Real-Time Marketing Isn’t What You Think It Is
The Initial Problem with Any Marketing Craze
The Definition of Real-Time Marketing Over the Years
- Web personalization in 2005 was mostly hype.While big brands were starting to offer personalized website experiences, powerful software was not yet available for the mass market to utilize. The idea of marketing to website users in real-time was a hot topic. There just wasn’t a way for most of the market to put the idea into practice without serious technical resources or by spending enterprise-level dollars on a solution that wasn’t even all that powerful yet (or actually real-time).
- “Real-time analytics” entered the fray.As “web personalization” started to lose it’s popularity in the media, “real-time analytics” started to gain popularity. Real-time analytics was a big step in the right direction in helping marketers get data quicker so they can act on data quicker.Real-time analytics providers started popping up, at reasonable prices, and with well-documented implementation. Once again, people used the term “real-time marketing” as a way to describe this new technology. When Google rolled out their real-time analytics in 2011, and as real-time A/B testing became more and more popular, real-time analytics earned a name of it’s own. “Real-time marketing” was again up for grabs.
- David Meerman Scott wrote the book, “Real-Time Marketing and PR”.The other points I made above at least show correlation data with Google Trends. This point is more of a hunch. The book I continue to see quoted in articles talking about real-time marketing today is “Real-Time Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott. First published in 2011.From my research, this book is the first time real-time marketing was thoroughly discussed in the context of the definition widely used today in the media.The book showcases multiple case studies from brands that quickly react to external current events and cultural happenings, finding a way to inject their brand into the conversation. It’s possible that as this practice started to become more prevalent, this book was the best resource to reference to help explain the phenomena, and learn from.David Meerman Scott isn’t the originating reason why brands started marketing this way, but he may be a huge influence as to why this practice is being called “real-time marketing”.
What Marketers Actually Think Real-Time Marketing Is
- The majority of the participants (43%) think of real-time marketing as “dynamic, personalized content delivered across channels.”
- 64% of participants believe real-time marketing revolves around some kind ofdynamic personalization.
- Only 23% believe real-time marketing is about making quick responses to mainstream events or injecting your business in social media conversations.
- Only 49% of the participants believe providing real-time marketing within social media channels is highly important.
- While 69% believe that providing dynamic, personalized content is highly important on the web channel.
Introducing Real-Time Web Personalization, True Real-Time Marketing
- Real-time analytics. Tracks website visitors, signed-in users, and entire accounts in real-time. A complete view of customer engagement in the past and the now.
- Real-time response. That means responding to who people are, what they have done with your business and what they are doing in the moment, instantly. Finally, making big data actionable in real-time.
- Captures attention and drives action. Personalize inline content, and trigger dynamic on site messages such as header bars, popups, tooltips, and task lists. All based on user behavior.
- Ridiculously easy implementation. The Evergage point-and-click Visual Editor allows anyone to use personalize their site or web app in minutes, without coding.
- Works throughout the customer lifecycle. Nurture anonymous website visitors to free trials, convert free trials to paying customers, guide customers to success, and create brand advocate.