3 Ways to Use Timing-Based Personalization

Provide Value After a Purchase

Of course there are times when you may want to inspire someone to make a purchase or use your service. But there are instances when your timing matters after your customer already made a purchase. For example, if you have data indicating that someone recently booked a flight, it wouldn’t necessarily be the best time to send out more flight offers. Instead, your next best message might include hotel offers for their destination—this way, you’re anticipating your customers’ needs, potentially even before they think of them. This kind of relevance and time-based personalization is super important in building trust with your customers: when you serve them useful information once, they’re more likely to continue opening your emails.

And this, of course, doesn’t only apply to travel. Did your customer just buy a blouse? Instead of showing them more blouses, send them some ideas for accessories that would go with the shirt. This can be used across industries, but the key is to remember to deliver content and information that is useful to them.

Know Their Needs

If you have access to data about your customers’ browsing habits, you may be able to see when they’re shopping around for a specific product, such as a new refrigerator. You know they’re looking at several brands on your website, but they haven’t seemed to make a decision. Now is the time to offer them deals for their purchase, or perhaps send them an email comparing two models they had their eye on.

This email is all about the timing and understanding next best messaging; if you send out an offer for a discounted refrigerator to your whole mailing list, you’ll miss the mark as the chances of most people being in the market for a new fridge are slim. By timing your email and personalizing it for someone who is actively shopping for a particular product, you have a better chance at engagement, conversion, and you guessed it—relevance.

Establish a Regular Cadence

81% of B2B marketers say their most used form of content marketing is email newsletters.² This is an excellent method of attracting repeat openers and gaining customer confidence. When you send out an email with relevant and useful information at a regular cadence, recipients may even come to look forward to your emails. Plus, when you show them month over month (or week after week) that you can supply them with value, you establish a solid base of trust.