More than personalization: using one-to-one marketing on your website

The one(to-one) million dollar question: What is one-to-one marketing?

Many customers (like all people, really) like to feel seen, heard, and understood by someone they can trust. One-to-one marketing takes that experience and replicates it on websites on a much larger scale, giving your customers a fully personalized marketing experience.

In theory, one-to-one marketing is a simple concept: It’s the exact opposite of mass marketing.

Personalized and data-driven, one-to-one marketing gives your customers a unique experience. It’s a mixture of data-based strategies like segmentation with behavioral tactics like analyzing a customer’s purchase preferences.

One-to-one marketing can take many forms — it’s not so much a tactic as it is a holistic strategy. It can be used in customer email strategies, personalized loyalty programs such as Sephora’s or KFC’s, data-driven product recommendations, and more. The key is that the customers feel they are getting a unique experience.

Do consumers really want one-to-one marketing?
The simple answer? Yes. Vedia.ai has found that one-to-one marketing can increase customer spending by up to 500%

But, we have seen the pendulum can swing too far in the other direction. For lack of a better term… You don’t want them to feel too seen.

For example, I once received a postcard from a windows company of my own house, proudly saying, “Imagine if your windows were new.” I didn’t find this one-to-one experience interesting or enticing. I found it creepy.

And I’m not the only one turned off by one-to-one campaigns before.

In far too many cases, brands have taken advantage of third-party data to send campaigns that miss the mark completely—like this baby formula company that sent a direct mail campaign to a woman after she experienced a miscarriage.

The lesson here? Balance is key. Personalization shouldn’t be an intrusion of your private emotions or personal space.

The difference between personalization and one-to-one marketing

Personalization has become an expected feature on websites, especially in the ecommerce sphere. It’s almost weird when a website doesn’t personalize to you.

But adding an {Insert name} function to an email or sprinkling their name across your website once they’ve signed in isn’t enough anymore. One-to-one marketing takes things further by delivering tailored content, offers, and interactions informed by real-time data and behaviors.

Simple personalization will allow you to show a product recommendation similar to something a customer bought in the past. Still, by taking what you know about a customer, one-to-one marketing empowers you to create an entire website experience that perfectly fits their needs.

For example, instead of simply segmenting users into broad categories or pulling basic information from their accounts, you can create individualized experiences based on a customer’s specific behaviors, preferences, history, and more.

Does one shopper own a Toyota? Show them parts specifically for their vehicle make and model.

Have a segment of mothers who are 1-3 months post-partum? Show them helpful tips, advice, and products for navigating this time.

See how the above examples feel valuable and personal but not creepy? One-to-one marketing is personalization, but evolved for the modern marketing landscape.

Why you need a one-to-one marketing approach on your website

According to Marketing Week, marketing budgets have dropped 15% from last year’s figures. Yikes.

And yet, we know organizations haven’t dropped their expectations from marketers by 15%.

Marketers are simply being asked to do more with less. This is where a one-to-one approach helps.

If done correctly, one-to-one marketing can help you continuously generate sales for years to come. You’re investing in your customers, and they’re investing in you. The more you get to know them, the more personalized their experience with your website can become.

The more personalized their experience becomes, the easier it is for them to use your website, and the harder it will be for them to switch to a competitor and start fresh.

Can you imagine having to start a new Netflix account without their algorithm knowing what you’ve watched, liked, and disliked? It sounds like a dystopian nightmare! This is essentially the same concept.

One-to-one marketing: your competitive advantage

Implementing this on your website can feel complex, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s where we come in.

Our team specializes in creating websites that make one-to-one marketing seamless, blending personalized experiences with the trust and balance customers expect.

Ready to give your site that edge? Let’s talk.