We’ve all come to grips with it by now… Our digital persona is out there, out in the either, out there to be analyzed, categorized, summarized, and yes… to be purchased.
Soap Box #1 – This isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Think about this. As you scroll the interwebs, you are going to be served ads. Period. End of story. Now, would you rather see relevant ads? Would you rather be shown things you might actually want to buy? Or… do you want to be shown random stuff that has absolutely no appeal to you?
Imagine if 25-year-olds got ads for Depends, and 80-year-olds got ads for Huggies. 🤔🤔
Or what if dog people got ads for saddles, and horse people got ads for Jello. 😳😳
So anyways… yes, your data is out there and yes it will be used to market to you. But I promise, marketers only use it for good. Connecting relevant products/services, with relevant buyers.
Here’s one we all know.
You’re on a website checking out some new shoes. You might even add them to your shopping cart, but then you decide to sleep on it. The next day you wake up, still unsure if you really want them, and then BOOM – you’re scrolling social media and see an ad for those exact same shoes, from that exact same company.
Remarketing is one of the OG data tactics. We know you were on the website, we might even know you put those shoes in your cart. So yeah, now we’re going to follow you around the interwebs reminding you about this beautiful pair of kicks. Is that so bad??
Next up. You decided not to buy the shoes. No problem, but you still need shoes. And suddenly you’re seeing ads for other shoe brands. Similar styles of shoes but from these brands you’ve never seen before. Ohhh.. that looks cool. Ahhh.. those have good reviews… and now you find yourself shopping this new brand.
Soap Box #2 – You’re Welcome
Do you know how many times I hear people talk about the products they bought on the interwebs!?! It’s like a lot. And the ones I hear from the most – they LOVE to talk about the new products they found. Now listen, they might sound super cool and hip and all fashion-forward with these finds, but guess what? I bet that brand found THEM!
Your online persona, combined shopping histories, is what lead that company to market to you. Based on your activities, they had a good feeling you were going to like these shoes. Now tell me you’re mad about that. A need met, both the physical shoes and for some the cool factor of having ‘that’ item.
K, I know not everything fits that category, but again, the use of data is bringing together relevant buyers with relevant products.
Next Layer… You visit the shoe website. You don’t make a purchase. And, important note, you don’t give them any information about you. No form fills, no email subscribes, nothing… But wait… A week later you get a postcard in the mail from that EXACT same company. Hmmm… coincidence? I think not.
Through a combination of IP targeting and Data Processing, it is entirely possible to track down the anonymous visitors to your website and gather very relevant information about them to continue your marketing tactics. In a case like this, we can identify, segment, and then remarket to people’s homes via direct mail, after an action or series of actions they’ve taken online.
You might think this stuff is for Fortune 500 companies only – but the reality is that these are the tactics we work on with clients right here at TWS. No longer are data programs just for the rich and famous. They could be for you too.
So is it creepy, maybe.
Can it help your business connect with consumers who actually want to connect with you, definitely.
Lastly… Next time your app asks you to ‘allow tracking’ maybe you’ll click yes. I certainly do.
