How to Build a CRM Strategy Around Personalized Journeys

As no single person is exactly like any other, the most memorable apps find ways to deliver experiences that are as unique as the individual customers they serve.  In your app, you have the opportunity to take users on meaningful journeys personalized to their needs, preferences, and behaviors.

At the App Promotion Summit in early December, the head of our CSM team, Wout Laban, led a panel discussion with CRM leaders, Elena Bazai from Codecheck, Kai Glnin from Ada Health, and Jon Genovard from ShareTheMeal.  Together, they discussed the impact of personalized journeys on CRM strategy. 

The informative session led to quite a few insights into integrating personalization into your strategy for CRM.  

Let’s review some key takeaways from the discussion panel.  

Understanding your customer journey

Mapping your customer journey gives you a foundation for pinpointing the critical moments in your customer’s experience, especially those moments when app use becomes routine for them (the aha moment), when users progress from casual to power users, or are at risk of churn.  

Some essential aspects of your customer journey to factor in as you think about personalization:  

Natural use frequency

Some apps, like Facebook or Spotify, may have daily user engagement.  This can vary for other apps, depending on the nature of your app.   

Codecheck scans physical products to identify ingredients that customers may want to avoid and provides healthier alternatives.  As a result, users may only use the app once or twice a week when shopping for groceries or beauty products.  

Similarly, for Ada Health, an AI health tracking and assessment app, their users tend to engage with the app when they’re not feeling well, posing a challenge for engagement and driving repeat use.  

Their CRM teams deliver continued value to their users by sending customized content on topics of interest to drive engagement.

The aha moment

Another benefit of mapping your customer journey is finding that moment when users become genuinely engaged with your product.

For ShareTheMeal, a fundraising app for the United Nations World Food Programme, the CRM team focuses on engaging users during the activation experience beyond account creation. 

The Codecheck user’s turning point is when they scan their products, opening their eyes to the ingredients in the products they use.  

By focusing on those early moments to bring users the value your app promises, you’re drawing users in and getting them into the habit of using your app.  

Using data to improve personalization

Personalization starts with data.  With all the available data app businesses have access to, it’s easier than ever to get to know your users and their needs.  

However, it’s not enough just to have data.  It’s also vital to understand how to apply the data to avoid the dangers of too much personalization.  A balance exists between effectively using data to personalize experiences and crossing a sensitive line with data privacy.  

You can avoid ending up on the wrong side of personalization by keeping the user experience in mind, evaluating how this personalization benefits the user (such as through tailored content or product recommendations), and testing and analyzing to see what resonates best with your audience. 

Optimizing your communication channels

Personalization, combined with sending the right messages at the right time and with the right tech stack, is highly effective in increasing engagement.  Finding the ‘right’ combination involves a few factors:

    • Your user persona.  It’s vital to understand your customers to tailor your engagement with them.  For example, Codecheck’s customers are very conscious and aware and prefer not to be rushed into making decisions.  So, the Codecheck team takes a more gradual approach to initially engaging users without focusing their message content on getting them to sign up.

      For ShareTheMeal, they use API integrations with other apps their target customers may be on, such as DeliveryHero, inviting users to share a meal with someone in need.
    • Sensitive information.  Some apps may cover more private topics, and, as a result, content can’t be transmitted via email.  Some alternatives may include using an in-app inbox and newsfeed to send content.
    • Timing and context.  If users don’t need to engage with your app daily, you need to be more strategic to implement push notifications effectively.  Waiting until your users are engaged with your app, you can leverage a combination of push notifications that take them back into the app, where they’ll find customized content.

Creating personalized journeys with your CRM strategy 

Sustained growth and success don’t simply come from getting users to download and sign up for your app.  Impersonal app experiences that fall short of meeting modern users’ expectations significantly impact customer retention.  It’s integral to offer content and experiences that continually resonate with your users’ needs to stay relevant.  

Achieving best-in-class personalization through your CRM strategy involves a few factors coming together in the right way to create messaging and experiences that will keep customers returning to your app.

Want to learn more?  

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