Creating Personalized Website Experiences: One Site Does NOT Fit All!

Ray van HilstDirector of Client StrategyVanguard Technology

Creating Personalized Website Experiences

• Who has been tasked with creating a “personalized web experience for members”

• How many of you are already personalizing content on your website?

• Who has no idea where to start?

Expectations

“We bought the Maserati and have to drive it. We can’t just park it in the garage.”

Sheila Vertino, NAIOP

Good reasons to target site content:1. Your audience can be

segmented in ways that are meaningful.

2. Narrowing your message provides incremental value to your users.

3. Personalized content is tied to specific KPIs or business objectives.

Good vs BadBad reasons to target site content:1. Because we can.2. Some variation of #1.

http://alistapart.com/article/approaching-content-strategy-for-personalized-websites

• No technology… just process and strategy• Give you a framework for implementing a

content personalization program• Help you plan for a successful program

Today’s Goals

What is it? Why Now?

My son plays oboe, I recently bought some sheet music.

I bought a Fitbit last year.

Guess what is going to be under the Christmas tree!!

My son plays oboe, I recently bought some sheet music.

I bought a Fitbit last year.

Guess what is going to be under the Christmas tree!!

35% of Amazon’s revenue is driven by product recommendations!! - Venture Beat (2012)

74% of consumers get frustrated when website content appears that has nothing to do with their interests.

http://janrain.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/online-consumers-fed-up-with-irrelevant-content-on-favorite-websites-according-to-janrain-study/

52% of digital markers agree that ”the ability to personalize web content is fundamental to their online strategy”

https://assets.econsultancy.com/images/0002/1120/personalisation-infographic_adobeURL.png

• 41% are committed to providing that personalized experience

• But technology is holding them back with only 32% saying their CMS enables personalization

Recipe for Personalization

User Data

User Segmentation

Content & User Experience

User Data

User Segmentation

Content & User Experience

Goals!!!

Sophisticated personalization typically involves

leveraging a richer dataset, such as names and email

addresses, website and other browsing history, user

preferences, mobile app behavior, social data, device

location history and demographics, to name just a few

sources. - Marketing Land

http://marketingland.com/hyper-personalization-leveraging-data-build-loyal-customer-relationships-140530

• Explicit Data • What we know about the user• What the user has told us

• Implicit Data• What we infer about the user• What we figured out about the user

Personalization Data

Explicit Data:• Name• Member type• AMS

demographics• Purchase history

Personalization DataImplicit Data:• Location• Browsing behavior• Search queries

Dividing user base into subsets of users that have, or are perceived to have, common needs, interests, and priorities, and then designing and implementing strategies to target them.

User Segmentation

SegmentationUser Segment Name:

Give this user segment a name for tracking

Motivators: Describe this user’s motivators? What are they coming to the site to do? What are their possible scenarios?

User Goals: Reinforce what we want the user to do? How will this be a successful site visit?

What Data Segments this User?

From above, what data points or criteria put a user into this segment?

Prioritize this user If multiple User Segments are created, give this segment a priority level.

Marketing Mary• Washington, DC• Marketing Mgr• Attends

conferences

Developer Doug• Austin, TX• Software Engineer• Online databases

and webinars

Biz Dev Brian• New York, NY• Sales Director• Attends networking

events


conferences


and webinars


events

Industry Trends

Promotional Opportunities

Leads and DealsLatest Technology


conferences


and webinars


events

Exhibit at conferencesBuy advertising

Attend conferencesRefer potential members

Sign up for webinarsBuy products

• Lifecycle stage• Engagement

level• Tenure

Segmentation Options

• Location• Member Type• Industry Role• Purchases• Interests

“90% of consumers find custom content

useful”

http://www.demandmetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic

• Revisit your content strategy• Bonus: Attend the Content Strategy Deep Dive!!

• 2:15 in this room• Create content for your user segments• Identify where and when to personalize the

content

Content for Personalization

This goes with what you bought

We think you might like this

Taxonomy is the foundation of effective content personalization

Photo Credit: Flickr, Eric Spiegel

Learn more:www.vtcus.com/taxonomy

Have a plan before you try to save the day…

• What do you want the user to do?• What are your content goals?• What are your business goals?

Define Your Goals

Planning for Personalization

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

Personalization Framework

Define Goals Define User Paths Identify Data Define

SegmentsIdentify

Opportunities

Create Personalized

Content

Test, Measure, Refine

• Why are we doing this?• Use SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant,

Time Based)• Potential Goals

• Sell products or membership• Promote specific content• Reduce user friction to relevant content

• Identify metrics• Google Analytics - Goals and campaigns• Form completions• Sales

Define Goals

• What do we want user to do?• Define actions and goals

• Conversion• Nurture

• What is the target content• Define target content

• Tie to persona and scenarios• How would user get to this content without personalization?

Define User Paths

• What segmentation data is available?• AMS

• Member type, volunteer roles, demographics, purchases• Web behavior

• Geo-location, referral sites• CMS

• Pages viewed, previous history• What specific data segments users?

Identify Data

• Create initial user segments• Start with personas and use cases• Define data points to segment users

• What demographics/data puts a user into segment?• Prioritize user segments

• Users may fall into more than one segment• Define segment priority

Define User Segments

• When are they they ready for personalized content?• Tie to user path

• Define personalization opportunity• Unique content• Calls to action• Conversion or nurturing points

• Merge with personalization goals• Destination• Action

Identify Opportunities

• Create content for each segment• Specific content• Content variations

• Consider all content types• Content widget• News & Blog widget• Images

Develop personalized content

• Implement• Start small, with specific tests before implementing multiple

segments• Configure personalization in CMS

• Measure• Have the goals established and metrics in place (e.g.

Google analytics, product sales, form completions, etc.)


Case Studies

Sigma Theta Tau International

• 135,000 members• 85 countries• Diverse roles:

• Administrators• Clinical nurses• Policy• Researchers• Educators• Students

• Global members feel the organization is too North American centric

• Website was treating diverse audiences all the same

The Challenge

• Deliver personalized web content to visitors that encourages a primary or secondary action.

• Track numbers of primary actions completed through Google Analytics.

• Establish baseline of completed primary actions originating from STTI site.

• Increase number of completed primary actions by __% for subsequent years.

Personalization Goals v1

• Global Users by Region• IP Address

• Nurse Students• AMS data• Behavior

• Nurse Clinician• AMS data• Behavior

• Nurse Researchers• AMS data• Behavior

Initial User Segments

Change hero image based on region

Member story based on role

Featured Program based on role

Change products based on role

• AMS Data• Other projects in pipeline• Roles not assigned in data• User profiles incomplete or missing demographics

• Content• No content for defined segments

Detours

For Launch• 7 Global Regions• Change image

• Books products and services• US Targeted Content with discounts• Targeted ads to other regions

Black Friday Promotion

“As STTI becomes more international, it was important to

present an international image and not a US based look and

feel. Now members see familiar faces or landmarks on the

web site no matter where in the world they are.

We recently had our International convention and members

loved the site.”

Tim RinglespaughCIO

Sigma Theta Tau International

What’s Next? Content!!• More member stories

• Global regions• Member types

• More member photos

Personalization Framework

Define Goals Define User Paths Identify Data Define

SegmentsIdentify

Opportunities

Create Personalized

Content


Lessons Learned

Do you have all your ingredients?

Do you have the member data? (explicit)

Can you map based on user behavior? (implicit)

Do you have the content to support it?

Includes taxonomy

Is the user journey mapped out?

Manage Expectations

Start slow… Go with what you have first

Set attainable goals

Plan, test, repeat

Develop a long term strategy

Commit the time and the resources

46% of marketers cite lack of time as the biggest hurdle to content marketing personalization.

http://therealtimereport.com/2014/03/24/88-of-digital-marketers-consider-realtime-marketing-critical-to-their-efforts/

Not a one time project

Becomes a process and an evolution

Assign resourcesWeb managementDataContent

Wrapping Up

73% of B2B content marketers are producing more content than they did one year ago.

88% of marketers are considering adding content marketing personalization to their plans.

“94% of marketers agree personalization of the web experience is critical to current and future success”

Are you one of them?

http://www.monetate.com/2013/05/the-tipping-point-for-personalized-website-experiences

Ray van HilstDirector of Client StrategyVanguard [email protected]

Questions? Get in touch!

Whitepaper: 7 Tips to Personalize Members’ Online Experienceswww.vtcus.com/personalization-tips

Creating Personalized Website Experiences: One Site Does NOT Fit All!

Technology

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