Today, companies have more access to data than ever. If harnessed effectively, this data can help build a fully rounded view of your customer, and the varying lifestyles, experiences and interests that have a real impact on their communications preferences.
However, due to data silos, cumbersome legacy technology, and limited analytics, many companies can’t make full use of the data they have available to them. The result is customer communications that don’t quite hit the mark.
The Persona Pix card game has been designed as a fun way to think differently about your customers, and the various factors that influence whether communications resonate or fall flat. But what are the lessons to be learnt from Persona Pix, and how can they be applied to your own communications strategy?
Crude segmentation isn’t enough
If you’ve already played Persona Pix, you’ll know that our diverse cast of characters range from consumers like Digital Doris (born 1925-45), right through to Gen. Alpha kids like Fortnite Finlay, who will soon become the customers of the future.
Although you might spot broad trends within the demographics (Gen. Z tend to have more advanced digital skills than Baby Boomers, for example), the game has been developed using research into the real-life consumer behaviours within each group, and some of the results might surprise you.
For every Worried Walter in the ‘builders’ group (concerned he’s being left behind as services move online), you’ll find a Digital Doris. Elsewhere, amongst the Gen. Zs, while Five Phone Felix might be closer to the norm in terms of digital skills, research shows that there are still Left-behind Leah’s, who haven’t grown up with internet access at home.
The point is that segmenting your customer base using broad demographic data isn’t enough. To develop communications that really resonate, it’s essential to develop a deeper understanding. But how can this be done?
Understanding and segmenting your customer base
For many companies, the challenge of developing effective personalised comms isn’t down to lack of customer data, it’s how to make the most of data that already exists. Making use of this data and developing a single view of the customer first requires knitting together sprawling legacy systems and building bridges between isolated data silos.
However, many companies, fearing the need for a complete infrastructure overhaul and a major monetary and time investment, haven’t yet taken the steps to maximise the power of their customer data. At Paragon, our plug and play solutions are designed to deliver digital change without the need to rip apart your existing tech stack.
So, how could this work for a typical customer? First, we embark on a data strategy and consolidation process, which forms the basis of a new customer-centric roadmap. Next, we optimise data modelling and processing, which will help develop personalisation later in the process. Will we then integrate with existing technology and data systems, enabling us to develop a better understanding of the individual customer. From here, we build data integrations that allow for real-time personalisation based on what we learn about the customer and their preferred messaging and methods of communication. The result is personalised communications tailored to the individual, not broad demographic data.
If you’ve already played Persona Pix and want to learn how Paragon can help you better understand your customers and transform communication, get in touch: https://www.paragon-cc.com/en-gb/contact-us
