Data Driven Marketing for Websites

First lesson in Marketing: know your customer. Traditionally, this meant identifying the target customer for your products or services by identifying demographics that apply to them, such as age, gender, salary or interests. Next, create messages you assume your target will find attractive. You know what works based on past performance. So, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, except it doesn’t consider changing customer behavior. Nor does it track all potential customers, allowing you to identify new ones. It also tends to keep messages at a generic level, rather than give you the data you need to personalize them. And there it is – data. Data driven marketing opens up marketing possibilities and lets your business grow.

What is Data Driven Marketing?

It uses data gathered by your business or from third parties to learn about customer behaviors. The data tells you how successful your messages are, and which marketing channels are attracting new and existing customers. For example, data tells you the number of visitor clicks for ads and posts on social media, how many customers read and respond to an email campaign, and how visitors move through your website (see our blog on A Well-Designed Website Journey). Data gives you valuable insights into which marketing tactics are performing well. It can let you know which to continue and suggest improvements. Data driven marketing is growing in popularity with businesses of all sizes.

Using Data Driven Marketing for Websites

Businesses collect and analyze data for a variety of marketing applications. One popular use is website personalization.  As of the end of 2022, 74% of ecommerce companies have a website personalization program. (Yieldify)

Customers may find your website from an organic search, through social media posts or from digital advertising. Once on it, if your homepage has a compelling message, they will click on links to shop or learn more about you. Collecting and analyzing website data will tell you how visitors move through your website and if they return for more visits. The data will give you insights into what interests them.

This data can be used to create personalized messages based on visitor history. You can build a relationship with the visitor and increase conversions. Think of how, in a brick-and-mortar store, an employee will greet a return visitor and know what they like based on previous visits. For your website, pop-up windows can remind visitors what they viewed during their last visit. You can recommend products based on past visits by highlighting them on the home page. You can solicit feedback on past purchases to gain more information. Or it can be as simple as adding a pop-up window that says, “Welcome Back”. Visitors will feel more connected to your business.

Small Business Use of Data Driven Marketing

Small businesses may think only large companies can collect and analyze data. It does require a commitment of time, expertise and coordination with the overall marketing strategy. But more and more accessible tools are available, allowing small businesses to jump into this successful strategy.

How to Begin

Tools such as Google Analytics are a good starting place. Social media platforms provide data useful to learn about customer behavior. Google Optimize is a personalization tool used by small businesses. Your website designer can recommend the rights tools for your business.

Benefits

Website personalization tells visitors that your business wants to build a relationship with them. It draws them in and shows your desire to fulfill their needs. When visitors engage with your business, both conversions and customer satisfaction increase.

Take the example of digital ads. When a visitor clicks on an ad and lands on your homepage, a pop-up window highlighting the advertised product will save the visitor having to search your site for it. Or, if a visitor has been to your site previously, the next time they visit they can see a pop-up window reminding them of what they viewed before.  Further, you can make suggestions for related products.

Personalization helps retain existing customers and build loyalty. Your website can greet returning customers with a pop-up window and a reminder of past purchases. You can ask for feedback and suggest new products. According to McKinsey, “The growing popularity of website personalization means competitive and new businesses will be using it. Seventy-one percent of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. And seventy-six percent get frustrated when this doesn’t happen.” As more AI personalization tools become available, this trend will continue to grow.

Key to Success

Website personalization requires a commitment by small businesses. Learning the tools and focusing on tracking results will be valuable if you keep at it and are willing to experiment with different messages. Use it and review it regularly.

Wheaton Website Services understands the needs of small businesses and the importance of creating a competitive website for them. Contact us to learn how we help small businesses design and maintain their websites.

We design and update websites that run flawlessly.