The role of data collection in the shift from content to context marketing

How can a marketer develop profiles of customers and nail down the timing so it’s just right? Digital Experience Platforms (DXPs) such as Sitecore, Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and Acquia can facilitate the creation of “customer journeys” to guide new clients through sales funnels. But understand that the way data is collected and used will play a major part in designing your context marketing strategy.

This article will discuss the shift to context marketing taking place, and how marketers can best apply the practice.

We now live in a world where collecting data allows marketers to predict the shopping behavior of consumers. Through statistical algorithms and machine learning, predictive analytics can shed light on the future tendencies of consumers based on their past actions. When marketers have a clear picture about a person’s online behavior through data collection, they can create more personalized marketing campaigns, upsell or cross-sell, and retain customers.

Upselling and cross selling in particular have lots of potential from predictive analytics. If someone purchases dog accessories such as a leash, a bed and some toys, the data can be used to suggest that the new pet owner will need dog food as well, and make quality recommendations. E-commerce in particular could benefit from the use of predictive analytics, as everyone has different browsing experiences and thus advertisers need to start catering to individuals. As it stands, 91% of top marketers are fully committed or currently implementing predictive analytics in their marketing strategy.

Sometimes, the perfect timing is exactly what converts a lead, and knowing the physical location of a potential lead can help marketers get the timing just right. Location data allows marketers to advertise nearby products and services that matter to the consumer. For example, if a person’s search engine results on a specific day are on the topic of computer repair shops, and the individual’s location later in the day is in a neighborhood with many computer specialists, recommendations on the highest reviewed technicians can be sent to the user’s mobile phone.

Google Now is a service that has already started using location to market products. Besides using predictive analytics, the software takes into account the user’s location to make recommendations that are relevant to their previous search history. The selling point of Google Now is that it’s capable of suggesting products or services you never knew you needed.

Data can also inform businesses when certain consumer profiles are most likely to make a certain purchase.

While the potential of context marketing is promising, advertisers need to understand more about how data is collected. DXPs like Sitecore, Acquia, and AEM not only facilitate data collection for advertisers but also find creative ways to put the data to work.

Sitecore has an architecture that enables integrated data collection. Marketers can gather data from different points of contact like email, browsing, mobile apps, and so on. If you own many brands across the globe, you can gather information into one system across all channels. This provides the opportunity to present a better offer to someone with offline capabilities.

These tools can also be used to gather information about all website visits, design and run A/B tests, as well as mark pages with values. This follows the logic that if someone visited a certain page, it is likely they are interested in a specific type of product or service. As such, the tools can prepare a personalized messages for users like, “Would you like to know more about page A vs. page B?”

While the tools and resources available for context marketing are here, the challenge for businesses and marketers becomes how to best leverage the tools at their disposal. No one dismisses the value that context marketing creates, but we’re just scratching the surface when it comes to realizing the full potential of these powerful tools.