Three top tips for success in big data personalisation, by Time Out Group chief digital officer Dave Cook.
Few of us can deny that Big Data is one of the many buzzwords that has made it into every CMO’s vocabulary. And this is particularly true of “found data” – the seemingly unstoppable stream of online consumer behaviour and habits condensed into web searches, CTRs and purchase practices.
With this wealth of information at our disposal, it’s little surprise that brands and media owners alike have been looking to the myriad opportunities presented by big data to create personalised experiences for their audiences.
As time-poor consumers, it allows us to receive content that is tailored to our own individual tastes and interests. And for media brands like Time Out, it enables us to create a detailed and granular picture of our readers like never before.
But like so many new and seemingly valuable solution-based innovations, big data – used by itself – can be flawed.
Big data doesn’t mean better data
When used on their own, data algorithms can often draw the wrong conclusions. How many of us have been served content that is completely irrelevant to our needs? What if these algorithms decide they know something about us that doesn’t actually exist?
We can all probably recall an occasion when we accidentally clicked on an article or ad, only to be relentlessly pursued across the internet with content that bore little or no resemblance to our actual interests.
At Time Out, we believe that big data is nothing without the first-hand insights and preferences of our readers. We are built on a unique mix of inspiration, personalisation features and a relationship with our fans. It’s a trust that’s built on our heritage, knowledge and a global presence in some of the world’s best cities.
Insight and personalisation are key
For a brand like us, personalisation is essential. To put it simply, we exist to satisfy the needs and interests of our fans’ personal and social lives. So much so that we are currently in the process of redeveloping our websites globally to deliver a targeted range of personalised content and recommendations across our network of 68 cities. But, in order to create the very best personalised offering, we don’t believe that big data is the final word. In fact, we believe it is only a component part of the solution.
In order to make personalisation a success, you cannot solely rely on monitoring your audience’s behaviour; you have to understand what they want. It’s essential to establish trust and create a dialogue. Through a process of asking your audience’s permission, you can form a dialogue that ensures they get the very best consumer experience possible.
A two-way conversation
Human touch and human insight are fundamental. In order to unlock personalisation, a relationship with the consumer is key to generating the value of the output they are getting. Our extensive online user research has shown that this is what audiences are demanding.
Of the 1,000 people we independently surveyed, 81% rated the idea of having a personal profile that enabled them to receive relevant content as excellent or good, and 96% said they would trust Time Out’s recommendations as a result. When questioned further, a third said they would definitely create an online profile, rising to over half (57%) amongst early adopters.
So what are the advantages of getting your audience to buy into personalisation? It’s clear that our readers don’t just want an algorithm to make their decisions for them. By giving them the opportunity to have their say as to what they are served (or not served), we don’t just understand what they want but, more importantly, why and how they want it too.
Yes, it requires some effort on the part of the consumer to provide the necessary information, but through a winning combination of trust and brand loyalty, you can create the most effective outcomes for media owners, advertisers and audiences alike.
Three top tips for success in big data personalisation
1 – Make sure that all the changes you are implementing resonate with the brand as well as the audience. It may sound simple, but encourage your team to use the product and understand the benefits from both the brand and user’s perspectives.
2 – User testing is absolutely vital. Recruit people who are passionate followers of the brand and those who are completely new to it. Listen to feedback and don’t always assume that you know best.
3 – Prepare for your ideas and strategy to evolve over time, even once the product has launched to market. Continue to test, learn and optimise and demonstrate a willingness to adapt and be agile.
It’s beyond doubt that big data is here to stay, and when used correctly, the rise of information technology will enable us all to make smarter decisions. But when it comes to personalised products and websites – areas that require predictive responses and results to be spot on – it is the human insight and buy-in that will drive this evolution forward.
It is only through a carefully considered balance of implicit data (aka big data) and explicit data (direct consumer feedback) that we will create lifetime value from our audiences in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
