We have covered some topics that help the Food Business and Foodie alike to begin, and then enhance their digital presence. To recap we have covered Google Analytics 1.0, Big Data, SEO in F-O-O-D, Social Media+Food, and last week we looked at Bidding for your Customer's Attention with Paid Ads.
I have 💙 researching and covering these topics and hope they will continue to help enhance your online presence whatever your goal.
This week's topic The Benefits & Challenges Of Using Customer Data For Marketing is ever-more relevant in this digital climate especially post-pandemic when the only means of communicating with customers in a personal manner has been online. We have had two years of unforeseen upheaval globally! I have debated which way to write this but wanted it to be punchy and not just text-heavy data speak....here we go!
Customer Data is a game-changer when it comes to marketing. We saw it with our post on Big Data. Customers can and are willing to share so much more about themselves than ever before and indeed are encouraged to do so.
As consumers, we are always on, we can access shopping online whilst in-store before committing to the purchase; ZMOT (Zero Moment Of Truth). One can even sign-up for offers online to grab discounts before purchasing - establishing if online or in-store is better value to them. The educated consumer is evolving constantly.
With this in mind, and the knowledge that mobile devices give full-access online 24/7, it is now possible for marketers to establish very quickly whether a campaign is reaping rewards or not. This means being able to alter route should the customer data analysed suggest we do so. We have seen that using Google Analytics is an essential tool for a business to analyse the data collected and give a benchmark against agreed cross-functional goal attainment.
As with everything, it's not what you do but the way you do it! Correct data analysis is essential. There are so many facets to customer data from persona identification to email marketing to SEO through content engagement. All of these need information from your customer/audience.
Thirty years ago, to paraphrase Kotler, consumers under 25 are disenfranchised with politics but empowered by consumer choice! In 2022, most consumers are now digitised and a lot more open with their lives it would seem.
So sharing data (as a customer) is like choosing a donut (hence, yummy image below)! You can get the full sprinkle-encrusted, icing-topped, mousse-filled, fully-loaded intoxicating delicious donut without the donut-hole (signing up to an app and paid subscription) OR a sugar coated/jam-filled regular off-the-shelf at the supermarket donut (simply giving minimum information to complete a task e.g. purchase).
Ultimately data allows us, the digital marketers to go deeper and wider with our customer base, getting to know their name, address, current location, DOB, size, preferences for shopping, likes/dislikes, etc. For the customer it allows a more personalised engagement (not just knowing your name) where the experience is heightened through rich content, etc.
Is this a fair trade-off for the modern day consumer, a Quid Pro Quo? Ultimately only the empowered & educated consumer can decide if this is the case by agreeing to what they want to share.
Great Post Colette. It's a very interesting area, finding that balance between collecting and utilising data for both the buyers and sellers benefit - while taking into consideration all the relevant privacy issues. The legal space in relation to this is also constantly evolving, and the modern marketeer must keep up to date with this.
ReplyDeleteYou mention the importance of being fair and trustworthy as marketeers, with regard to customer data and I agree - this is key. It's important in its own right - but also, get it wrong and your company will suffer bad press and reputational damage- so it deserves a lot of thought.
Overall super informative post this week and loved the images you selected to help put across your points. Great to have all the links to the previous posts too. It gives extra context for the reader.
I know this is officially the last post... But maybe we will continue to write them - just fun as digital marketing for food is such an awesome topic!
Suzanne McCabe
Colette your posts certainly have been a game changer over the last few weeks! I really have enjoyed reading and learning from your in-depth blogs. In this post I love how you refer back to the pandemic we have been through as I feel now with things opening up we can really forget about what has changed and how the consumer mindset has changed over the last two years especially with their habits of buying online. As you refer to it is now so easy for campaign managers to know if a campaign is successful or not. It is very much about the Call to Action and assessing whether consumers are interacting with your campaign. As you said Data really does allow us go some much deeper into what is working and this can prove so successful for the business. Thanks for sharing - I've really enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteGreat post as always Colette, you have really given me some food for thought about the future of marketing and consumer data. As you mentioned, people in today's modern day digital world are more inclined to share their information for that little bit of discount (I know I have signed up for email subscriptions at a till in order or receive a little bit of discount off my purchase) however, do you think that eventually as we become more aware of how our data is being used, will consumers then begin to retain and reject cookies, and in turn then create more obstacles/opportunities that marketers/businesses then have to do to achieve their campaign goals? Really interesting post.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne Earley
Colette I really enjoyed reading your blogs throughout this series! Always informative and straight to the point, which is exactly what busy readers need. Your posts were a one stop shop of lots of interesting info, with an eye-catching layout every time that kept me engaged! Really loved this series of blogs, thanks for sharing your insights :) Holly
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