At Tiny Box Company, we get it - being a small fish in a big pond can be tough, especially when there are lots of players all vying for the biggest piece of the pie. So you've probably found yourself asking: "How on earth do I stand out?"

One of the biggest faux pas folks make is generic messaging - it's just a bit meh, and leads to not great or not very interesting results. The solution is pretty simple - make it personal. Seems straightforward enough, but before you dive in you need to make sure you know who you are as a brand. (It just so happens we’ve got a handy blog post on this - why not check it out here!)

Part of this is understanding your place in the world and what you want to do for your customers, so you need to know all sorts of stuff about them, like their age, gender, and location, as well as interests, hobbies, and preferences. Take a look at tools that can give you a helping hand here - for example Google Analytics is a good one to check out.

Catchy, right? Take a look at this helpful pyramid below to find out how to create that optimal experience for your customers - step by step from data collection, to segmentation, right up to its peak with personalisation.

Quick note - while customers want a personal experience, many will also be wary of having all their personal information out in the world. Think about how you’ll deliver the best experience to your customers - and explain to them how you’ll use their data and what they’ll get from it.

"Okay, so I know my audience, now what kind of personalised content can I create?"

Well, the best place to start is where most customers will go to first - your homepage. Why not create unique landing pages for first-time guests and returning customers, and when people later log into your site suggest products they can look at next - like what Amazon does, for example? (Right now it's recommending me bath sets and hair dye...)

Ask your customers questions directly with little quizzes on your site, and you can use this info to suggest products. Say you specialise in selling hair dye or makeup, offer customers a hair colour match or skincare quiz and then, based on the results, give them personal recommendations on dye, conditioners, lipstick, and so on!

If you write blog posts or articles on your site, suggest more based on what they’ve already read to keep them hooked. Think about how Netflix recommends shows and films just for you - if you're like me and watch a lot of rom-coms, it will suggest some more, even coming up with a percentage on how much you’ll like it (like mine says I’m a 97% match for Gossip Girl...), so do the equivalent for your industry and become their top source for info and products.

Then we have retargeting tools - have you ever looked at a product online, put it in your basket but not checked out - and then later seen an ad for that exact product on social media? I know I have, and your customers probably have too. Retargeting tools can guide them back to your site, and they’re available on all the major platforms like Google, Facebook, X (Twitter), and LinkedIn.

(Right: Not my actual Netflix... but it's pretty close)

Be social

Speaking of the big wide world of social media, why not make videos that quite literally speak directly to your audience? These are more engaging and often more persuasive than boring old text. People love seeing what really goes on behind the scenes, so film unboxing videos with your products or give some insight into your creative process!

Keep your videos snappy at between 5-90 seconds, and share them on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. And don’t be afraid to show off your fun side on social media with little videos and fun polls - at Tiny Box Company we post a Funny Friday reel on our socials every week to make you laugh and keep you motivated, with the odd survey thrown in; for more on all this give our 'Lights, camera, action!' blog a read, and nail how to use video and user-generated content.

Respond to customers personally when they comment or slide into your DMs, to show them you're a real person who cares about their experiences - just put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about how you'd like to chat to a business if you messaged them on social media. And got any jokes, dad or otherwise? Toss these in to show off your lovely personality!

You've got (e)mail

Email is one of the simplest ways to get in on personalised marketing. Start by dividing up your mailing list based on stuff like purchase history, location, and behaviour (see the helpful pyramid above), then you can craft spot-on emails for each group - whether it’s sending them personalised offers and discounts, or blogs/articles in newsletters.

Pro tip: you could pop your customer’s name in the subject line. It's a great way to boost your open rates, because who doesn’t love a personal touch? In fact according to Mailchimp, emails with personalised subject lines are 50% more likely to be opened. Speaking of Mailchimp, it's a good example of an email marketing tool you can use, with features like segmentation and automated campaigns to lend you that helping hand.

Again, think about how you'd like to receive an email from a brand - what would catch your eye and make you more likely to shop for more, and what would make you hit that delete button? For me, anything that doesn't seem relevant to what I like will go straight in the bin - and customers won't think twice to do the same if they're not immediately interested.

Just a few more handy tips for personalised content:

Keep it relevant: Make sure your content speaks to the customers' interests and needs. Irrelevant content is a big no-no!
Maintain privacy: Be transparent about how you collect data and always respect customer privacy.
Test and optimise: Keep testing your personalised content and tweak based on performance data. It’s all about getting better and better!

For more marketing tips, check out the Tiny Box Clinic, a space for small business owners to connect, learn, and comment. For more on how to apply our marketing tips and ‘jargon bust’ us, look out for more blogs on Tiny Box Company.