Personal Best: Why Personalized Marketing With More Touchpoints Is Essential

For all the promise and potential ahead in our AI-empowered future, I still like to look back occasionally and appreciate simpler times.

Reading Exclaimer’s recent report reminded me of just one reason why. And I’m not alone.

According to the findings in its “The Future of 1:1 Marketing” report, 55% of marketers surveyed believe it’s harder to reach customers today than it was just five years ago.

“They indicated that the main blockers were capturing customer attention, an increased number of touchpoints required, and differentiation against competitors,” the report says. 

Of the top challenges faced, 54% said capturing high-quality leads, 42% said ROI measurement, and 35% said marketing budget. An overwhelming majority (86%) said personalized 1:1 marketing is essential for B2B marketing success, with 33% saying they prefer 1:1 email as the way they’d want brands engaging with them (below only social media, with 40%).

“In these challenging times, personalized 1:1 marketing is the key to success, with more customers preferring individual interactions over generic messaging,” the report says. “This approach shifts from mass marketing to tailored interactions meeting customers’ unique needs and interests directly.”

Part of those needs and interests include more online research, a trend that is part of the equation as to why the number of touchpoints to convert a sale has increased so much compared to five years ago. According to the report, four times as many marketers today say it takes 11 or more touchpoints to convert.

(Source: Exclaimer)

“When exploring the best technologies for personalized marketing, CRM systems emerged as the top choice for customizing strategies for each client, with 72% of marketers in agreement,” the report says, with the other top preferred tools and technology being social media (55%) and marketing automation (55%). “As technology continues to evolve, marketers can use these tools for even more precise and effective personalized marketing efforts.”