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While I know this, there are many marketers that do not.<\/p>\nAt 32 years old, I\u2019m considered a Millennial. A recent high school graduate is also considered a Millennial. I like to think that I have different belief systems, tastes, and a pre-frontal cortex that\u2019s slightly more developed than an 18-year-old. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 there are many benefits to being 18, with newfound freedom and 4 years dedicated to learning\u2026it\u2019s just that, I\u2019m not 18.
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While I know this, there are many marketers that do not.<\/p>\n
As a Millennial, marketers accuse me of being technically savvy, self involved, overeducated and underemployed, and generally resistant to the term \u2018Millennial\u2019. While the last item is certainly true, I think using demographic cues as a way to segment and label prospective customers can be harmful. It paints me as a flat character, when I am undoubtedly round.<\/p>\n
For example, if you were to trace my recent purchase \u2013 I looked at an item in a catalogue, went to the store to see if it was of good quality, found it on sale through a different online retailer, read a few social reviews and then finally purchased it. It took about a month for me to make the purchase. If you were to trace my preferred customer service channel \u2013 I\u2019ve called in and pressed 0 to escape the IVR and speak to a live operator every time.<\/p>\n
Rather than label different customer segments by demographic \u2013 we need to use the more detailed and meaningful information about our customers to truly reach them. We need to understand that not all customers fit into a box, but many of us have purchasing patterns or customer journeys that lead us to make\/not make purchases.<\/p>\n
Marketers have messaging they\u2019ve tested on sample groups based on customer personas and product roadmaps \u2013 we know the questions customers ask when making a purchasing decision, who has responded to which messages, a customer\u2019s sentiment on social media, the best times to reach customers and the importance of multi-channel engagement.<\/p>\n
Sales representatives have a rich knowledge of a customer\u2019s pain points, desires and needs from engaging with customers one-on-one and developing lasting relationships. And perhaps most importantly, contact center representatives gain information from customer satisfaction surveys, self service<\/a> profiling and real-time interaction reporting.<\/p>\n This allows organizations to track a customer\u2019s journey to better understand interests, products purchased, channels of choice \u2013 which may be different for marketing versus customer service or nonexistent due to the rise in omni-channel behavior\u2013 and past service issues to predict next contact resolution for proactive customer engagement.<\/p>\n
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To create a round persona that is meaningful and will add strategy to your messaging and the way you engage your prospects and customers across marketing, sales and service \u2013 you need to understand your prospects and their business at a deep level. You need to leverage internal customer insight, industry insight as well as competitive and prospect research across news and social sites.<\/p>\n