Every human being is a unique individual. This simple fact is essential in the age of digital marketing, in which consumers expect a personalized, convenient experience.

Personalization in digital marketing is more vital than ever to understand as we come to rely more on digital services. Fortunately, with the application of big data and its analytics — as well as some essential software tools — marketers can create personalized marketing campaigns that reach broader audiences.

Personalization is the future of digital marketing, so follow these tips and strategies for implementing it in your own marketing efforts.

The importance of personalization and how to implement it

According to a McKinsey survey, as many as 80% of customers want personalized content from retailers. While many of us come to think of all ads as annoying or intrusive, the simple fact is customers just want content that applies more relevantly to them.

In fact, 90% of consumers say they’re annoyed by advertisements that don’t apply to their own passions and interests. With this in mind, a personalized approach is necessary to generate leads and enhance your sales amidst all the demands on audience attention online.

Implementing personalization all starts with gathering data. From there, you can build an effective strategy that provides your target audience with the messaging and recommendations they want.

Here are some strategies that can help you realize the importance of and implement personalized marketing:

1. Gather your data

First, implement a plan to draw data from a host of valuable sources. From Google Analytics, which allows you to freely assess your web content metrics, to using social media data that can help you launch successful marketing campaigns, there are plenty of options out there for data generation.

Explore your resources and don’t neglect to gather feedback directly from the markets you intend to serve. Email marketing and surveys can be great ways to assess the effectiveness of your approach. Similarly, A/B testing allows you to apply the best of your marketing ideas.

2. Formulate effective customer profiles

With data in hand, it’s time to assemble effective customer profiles. Generating customer personas allows you to begin to form a narrative surrounding who your audience is and what they want to see.

Building profiles for your target audiences is one of the most effective ways you can begin to form an effective narrative around your marketing attempts. Storytelling helps us access our empathetic sides and put ourselves in the shoes of others. From there, we can create user story maps to determine common customer experiences, how to better meet their needs, and combat common barriers.

3. Integrate artificial intelligence

A widespread personalized marketing approach would be impossible without the help of artificial intelligence. If you intend to scale your business at all, you need the help of AI to reach your target audience with personalized recommendations and messaging.

Netflix and Amazon are perfect examples of companies that make use of AI in their personalized marketing strategies. Whenever you log on to these platforms, you’re greeted by a host of product recommendations directed specifically to you based on your individual data.

Since no human has the ability to assess thousands of data points and instantly provide such insights, algorithms that integrate with customer data are necessary for effective personalization.

4. Build for web accessibility

But don’t neglect to accommodate all kinds of audiences in your digital marketing approach. Consider that 57 million Americans live with a disability and yet only 2% of web pages accommodate this audience with accessibility features.

Improving your website’s accessibility boosts your ability to reach a broader audience while providing personalization tools for customers with a wide variety of impairments. This has been shown to increase sales by as much as 20% and can enhance everything from customer loyalty to your SEO efforts.

5. Innovate and reevaluate

Finally, no approach to personalization and digital marketing is complete without a commitment to innovation and evaluation. New tech is coming out all the time, with improved AI algorithms and functions that allow you to assess and personalize content based on customer data.

Plan to reevaluate your approach to digital marketing at regular intervals to accommodate new tools and trending strategies. In this process, don’t forget to reach directly out to your customers and pay attention to their feedback. Personalization requires that you actively listen to the audience you serve, so keep a finger on the pulse of your target markets.

With these strategies in your tool kit, you will be able to provide a personalized digital marketing strategy and serve broader audiences. As a result, you’ll experience the success you’re looking for.

6. Taking your digital marketing into the future

Personalization in digital marketing is so important because it is the future of marketing as a whole. With so many customers expecting and looking for such an approach, building your suite of data tools is essential for any company looking to gain a competitive edge now.

Prioritize personalization because everyone else is. Tools are out there that can help you understand how effective your personalization approach really is. From there, you can set your sites on larger goals and enhance your revenues.

Implement these strategies with the realization that personalization in digital marketing is not just a trend but a vital aspect of the industry that is here to stay.