Embracing Cross-channel Automated Individual Communications

Article first released July 7, 2016 on Watrerfall blog.

*[Image not yet recovered: dsm_image.gif · dsm_image.gif]*The days of marketers’ over-reliance on paid or owned media batch and blast advertising and messaging to a pre-determined and pre-defined audience or audience segments are waning. We are now witnessing the rise of the age of the connected individual, an individual that increasingly expects personalized, on-demand, tailored products, services and experiences from the businesses that serve them. Meeting these expectations is important to the long-term success and profitability of your business. To meet the demands of the connected individual marketers are going to need to learn to develop and adopt new skills and in-house capabilities, including cross-channel automated individual communications (CCAIC).

“AIC (automated individual communications) is the practice of dynamically communicating, messaging, to and with individuals, at the time, in the medium and with appropriate content that is dynamically personalized and specifically suited for them (including their context).”

Expanding on the AIC definition above, CCAIC is defined as the practice of dynamically communicating, messaging, to and with individuals, at the time, in the mediums and with appropriate content that is dynamically personalized and specifically suited for them (including their context). As you can see, little changed between the definitions of AIC and CCAIC. In fact, the only difference is the recognition that you can and should be prepared to serve individuals, not just through one medium, a.k.a. a channel, but through multiple mediums, multiple channels whenever, through whatever, and wherever it is appropriate to do so.

Appropriateness is determined by many factors, including the individual’s preferences, interests, and context, which ultimately can be gleaned by practicing The Connected Marketer (TCM) approach to marketing. The TCM approach focus on being of services to individuals, on the individual’s terms. You can learn more about this approach to marketing at www.theconnectedmarketer.com.

Understanding CCAIC

Like AIC, the concept of CCAIC is not that new; in fact, it has been a stated goal or a dream of the marketer for as long as I can remember. When most marketers speak about the concept, I hear them use the phrase “right time, right place, right message.” The challenge with this phrase, however, is that it is easy to say but difficult to operationalize. By employing the concepts of CCAIC and breaking it down we can get closer to the dream of “right time, right place, right message,” and we can get closer to economical and viable way for enterprises to see and engage people as individuals, on the individual’s terms.

The key elements of CCAIC are as follows:

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