Imagine sending Christmas-themed messages to those who celebrate Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Likewise, a generic “holiday” message can be perceived as impersonal by today’s consumers, who anticipate a more personalized recognition of their unique celebrations. It is campaign-led marketing misfiring.

Or think about a company advertising a weight-loss supplement to someone with anorexia or promoting a new iPhone to someone who recently purchased one. It sends the message of misunderstanding. Such product-led marketing scenarios can destroy customer-brand relationships by delivering irrelevant messages that don’t align with an individual’s needs and expectations. Customers will promptly seek out competitors more in tune with their specific needs and preferences.

With that said, campaign-driven and product-driven marketing strategies still have a strong foothold in businesses’ promotional tactics. But these tactics must be driven by customer-led marketing. In doing so, campaigns will not misfire or miss the opportune moment.

At the core of this transformative perspective is the notion of delivering relevant, timely information to customers based on their unique preferences, thereby combining real-time and scheduled campaigns into a perfect marketing plan. Compared to traditional product-driven and campaign-driven marketing strategies, which often fail to react to real-time customer needs and preferences, customer-led marketing ensures that only relevant, timely information is presented the moment a customer sees the benefit.  The essence of customer-led marketing lies in its deep understanding of customers – their unique attributes and driving behaviors – formed by collecting, curating, analyzing, and applying data.  Starting with the customer becomes the backbone of successful relationship marketing.

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Examples of starting with customers data for real-time campaigns to meet the moment:

1. Customized Website Interstitial Banners: 

Tailor website interstitial banners based on customers’ lifecycle stages. For example, display different banners for new customers, loyal customers, or churned customers. This personalized approach ensures that customers receive relevant offers and information as they navigate the website.

2. Churned Customer Offers: 

Identify churned customers who visit your website and present them with a strong offer to win them back. In contrast, for customers who have recently made a purchase, consider presenting a softer offer or no offer at all. By leveraging data on customer behavior and purchase history, brands can deliver targeted messages that align with their specific needs and increase the likelihood of re-engagement.

3. VIP Customer Cart Abandonment: 

When a high-value brand’s VIP customer abandons a cart, it can trigger a message to a sales agent to follow up by phone. This proactive approach allows for personalized and immediate assistance to recover the sale. An example is John Hardy, a luxury jewelry brand, which realized $901 per customer from real-time cart-abandonment campaigns.

4. In-Game Promotions: 

In iGaming, trigger an in-game promotion for a new customer who has lost three games in a row, aiming to provide a boost or incentive to keep them engaged. However, such a promotion may be optional for a legacy customer with a strong relationship with the brand.

5. Location-Based Messages: 

Send a message to a customer browsing a website when they walk into a perimeter near a physical store, informing them that they can see the products they are interested in at a nearby store. This location-based message provides a seamless transition from online browsing to an in-store experience.

In essence, customer-led marketing can shape and steer campaign- and product-led marketing strategies, ensuring only relevant, timely information is presented. It allows the seamless combination of real-time and scheduled campaigns, resulting in an optimal marketing plan. As such, a customer-led approach linked to a Customer Data Platform (CDP) and marketing automation is crucial in connecting businesses to the customer journey and delivering the most effective marketing results. And marketers cannot begin that approach a moment too soon.

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