InMa: Why Are Businesses Struggling with Personalisation?

After a new report found nine out of 10 (88%) marketers lack confidence in personalisation, InMa reviews why businesses are currently finding it so difficult to personalise their processes and form meaningful connections with customers.

About InMa Ltd: http://www.inma.org.uk/about-us/

In an article published by Marketing Week on 1st October 2015 it was revealed that despite a big push among marketers to personalise their strategies, the vast majority lack the confidence and knowledge to do so. The article titled 'Nine out of 10 marketers lack confidence in personalisation' and written by Thomas Hobbs, highlighted some interesting research conducted by digital marketing agency Greenlight. In a recent index into brand personalisation, Greenlight surveyed over 100 senior marketers and found that whilst just over half are currently implementing personalisation tactics across their online services and email, many are struggling to personalise their marketing messages across other platforms; with many citing a lack of confidence and experience as the biggest barrier.

InMa believes there are an array of contributing factors that may be impacting marketers' confidence when it comes to personalisation. The Ashley Madison scandal for example a few months ago, where thousands of users were 'outed' publically as cheaters when their personal information was leaked from the extramarital affairs-focused website was just the latest in a string of high profile cyber security attacks. With global organisations such as Uber and eBay also falling victim to security breaches in the past, many marketers are wary about collecting personal information and individualising the customer experience in fear of what would happen should the information fall into the wrong hands. Another factor impacting personalisation is a lack of resources and knowledge among today's marketers. Too many brands are guilty of becoming too intrusive in their approaches and are confusing attentiveness with personalisation. Rather than bombarding customers with content which isn't relevant to them, or frustrating them with a high quantity of calls and texts, brands need to learn how to use customer data to align their communications with their customers' individual needs and preferences. Adding value should be a number one priority, however many brands currently feel they lack the resources to pull this off thoroughly.

InMa, a Nottingham-based sales and event marketing firm believe that they may have the answer. The firm believe that by outsourcing to an event marketing firm, internal marketers will be free to focus on more traditional marketing approaches and play to their own strengths. Event marketing is a highly effective way to personalise a marketing message and connect with customers. Through face-to-face interaction InMa meet with their clients' customers and engage with them in order to fully understand their needs. Through this interaction the firm are able to deliver an exceptional level of customer service that is uniquely tailored to each individual customer, which raises their clients' customer retention and helps them to achieve a greater ROI.

InMa believe that by opting for a multichannel marketing strategy and including event marketing within their approaches, brands will be able to gain a better understanding of personalisation and increase their confidence across all marketing platforms. The firm are adamant that event marketing could dramatically help brands to improve customer relationships, whilst also taking some of the weight and responsibility of existing marketing teams.