Marketing at Speed: The Value of High-Velocity Marketing

Speed matters in almost everything.  And a new “need for speed” is happening right now in customer experience (CX).  It’s about much more than simply how fast your site responds to a click or action.  When brands look at the “speed of CX” this must include the ability to deliver new or highly appropriate content without delay. 

To deliver compelling content quickly, brands need processes and technology platforms to create and utilize it much faster than just a year ago.  The speed of the entire content creation and utilization process must be the focus, not just one component.  in addition, speed must be enabled for a wide range of programs that are uniquely targeted for different personas, not simply a single type of experience or customer.

There are many use cases for high velocity in marketing processes, but one stands out. Velocity really makes a difference in personalization.  This is particularly true for digital brands.  The ability to produce content at speed to support unique journeys is central to leveraging personalization.  In addition, the quick delivery of personalized content must support any omnichannel initiatives for brands that go beyond digital.

This personalized content is a critical component of a positive customer experience.  Engaging content is the manifestation of your understanding of the customer.  Brands must both understand what to deliver and deliver it quickly.  Older processes for content creation may not measure up.  Aligning content to the experience is a foundational step in creating an engaging and relevant experience.  This valued interaction is the way brands achieve meaningful outcomes.

Picking the platform

A high-velocity content process requires underlying technology that can support it.  The starting point is a platform-style solution that seamlessly integrates the key processes to ensure they are aligned and supports the operational use of the content.  The platform must include creative software, digital asset management, content management tools, and end-to-end workflow management.  Integration is essential, as trying to manually integrate the output of various point solutions will simply take too long.

High-velocity content and delivery provides a brand with a compelling competitive advantage.  For many brands, the question is where to start.  Here are some general guidelines that can help.  First, build the data requirements and segments.  The question to ask yourself is: Do you have the customers for the content and the resultant personalized experience?  Then comes the development of the content and workflow processes. Specifically, determine who will initiate content creation, who will approve new content, and then how will approved content be tagged, stored, and accessed.

Adobe and Capgemini offer three “tips” that will assist a brand in delivering an optimized, high-velocity experience.  First, prioritize the customer segments and personas you want to focus on, ensuring they are distinct and identifiable.  Second, prioritize the most important journeys and outcomes for those customers.  Finally, map out the content requirement across the journey and the journeys across the segments to leverage the use of content and ensure journeys are fully supported.

High-velocity marketing efforts require the content to support the initiative.  Fast sites aren’t much use without the content that makes the experience engaging and relevant.  The ability to personalize “at speed” will become an important differentiator and a way to build customer engagement and loyalty. To find out more, click here.