Engaging Your Ultra-Connected Customers
Back in March, I hinted at my discomfort with the way SoLoMo has come to mean technology-focused, reductive marketing campaigns usually solely focused on the “check-in.” But the reason people want to talk about SoLoMo is because of real trends in consumer adoption of technology and advanced technology behaviors. Those of you who were at Forrester’s Marketing Leadership Forum last month know that this thinking evolved into what we’ve been calling the Always Addressable Customer — a topic that I haven’t stopped talking about since we debuted it. For those of you who haven’t yet heard the term, the Always Addressable Customer is someone who:
· Owns and uses at least 3 data connected devices
· Accesses the Internet multiple times per day
· Goes online from multiple physical locations (for example: home, work, in the car, and at the mall)
These customers require marketers to think differently about their programs if they want to be effective. Always Addressable Customers don’t stop to think about their devices or “technology solutions.” Rather, technology is simply how they live their lives and get stuff done. It means that you can now reach this ultra-connected audience wherever they are, but more importantly, wherever and whenever they need you. That “need” is key here: I’m not talking about your ability to bombard your customer with irrelevant messages. I’m talking about how you can now provide true service and value to your customers whenever and wherever they need it.
My research uncovered that more than a third of all US online adults are already Always Addressable. But this is not an exclusively US phenomenon. In fact, certain demographics in other parts of the world have even greater concentrations of Always Addressable Customers — and the trend is only accelerating.
Clearly I’ve found this research pretty exciting, and as I mentioned, I just can’t seem to stop talking about it. In fact, I’ll be sharing more of the research — especially as it relates to global audiences — at Forrester’s Interactive Marketing Summit EMEA in a couple of weeks. I hope you’ll join me!
And in the meantime, I’d love to know: How are you thinking about engaging your most digitally connected customers today?