People-based is often used in the phrase “people-based marketing.” In that context, it means one to one, personalized marketing. Overall, it means knowing your customers individually. More technically, it means having a central profile for each of your customer’s data, and having the ability to recognize your customer or anonymous visitor across multiple channels and devices.
When your company is people-based, you’re able to reach real people and have dialogues with them one to one. If you don’t hold the key of being people-based, you’ll reach segments, or inferred audiences. In a time where attention is the scarcest resource, you don’t want to spam potential customers with generic messages based on inferred audiences or segments. That would not be respecting or valuing your customers.
From the customer’s perspective, a company that is people-based will only aim relevant and tailored messages to them. They will feel respected (time is not wasted), and they will feel valued for receiving proactive communication.
The benefits of being a people-based company can be illustrated in three separate industries:
- Hospitality: A customer receiving a special offer for a B&B in Tuscany when they are exploring that region online, instead of an offer for a hotel in Mexico because that area is popular for their particular socio-demographic segment.
- Financial Services: A customer receiving a targeted offer to consolidate their debt based on their spending behavior, instead of receiving a random credit card offer because that’s the campaign the bank is currently running.
- Media: A customer watching their favorite show and a commercial for diapers comes on during the break, instead of one that matches their current lifestyle. That’s certainly a waste of media spend if the customer doesn’t have kids.
How is your brand getting people-based?
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