Beyond the hype: Tailoring your marketing to evolving customer needs
There will always be another new social media platform, a shiny new tool, new trends… The reality is, none of those things matter if you don’t take the time to understand and adapt to your customer and their needs. Your marketing strategy needs to be all about building strong and lasting relationships with your customer base and your target audience. And, just like your business, your customer needs, expectations, and behaviours shift and change over time. What you did yesterday may not work today.
So, how do you keep up? It’s not about jumping on every new trend. It's about building a marketing strategy that is flexible and fundamentally tailored to your customers. This is the key to creating not just successful campaigns, but lasting customer relationships.
Here’s a look at how to tailor your marketing to meet the your customers where they are at today:
1: Embrace data, but prioritize human touch
Data is a powerful tool. It tells you what customers are clicking, what they're buying, and how they're navigating your website. But numbers alone don’t tell the whole story. You need to combine data analysis with human touch points.
Go beyond demographics: While age, gender, and location are a starting point, dive deeper. What are their pain points? What are their aspirations? What kind of content are they consuming when they’re not engaging with your brand? What social platforms are they on?
Listen actively: Automation can be great, but it’s frustrating when a robot responds to a comment and it’s obvious. Respond to comments, engage in conversations, and genuinely ask for feedback. A simple question like, "What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now?" can unlock a wealth of insights.
2: Personalization is more than just a name
For years, personalization has meant using a customer’s first name in an email subject line. The modern customer expects more. They want an experience that feels custom-built for them.
Segment for relevance: Go beyond basic segmentation. Create micro-segments based on past purchase behavior, website browsing history, and content engagement.
Dynamic content: Use marketing automation to serve up different content to different audience segments. If a customer has previously shown interest in a specific product category, your website and emails should reflect that.
Channel preference: Does a customer prefer SMS updates over email? Do they engage more with video content on TikTok than long-form blog posts? Respect their preferences and tailor your communication channels accordingly.
3: Authenticity and values matter more than ever
Customers are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on a brand’s values. They want to support companies that align with their own beliefs, whether that's sustainability, social justice, or ethical sourcing.
Walk the talk: Don’t just make a statement; demonstrate your commitment. Showcase your sustainable practices, highlight your ethical supply chain, and share the stories of the people behind your products.
Humanize your brand: People connect with people, not with faceless corporations. Introduce your team, share behind-the-scenes content, and show the human side of your business. This builds trust and rapport.
4: Think about experience over product
Your product isn’t enough. You’ve got competitors and customers are often not loyal to brands unless they have created an experience that is easy and memorable in a good way.
Seamless customer journey: From the first time a customer discovers your brand to their post-purchase support, every interaction should be easy. Is your website easy to navigate? Is your checkout process simple? Are customer service inquiries handled efficiently?
Community building: Create spaces where your customers can connect with each other and with your brand. This could be a private Facebook group, a forum on your website, or even a series of virtual events. A strong community turns customers into brand advocates.
Change is inevitable. You need to make sure you’re changing along with your customer needs so you can make real, lasting connections.
At SongBird Marketing Communications, we help women owned and women serving brands build these connections. We don’t just run campaigns and throw things at the wall to see what sticks; we help you understand your audience so you can create marketing that truly resonates.
Ready to tailor your marketing for the future? Book a free consultation with me to chat!