Personalized Marketing Examples

Over the past month I’ve done normal daily life activities like listened to an audiobook, researched flights for an upcoming trip, and used my phone to get directions. Millions of people do mundane stuff like this everyday. As a consumer, I just use these apps without a second thought. But when I put my marketer hat on, I notice something interesting… Personalization is becoming more embedded into the apps we use, the ads we see, and the experiences we buy. It’s everywhere. No wonder 72% of consumers are frustrated with generic marketing that doesn’t tailor to their interests. Let’s take a look at seven personalized marketing examples I’ve come across to stay on top of this growing trend.

1. Audible’s purchase confirmation email

Audible.com is one of the largest distributors of audio books on the Internet. I love the service because it’s so easy to find and download business books to listen to on my daily commute. Since I listen to about three audio books every month, Audible.com has an abundance of data to personalize my experience. The company puts the data to work in their confirmation email every time I purchase a book. audible email Notice how the company recommends books “Based On Your Past Purchases.” Ya got _Influence_ by Cialdini, _The 10X Rule _by Grant Cardone, and Phil Knight’s memoir about starting Nike. These books are right up my alley, and I don’t even have to go looking for them myself. This type of personalized marketing benefits me as a reader, but also grows Audible.com’s sales by enticing me to buy more books. personalized marketing audible

2. TripAdvisor’s dynamic display ads

TripAdvisor is the leading source for all things travel. The company also offers competitive deals on accommodations and uses personalized marketing to increase conversions. As I was researching flights for my upcoming trip to Missoula, Montana, a TripAdvisor ad was embedded in the search results with the “Best Prices on Missoula Hotels.” The company’s algorithm figured I’d need a place to stay on my trip, so it used a dynamic display ad to both personalize the destination (Missoula) and product (hotel) based on my search query. Clever.

3. Kayak’s urgent offer based on search query

I used Kayak.com to research flights for my Missoula trip. During the process, the website asked me to select various travel resources to research flights through—Priceline, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia. After choosing, a screen popped up that urged me to act. personalized marketing kayak In the bottom-right corner of the flight summaries, messages kept popping up informing (more like warning!) me that people were booking and looking for flights right now. Here’s a closer look. fomo The personalized message made me second guess leaving without buying my ticket. While the message was brief, the copy was written to convert and give me FOMO. Adding my destination to the message was the personalization cherry on top.

4. Namecheap’s remarketing on YouTube

A few days ago, I was browsing the web to buy an SSL certificate for my business website. During my research, I came across Namecheap. I didn’t buy at first, but then I started noticing their logo pop up everywhere—YouTube is where the company stood out the most. namecheap youtube ad I felt like Namecheap was speaking directly to me with this ad. I didn’t click any of them to be honest, but I ended up buying the certificate from them anyway because their logo was in my brain. Just as a side note, I think YouTube marketing is an untapped channel for many brands. It’s cheap, and if you play it right, you can get a lot of bang for your buck. Check out the no-hype guide to video marketing on YouTube.

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5. Starbucks’ personalized, gamified app

What’s better than a hot cup of Starbucks coffee? How about a hot cup of Starbucks coffee at a discount? Starbucks dishes out special deals to loyal customers through its innovative mobile app. Unlike many other company apps, Starbucks’ personalizes content based on data points like previous purchases, physical location, and even time of day. The company even knows your regular go-to store. Starbucks app The mobile app has continued to evolve in both design and scope, but it’s a living case study of how to use a personalized experience to build a lasting relationship with customers.

In our buy-everything-online world, Waze has figured out how to draw customers into physical stores. Using their maps app as a personalized marketing platform, Waze presents deals to users if they’re near participating business partners. Just today I was using Waze to give me directions to a business meeting, and a flash-sale notification for Chick-Fil-A popped up. Since it was almost lunch and I was ahead of schedule, I clicked on the offer and Waze automatically re-routed me to the land of chicken sandwiches.

waze geolocation *Not the Chick-Fil-A example, I was busy driving!

While this type of marketing borders on intrusive, I’ve only seen the mapping program show me ads relevant to my geolocation, time of day, and if I was ahead of schedule. This personalization makes all the difference between big brother and helpful assistant.

Personalized marketing for your business

It’s easy to look at “the big guys” and think you can’t personalize your marketing to the extent that Starbucks or Audible can. Sure, you may not have the same amount of resources, but you can apply the same principles to your marketing mix. Check out the data-driven personalization framework to help you get started.

Want to learn more? Here’s a free report to help you understand the marketing personalization framework. Download it now.