Marketing strategies constructed to reach key consumer segments have been utilized for decades. Today’s technology drives the concept deeper with advertising hyper personalization. These are the ads we see attached to our online shopping, internet searches and action-oriented print and other marketing tools. The strategy reflects personal preferences using unique content driven by sales data. In other words, we see ads reflecting our buying habits, interests and overall consumer trends.

Hyper personalization advertising is being used not only by major companies but by direct marketers as well, who with good data are developing ads targeted to groups of individual buyers and interested prospects. Data is the key action word. Personalizing advertising is built around marketing data that demonstrate buyer preferences and histories. Your marketing research provides the primary elements to develop marketing strategies unique to your product. Sales histories show where target groups are spending money as well as establishing consumer trends.

The idea is to use content specifically developed to target the interests of groups or even individual consumers – think wine and spirits club members, preferred customer groups or high-volume repeat customers. Winning content is generally structured with testimonials and the promotion of product benefits.

Testimonials present strong action-oriented customer profiles which tell personal stories about a product or service. They establish credibility and trust through person-to-person communication and have long been a part of marketing strategies. Testimonials are judged on the honesty and integrity of the presenter and the company, so structure them responsibly. Product reviews will reveal differences of opinions and cause customer confusion if testimonials do not live up to consumer expectations.

Promoting the benefits of a product is an age-old marketing strategy that is still relevant today. This strategy defines what is unique and special about your product and your company. But consumers want to be assured that if they buy a product, it will perform as advertised. With real time reviews and consumer forums, poor performance or misrepresentations can topple reputations in a matter of minutes.

Targeting advertising to groups or individuals is a proven marketing strategy, which is why it’s being used to such a high degree today. If you can zoom in on specific consumer habits and trends, you can match your product’s benefits with proven and potential customers. This requires data collection and careful strategies built on reliable research. Direct marketers are discovering the benefits of personalizing advertising to meet their customers’ needs and improving sales for overall business growth.

Honesty, integrity and quality remain important foundations to all marketing plans and are viable in the immediate personalization market as customers share real time information and performance reviews. Use marketing strategies wisely and with your customers’ needs in mind to improve sales for a good return on your investment.

The above information is provided for educational purposes and should not be substituted for professional business or legal counseling.