized emails that will appeal to each user’s interests. Personalization such as this – the sense that customers’ interests and preferences really matter to the company (and they should!) – increases engagement with emails as well as brand loyalty.