Overcome digital fatigue and improve client experience

We live in a digital age where information and communications are constantly vying for our attention. Messages bombard us at all hours of the day and most people perform a daily ritual of deleting the majority of content they receive.

"Infobesity" is a real part of our modern daily life. Content fills our phones, tablets, computers and media with information we have not asked for, are not interested in or offers no relevance to what is important to us. Our ever-connected world is creating a "digital fatigue". Consumers become numb to so much of what is being served up to them and what's left is attention levels that are limited or strained at best.

So what can you do as a marketer to overcome digital fatigue and gain customer attention?

1. Be relevant. Never before have marketers had so much access to understanding their customers, who they really are and what's important to them. Data, along with good customer segmentation, can be used to tailor content so it's relevant to the audience you're targeting. Relevance is far more likely to get a response and the more responses you get, the greater likelihood of a better ROI.
2. Make it personal. Digital, variable messaging can be personalised to an audience segment in many different ways — from the greeting and content to a special offer, to the close and a suggested action or next step. The finer you slice your customer data, the more personalisation you can add to the customer's interaction with your product, service or brand. And again, the more relevant you are to your prospect or customer's needs, the more likely you are to increase the response rate to your marketing messages.
3. Deliver the message differently. Email campaigns and digital ads are certainly prevalent in marketing today. But, maybe something old is new again. Research has shown print catalogues can outperform digital ones — and achieve better response rates across audiences, even with younger generations who grew up with digital technology. There's something about holding a catalogue in your hands, something tangible and tactile, that appeals to people. Direct mail and dimensional mailings are other ways to stand out from the competition and break through the clutter of today's digital deluge. Direct mail can be highly personal and relevant, while delivering the unexpected to capture the attention of a prospect or customer. It can be a powerful complement to your marketing mix. And, you can keep mail costs down by focusing on your best prospects. Make them feel special by rewarding them for their response or loyalty with a gift and be sure to thank them for their business at every opportunity.

We recently targeted school and university foodservice buyers/prospects with a dynamic box mailer that included a recipe book, product samples, coupons and a branded merchandise gift. It landed several new customers for our client and boosted product usage among existing customers as well.

Building a real relationship with your clients beyond a transaction creates true loyalty. Overcoming today's digital fatigue starts by being relevant, personal and different in how you deliver your message.