Written by
Poulami Dutta
Published on
September 30, 2022
How personalisation can be the game changer for the publishing industry
The digital publishing industry is filled with competing brands and publishers need to go one step ahead of content creation to stay in the game. The biggest challenge is to convince the users that it is worth taking the time to come back to the same platform time and again.
Many media brands have already started exploring the value proposition which can significantly create an impact on user engagement — personalisation. Researches have revealed that over 70% of people actually want personalised content and get frustrated when that does not happen. The global pandemic has also led to a change in the digital behaviour of users. With more and more people shifting to online shopping, the personalisation bar has been raised higher by the e-commerce industry. As a result, personalisation is now being perceived as a standard engagement technique across all digital platforms.
How to create a personalised user experience
- Show personalised content suggestions
A generic behaviour that has been noticed across many users is that they will come to a publishing site, drop off after looking into some content and might not come back again. One of the primary reasons behind this is that the user experience is not engaging enough to draw them back to the platform. You can solve this problem to a great extent by offering personalisation at the very start of the user journey. Show relevant content suggestions which are likely to trigger user interest and increase their time on the platform. If the content can grab user attention in the first 4–5 visits, there is a high chance of converting them into loyal users.
- Incentivise users to register
Collecting user data is a critical component of success in creating personalised content. Earlier, most companies relied on third-party data to curate user experiences. However, Chrome has started to phase out third-party cookies so it has become very important to collect data from other sources. One way to collect user information is to convince the users to register. Offer your users some extra benefits which will motivate them to register. For example, you can allow limited access to premium content for registered users. Once the users have signed up, use their first-party data to create a personalised experience.
- Send personalised push notifications
Push notifications are a great way to increase user engagement. Personalised push notifications can help to generate revenue from the repeat traffic on the platform. You have to make sure that the right kind of content gets shared with users across the various points of their journey. This includes the stages of consideration, conversion, engagement and retention.
- Send personalised newsletters
Once the users have registered, they should be provided with some exclusive content. Personalised newsletters can be an effective way of communication at this stage. The content type of newsletters should vary across the user base. It can be breaking news or interesting facts or entertainment updates — based on the taste of the user.
- Add a “My News” section
Users have a short attention span and patience when it comes to reading content. For this segment of users, add a page to the website where readers can save some favourite topics and read relevant news around them. A personalised page is very handy if a user does not have time to browse through various sections and find out topics to read.
As the trend of personalisation keeps growing, it is important to find the right partners who can be a part of your digital growth journey. There are many players in the market who are offering personalisation as a service. You can partner with a service provider like WRU.ai to experiment with various personalisation strategies and create a delightful experience for your users.
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