It’s not provocative or groundbreaking to say that relevance matters in marketing today. But new data shows just how detrimental disconnected messaging can be for a brand.
Half of customers are annoyed when brands send generic messages, and more than 75% say they’ll unsubscribe from brands that send too many irrelevant messages, according to MessageGears’ 2023 Consumer Engagement Report.
These results are based on a MessageGears survey of more than 1,000 individuals who reported making an online purchase at least once per month on average. The feedback from consumers is clear: If marketers want our messages to convert, we need to be more personalized.
Two-thirds of respondents said brands that create a genuinely personalized customer experience are more likely to get their business. Again, that may not sound groundbreaking, but a whopping 87% said less than half of the marketing messages they receive are actually personalized.
It can feel impossible that brands with millions of customers could know each audience member’s preference as individuals, but today’s data tools can empower them to do just that – and win their loyalty as a result.
Today’s most successful brands get to know their customers, and as a result are able to provide a relevant, timely, and safe experience that those customers want to engage with. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for any of the things that we do as marketers.
When it comes to personalization, consumers have many preferences – like where they get messages and do their buying. When shopping online, consumers are mostly using mobile devices. Even so, 32% of respondents shop mostly on a desktop.
When asked which channel consumers prefer to receive promotional messages on, most said they want emails rather than SMS, in-app messages, or push notifications. This highlights the need for brands to be artful, timely, and contextually relevant with more disruptive forms of messaging – especially when competing in a crowded inbox.
When it comes to the frequency of messaging, the concept of personalization still applies. Most consumers said they like to receive messaging from brands weekly (30%), followed by monthly (21%) and then a few times a week (16%). At the same time, the majority of consumers said they will unsubscribe from brands sending too many messages, especially irrelevant messages.
Brands that are able to personalize message frequency based on customer preferences will be more likely to meet and exceed customer expectations, something that only 11% of consumers say happens “all the time” in their experience with large brands.
Consumers also shared they’re willing to provide more of their data to brands they trust – so the opportunity is there for marketers who can get loyalty right.
And the number one thing customers said they want from brands? Data security.
Brands must strike the right balance between relevance and privacy, using customer data to enhance the customer experience rather than detract from it. Marketers can and should be leveraging zero- and first- party data to create a more genuine and engaging experience. This should, in turn, foster not only a sense of connection with your brand, but also continue building that valuable brand loyalty and trust with your customers.
Natalia Dykyj is the Chief Marketing Officer at MessageGears, a platform that allows enterprise marketers to leverage zero- and first-party data to engage with their customers in highly personalized ways across the full spectrum of digital channels – email, SMS, in-app, mobile push, web, and TV. She has 20 years of experience in creating and executing marketing, product, and go-to-market strategies. She’s previously held VP-level positions at MessageBird, SparkPost, Web.com, and Cision.
