2016: Year of the Consumer?

First, ask permission.

“Empowered consumers are not luddites — they understand the value of high quality, relevant ads. Your responsibility to them is to ask them what they want from you, and in what format. If they want text messages because they love to be “in the know” on new offers, make sure you deliver on the trade with great promotions,” said Lewis Gersh, CEO, PebblePost.

Next, personalize. But, warn the experts, ensure you’re using relevant data to personalize.

“When executed correctly, you can create tailored and value-driving experiences for consumers, but when executed poorly, it can be alienating and damage your brand. We are seeing more and more marketers list personalization as a top priority for the next year, and how it is executed will be key in determining success,” said Ted Dhanik, CEO, engage:BDR. “Brands can do a few things to ensure that forays into this space run smoothly. The most effective campaigns will both target intenders and add value. If you can utilize data to find an interested audience, you will already be concentrating spend efficiently. If you can offer those customers a cool experience, better deal, or needed information, you will create goodwill among your audience and an openness to your message. The stakes are high here, however. If you execute in a way that feels invasive, this has the potential to be of great harm to your relationships with consumers.”