{"id":571,"date":"2025-05-08T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/?p=571"},"modified":"2025-05-13T02:12:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T02:12:16","slug":"personalized-experiences-why-i-love-them-brand-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/08\/personalized-experiences-why-i-love-them-brand-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"Personalized experiences: Why I love them (+ brand examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Personalized experiences are becoming increasingly important to customers \u2014 and marketers are listening. Just look at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/imanya-james\/\">Ima\u00f1ya James<\/a>, a product and marketing specialist for the widely regarded skincare brand Topicals.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s appeared in many of the brand\u2019s campaigns herself, demonstrating first-hand how products work, sharing recommendations, progression photos, and usage tips.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"cta_button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/cs\/ci\/?pg=b0f73a5e-16e4-41fd-9511-8564efc560a7&amp;pid=53&amp;ecid=&amp;hseid=&amp;hsic=\"><img class=\"hs-cta-img \" style=\"height: auto !important;width: auto !important;max-width: 100% !important;border-width: 0px;margin: 0 auto;margin-top: 20px;margin-bottom: 20px\" alt=\"Download Now: Free State of Marketing Report [Updated for 2025]\" height=\"79\" width=\"423\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/b0f73a5e-16e4-41fd-9511-8564efc560a7.png\" align=\"middle\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m increasingly impressed by how Topicals creates these kinds of opportunities for customers to feel catered to, seen, and understood. Recent case in point: The brand <a href=\"https:\/\/mytopicals.com\/products\/faded-brightening-clearing-serum?srsltid%3DAfmBOoqabEc7pt2drT5DF9JKfn7B_ASybZmEzjQZpn6WlExmlRBwCpPF\">quickly addressed feedback<\/a> about the scent of its Faded serum.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re just getting started with your <a href=\"https:\/\/offers.hubspot.com\/beginners-guide-to-digital-marketing\">digital marketing strategy<\/a> \u2014 or just want to learn more about how to start a personalization strategy \u2014 you\u2019re in the right place.<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"background-color: transparent\">Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-personalization-in-marketing\">What is personalization in marketing?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#what-are-the-benefits-of-personalized-marketing\">What are the benefits of personalized marketing?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#brand-with-great-personalization-strategies\">Brands With Great Personalization Strategies<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#expert-tips-for-personalized-marketing\">Expert Tips for Personalized Marketing<\/a><a href=\"#humanizing-the-shopping-experience\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is personalization in marketing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Are you one of the millions of users who download and post your Spotify Unwrapped every year? That right there is personalized marketing \u2014 a strategy that entails custom and individualized curations of messages, content, products, or experiences for customers.<\/p>\n<p>In a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey of 5,000 global consumers, <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2024\/11\/personalization-done-right\">more than 80% of respondents<\/a> say they both want and expect personalized experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Some common examples of personalized marketing include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Exclusive email campaigns.<\/li>\n<li>Customer loyalty programs.<\/li>\n<li>Birthday gifts.<\/li>\n<li>Names in email subject lines and email content.<\/li>\n<li>Location-based push notifications.<\/li>\n<li>Welcome back messages on a website homepage.<\/li>\n<li>Cart abandonment notifications.<\/li>\n<li>Product recommendations based on purchase and\/or search history.<\/li>\n<li>Customer loyalty programs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Often, brands base these decisions on data like behavior, location, interests, and demographics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of times personalization refers to just one thing, like email content,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/tsevivien\/\">Vivien Tse<\/a>, a freelance marketing specialist. \u201cBut I think personalization should be done at scale. Everything should be personalized.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>What are the b<strong>enefits of personalized marketing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>1. <strong>Sales Conversions and Customer Loyalty<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Integrating personalized marketing will undoubtedly increase sales conversions. Of consumers, 96% say they&#8217;re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20250410880650\/en\/New-Global-Study-Reveals-Consumers-Demand-More-Personalization-in-Marketing-81-Ignore-Irrelevant-Messages-While-Personalized-Experiences-Drive-Loyalty-and-Sales\">likely to make a purchase<\/a> when brands send personalized messages.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Customers like it when a brand recognizes who they are and what they like \u2014 and feeds them more based on their past purchasing history.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Organic Engagement and Community Building<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>I\u2019m a big fan of brands that make me feel like I\u2019m part of something and have a say in its growth. Turns out, most consumers echo my sentiment.<\/p>\n<p>According to Attentive\u2019s report, it\u2019s younger generations of shoppers who are most interested in being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20250410880650\/en\/New-Global-Study-Reveals-Consumers-Demand-More-Personalization-in-Marketing-81-Ignore-Irrelevant-Messages-While-Personalized-Experiences-Drive-Loyalty-and-Sales\">part of a brand\u2019s community<\/a>. Gen Z is more likely to engage with event invitations, brand values, and behind-the-scenes content compared to other generations. Millennials are more inclined to engage with product care and styling tips, brand initiative updates, and opportunities to share feedback.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Data Utilization<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Data goes hand-in-hand with personalized marketing. In fact, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20250410880650\/en\/New-Global-Study-Reveals-Consumers-Demand-More-Personalization-in-Marketing-81-Ignore-Irrelevant-Messages-While-Personalized-Experiences-Drive-Loyalty-and-Sales\">99.6% of consumers<\/a> are willing to share some form of personal data in exchange for tailored experiences. That\u2019s a huge opportunity \u2014 if you&#8217;re doing it right.<\/p>\n<p>Every touchpoint of your marketing should be collecting useful, actionable data. That data powers even smarter, more relevant ways to reach and resonate with your customers.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>Brands With Great Personalization Strategies<\/h2>\n<h3>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/mytopicals.com\/\">Topicals<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Joining the Topicals community means receiving tailored content, like early access to product launches and exclusive event invitations \u2014 a few examples of how Topicals is leading the charge with personalized marketing while fostering an organic community around a shared love for skincare. \u200b<\/p>\n<p>Topicals also has a TYB (Try Your Best) program that educates, rewards, and engages with its community, known as the \u201cSpottie Sphere.\u201d There\u2019s various tiers within the universe \u2014 \u201cSpottie Hottie\u201d for enthusiasts, \u201cInsider\u201d for content creators, and \u201cExpert\u201d for licensed skin care professionals.<\/p>\n<p>Another key example of Topicals\u2019 success with personalized marketing lies in the buzz around one of its cult products, the Faded Under Eye Masks. Thanks to smart campaigning, customers are empowered to share themselves sporting their masks on the go.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTopicals has really made skincare wearable in public,\u201d says James. It\u2019s a brilliant strategy that\u2019s made users feel like they\u2019re part of a movement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why I think it works:<\/strong> Topicals not only has its finger on the pulse of what\u2019s driving beauty culture right now, it\u2019s also building a successful brand around an ethos that pushes skin representation, genuine IRL moments (yes, I\u2019m referring to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.voguebusiness.com\/story\/beauty\/how-to-do-influencer-trips-right-topicals-ghana\">that iconic Ghana influencer trip<\/a>), and productive discourse that informs product improvements.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 450px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\" alt=\"personalized experiences, email from topicals showing reviews for buzzy product\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/personalized-experiences-2-20250507-2834670.webp\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;font-size: 12px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/imanya-james\/overlay\/experience\/2130825148\/multiple-media-viewer\/?profileId=ACoAAC6HQnEBvFXbJPC2m3BFRPymuPqFafFHZH0&amp;treasuryMediaId=1635525899224\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>2. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellofresh.com\/\">HelloFresh<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>When a customer first signs up, HelloFresh asks them for key information including their dietary preferences, household size, and cooking skill level to shape customized meal plans and a fully personalized app dashboard.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re also likely to receive occasional recommended meals based on your past selections, plus special promotions and add-ons.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why I think it works:<\/strong> HelloFresh isn\u2019t setting unrealistic kitchen standards or serving a one-size-fits-all model. The brand refines its marketing to fit the needs of individual customers looking for a cooking plan that suits <em>their<\/em> needs.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\" alt=\"personalized experiences, hellofresh personalization plan\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/personalized-experiences-3-20250507-6929071.webp\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;font-size: 12px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellofresh.com\/about\/how-it-works\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>3. <a href=\"https:\/\/thelipbar.com\/\">The Lip Bar<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>With The Lip Bar\u2019s virtual try-on technology, customers can see how lip and complexion products look on their own faces before making a purchasing decision. TLB also has a \u201cComplexion Quiz\u201d that guides customers to their perfect foundation match.<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\" title=\"\" alt=\"personalized experiences, the lip bar\u2019s shade finder quiz\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/personalized-experiences-4-20250507-8287673.webp\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;font-size: 12px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thelipbar.com\/#find-shade-box\"><em>Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why I think it works: <\/strong>The Lip Bar takes the guesswork out of the beauty-buying experience, even for virtual shoppers. \u201cProducts deliberately designed for your complexion\u201d is the goal \u2014 and it\u2019s clear across the brand\u2019s messaging and services.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re looking for more brand inspiration, check out some more <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/marketing-personalization-examples\">brands that take personalized experiences to the next level<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>Expert Tips for Personalized Marketing<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Know your customer \u2014 but also your stuff.<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20250410880650\/en\/New-Global-Study-Reveals-Consumers-Demand-More-Personalization-in-Marketing-81-Ignore-Irrelevant-Messages-While-Personalized-Experiences-Drive-Loyalty-and-Sales\">Seventy-one percent<\/a> of consumers are frustrated by irrelevant messages. Making sure you\u2019re giving customers the content that resonates \u2014 and doesn\u2019t make them feel like they\u2019re just part of some generic mailing list \u2014 is crucial.<\/p>\n<p>Equally as important, emphasizes James, is to know the products you\u2019re pushing out like the back of your hand and <em>actually<\/em> be passionate about them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2018s very important to me that I know exactly what the product does, how it works, how it functions,\u201d says James. \u201cIt\u2019s about authenticity. People can tell when you don\u2019t like something. People can also tell when you&#8217;re just trying to sell it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Things like <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/website\/website-personalization-examples-dynamic\">website personalization<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/retargeting-campaigns-beginner-guide\">ad retargeting<\/a> can play a big role here, helping to foster that unique experience for customers. And if you\u2019re working with HubSpot\u2019s CRM and\/or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/products\/conten\">Content Hub<\/a> for your marketing, there are a lot of tools to help here, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/products\/content\/personalization\">content personalization features<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Make the customer feel special.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Custom offerings like referring to customers by their first name and sending out special birthday gifts go a long way.<\/p>\n<p>Across her clients, Tse implements a ton of A\/B testing for email subject lines. One strategy she says almost always lands is the \u201creciprocity\u201d approach \u2014 when you offer value (a gift, a discount, etc.) to customers without asking for anything in return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s psychology,\u201d says Tse. \u201cHere&#8217;s an offer for you, or here\u2019s a gift for you. And because I gave you something, you want to give me back something.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Don\u2019t be creepy.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s a fine line between supporting and stalking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t be creepy,\u201d says Tse. The results can be detrimental: According to BCG\u2019s findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bcg.com\/publications\/2024\/what-consumers-want-from-personalization\">two-thirds of customers<\/a> say that they have recently had at least one personalized experience with a brand that was inaccurate or invasive, often leading them to unsubscribe or disengage.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Don\u2019t forget to entertain.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>More often than not, people are looking for experiences that simply make them smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone likes to laugh, everyone likes to enjoy things, and I find that there\u2018s so much seriousness going on in the world that it\u2019s very important to just take the time to make people have fun with you,\u201d says James.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2>Humanizing the Shopping Experience<\/h2>\n<p>Above all, personalized marketing is all about humanizing the shopping experience. How would <em>you<\/em> want to be spoken to? At the end of the day, people want to feel like they&#8217;re not only buying a product but also joining a community that they feel a part of.<\/p>\n<p>Take Mother\u2019s Day, for example. Brands like B\u00c9IS are acknowledging the range of emotions around the holiday, allowing customers to opt out of related marketing. Giving your customers a voice is vital.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bottom line:<\/strong> Put yourself in the shoes of your customers. It goes a long way.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/track.hubspot.com\/__ptq.gif?a=53&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hubspot.com%2Fmarketing%2Fpsychology-personalization&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fblog.hubspot.com%252Fmarketing&amp;bvt=rss\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Personalized experiences are becoming increasingly important to customers \u2014 and marketers are listening. Just look at Ima\u00f1ya James, a product and marketing specialist for the widely regarded skincare brand Topicals. She\u2019s appeared in many of the brand\u2019s campaigns herself, demonstrating&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":578,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions\/578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaneyphotography.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}