Why understanding your customer is key to getting through the personalization filter final

Presentation at Online Marketing Summit.

In this thought-provoking presentation, we will explore the crucial role of customer understanding in successfully navigating the personalization filter. Join us as we delve into the depths of consumer behavior and unlock the secrets to crafting personalized experiences that resonate with your target audience. Gain valuable insights into the importance of deep customer empathy, data-driven segmentation, and meaningful engagement strategies. Discover how understanding your customers on a profound level allows you to cut through the noise and deliver tailored messages, products, and experiences that truly connect. Through real-world examples and practical tips, we will equip you with the tools to break through the personalization filter and cultivate authentic, long-lasting relationships with your customers. Prepare to revolutionize your approach, unlock the power of customer understanding, and witness the transformative impact it can have on your business.

Transcript

1. BREAK THROUGH THE PERSONALIZATION FILTER 02.13.13 | Room 31B | 9:00 AM-9:45 AM Katherine Watier Ong @kwatier
2. Today’s Mental Journey: • Discuss how Google, Bing, Facebook and Twitter are increasingly becoming personalized to each user • Tips for how to change your promotion plans to break through the filter and reach your online target audience • Tips for how to increase your chances of being recommended for your target audience’s personalized search experience • Thoughts for how to measure if you have reached your target online audience • Where online personalization is headed
3. The Most Important Transition From keyword based results → Entities and connections based results Cartoon on left by Peter Steiner © 2012
4. A QUICK HISTORY OF ONLINE PERSONALIZATION
5. Search Engines – 1994-2007 2002 • Google News 2004 • Book Search • Scholar 2005 • Blog Search • Google base 2006 • Google Video 1994 THESIS SHARING. • Search engines needed links to find and crawl your site. • Labeling mattered 1996 GOOGLE! • Introduction of PageRank • Some links mattered more than others 2002- 2006 GOOGLE INTRODUCED VERTICALS 2007 GOOGLE COMBINED THEM WITH UNIVERSAL SEARCH
6. Search Results – 2008-Today http://pleated-jeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/259924-your-ecards-someecardscom.jpeg 2008 SEARCH RESULTS BECOME PERSONALIZED • Behavioral intent • Universal search • Geographic location • Previous search history 2009 GOOGLE ANNOUNCES THAT IT MAKES CHANGES DAILY, ADDS REAL TIME SOCIAL RESULTS BING! 2010 GOOGLE ADDS MOBILE SEARCH • Begins to associate the recordings of the words that you ask for with your Google account. 2011 BING-FACEBOOK LIKE INTEGRATION GOOGLE+ - GOOGLE’S IDENTITY NETWORK
7. Paid Ads Knowledge Graph My brother Geo Local results Images from Google+ All personalized to me. Direct answers are now displayed in search. Google Search – 2012
8. Google – Powered by Your Google Data
9. Google’s Personalization Signals Did you know? There are 40 personalization factors? Full list here: http://bit.ly/VxOnkM
10. • Bing is similar to Google, but has interesting integration features with Facebook and Twitter • You can ask your friends questions directly from search Bing Search – 2012
11. Bing – Powered by Your Microsoft Data cdn-static.cnet.co.uk/i/c/blg/cat/mobiles/windows-phone-8-speech.jpg/www.thegeeksclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/xbox-bing-voice-search.jpg
12. Personalization on Facebook http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards/MjAxMy02YjFjNWQ0NWYxOWMxMmI1.png 2004 FACEBOOK IS CREATED 2006 FACEBOOK NEWS FEED IS CREATED 2010 EDGERANK ANNOUNCED • like button released along with instant personalization on other sites • partners may only use your public information experience 2012 EDGERANK ADJUSTS RANKING BASED ON BRAND AFFINITY AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK RECEIVED 2013 FACEBOOK ADDS GRAPH SEARCH
13. Personalization on Twitter http://engineering.twitter.com/2011/05/engineering-behind-twitters-new-search.html 2006 TWITTER IS LAUNCHED 2012 ROLLED OUT NEW VERSION OF THE DISCOVER TAB -- EVEN MORE PERSONALIZED FOR YOU. Includes: • Your connections, how strong they are • Signals from accounts you follow • Who they follow • Location • Language preference • Gender
14. LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT: PERSONALIZED SEARCH RANKINGS YOU CAN USE GOOGLE FOR MEDIA MONITORING?
15. Chocolate Screenshots Female, 58, Rockville, MD – anonymous Female, 58, Rockville, MD – anonymous
16. Female, 24, Washington, DC, Ketchum employee Chocolate Screenshots
17. Male, 34, Bangladesh – logged in Male, 34, Bangladesh – not logged in Chocolate Screenshots
18. Female, 26, NJ Chocolate Screenshots
19. Removing Search Personalization Think about your underlying assumption…. When you non-personalized the search results, are you going to see what your target audience sees?
20. CREATING A PLAN TO CUT THROUGH THE ONLINE FILTER
21. Step 1: Create Personas for your Target Audience • Demographics (male/female, marital status, age range, income) • Job level (if B2B) • Pain points • Objections to attitude change • Routine for a typical day • Level of sophistication with technology • Online information sources/social networks • Keyword terms • Mobile use
22. PERSONAS FOR HEALTHIT.GOV Ketchum Example
23. • Understand triggers • Eager to try • Sees competitive advantage • Tailor Content – Best practices to achieve Meaningful Use – Higher-end applications – How to tell patients about the transition to health IT • Understand triggers • Needs peer reinforcement • Concerned about workflow • Tailor Content – How to register – What an REC is – How to find your REC – What to ask your vendor about privacy and security • Understand triggers • Risk averse • Concerned about penalties • Tailor Content – Benefits of EHRs – Implications of not adopting – Transition deadlines and milestones – How to register Understanding the Provider Audience Provide Answers to Business and Emotive Triggers
24. Conversion Through Conversation Speak Directly to The Provider’s Situation Knowledge Persuasion Decision Implementation Confirmation Steps in the Innovation Decision Process Individual is exposed to the innovation and gains a basic understanding Individual forms an attitude about the innovation Individual makes a choice to adopt or reject the innovation Individual puts the innovation to use Individual seeks reinforcement of the adoption decision Messages & Materials for Providers •About HITECH •What is MU? •EMRs vs. EHRs •Benefits •Outcomes data •Adoption rates •Issues response •What is REC? •How to find REC •Workflow mgmt •Adoption timeline •Privacy/security •Best practices •Case studies •Checklists •How to talk with patients •Outcomes data •Adoption rates •Higher-end uses •Research findings ONC/OCR Resources to Leverage •State HIE •RECs •OCR regionals •Beacons •MUVers •RECs •State HIE •RECs •OCR •State HIE •RECs •SHARP •OCR •State HIE •SHARP •Beacons Workforce •OCR
25. Integrated Communications Touchpoints San Francisco Provider in Planning Stage Profile: Dr. Steven Chen, 39 80% chance Uses Mobile Device At Work
26. Step 2: Create content for your target audience • Create content that is focused on their: • Needs • Desires • Emotional Motivators • Burning Questions • Formatted in a way that drives sharing
27. Step 3: Be recommended for your target • Use all of the social media buttons on your site • Google+! • Use rel=author and other schema markup to increase CTR, build up the Author Rank and following of your company’s thought leaders • Create a surround sound of social media mentions around your target audience • Create and promote high quality content regularly that matches your audiences’ need.
28. HealthIT.gov – Surround Sound http://www.touchgraph.com/seo/launch?q=health%20it
29. Step 4: Surround them CRM driven social media outreach Tip: • Create list/database of influencers by semantic interests • Store all conversations so that you can pivot the outreach • Connect with the influencer via multiple platforms • Set up alerts to quickly engage with contacts based on recent posts.
30. Step 5: Intercept them during a prime moment of online adults in the US have clicked on links to related stories 76%
31. Step 6: Measure to see if it’s working • Google searches/mo. compared to your analytics traffic by keyword? • Social media monitoring to view an increase in volume around your brand name and products? • Overall increased social media & target referral traffic per month? • Searching focus group studies
32. Let’s Test What your Audience Sees Hypothesis: • Hertz’s On Demand service is not appearing in Google when their target demographic searches for car sharing services Target demographic: • Mobile using • Ages 21-35 • college educated • Doesn’t own a car • lives in NYC and DC (where they have launched their services). Scenario: • You're looking to make a trip to the grocery store, and anticipate needing a car to transport your goods. • We are interested in understanding how you would go about finding and selecting a “car sharing” service to be used in the next few hours?
33. User’s Instructions 1. Please enter “car sharing” into the Google search bar. 2. Do you feel that the search results are relevant to your ultimate goal of selecting a “car sharing” service? Why or why not? 3. What is your thought process when deciding which search result to select? 4. Click on your desired result. 5. By what criteria do you evaluate whether a car sharing service provider is worth hiring? 6. Are you satisfied with your current selection? Why or why not? 7. How else would you search online for a car sharing provider?
34. Results of Those Tests https://www.usertesting.com/highlight_reels/kmHzjVj71UJP4CfyxpTE
35. WHERE ARE WE HEADED? THE FUTURE OF PERSONALIZATION
36. The Future of Google Search: “With your permission, you give us more information about you, about your friends, and we can improve the quality of our searches….we don’t need you to type at all. We know who you are We know where you’ve been We can more or less know what you’re thinking.” - Eric Schmidt, Google
37. Google Now – Serving You Info without Searching
38. Google asks: What are you thinking now? http://backslidden.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Dyson86237596.jpg Google asks: “What did you want to know recently?” “ It will know at a semantically deep level what you’re interested in, not just the topic... [ but] the specifi c questions and concerns you have. I envision some years from now that the majority of search queries will be answered without you actually speaking. ” – Ray Kurzweil
39. Parting Thoughts…. Know your Customer • Use their language • Have them test your message • Create search personas and measure against assumptions • Provide online content that is quality and shareable • Build social communities around your brand – especially utilizing Google+ • Store and leverage influencer data • Coordinate all messaging including paid to create a “surround sound” • Leverage social and web data to refine personas and outreach
40. Katherine Watier Ong Ketchum 202-729-8355 @kwatier www.linkedin.com/in/katherinewatier gplus.to/katherinewatier Katherine.watier@ketchum.com www.ketchum.com Contact