Batch-and-blast marketing is slowly becoming ancient history, and many marketers are putting personalization at the top of their priority pyramids. Ninety-two percent of marketing and customer insight decision makers say their companies have taken a greater interest in personalization compared to last year, according to “The Personalization Imperative,” a study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of personalization solution provider Conversant. In fact, not a single respondent experienced a drop in interest. Perhaps this is because marketers consider personalization essential for present and future success. According to the study, almost all marketing and customer insight respondents place some degree of importance on personalization for both their current (98%) and long-term (99%) goals.
Of course, not all organizations have the budget to build a grand personalization strategy. But for those who do, direct mail appears to be a prime focus. Sixty-six percent of customer insight decision makers leverage advanced personalization for direct mail, according to the study. In addition, 64% apply advanced personalization practices to email, and 61% do the same for display. Many marketers are also looking to enhance their personalization capabilities. According to the study, 64% of marketers intend to increase investment in ROI measurement within the next 12 months.
However, it’s easy for marketers to become wrapped up in industry obstacles. For instance, 66% of marketers view securing internal resources for personalization programs an extreme or major challenge, according to the study. Other key obstacles include building a comprehensive view of the customer across sales and marketing channels (65%), data privacy concerns (63%), and getting management and the entire enterprise to buy in to and adopt personalization practices (60%).
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