When it comes to personalization, nothing offers a better experience in today’s world than OTTs. Over The Top platforms are leading in the entertainment industry. They have surpassed other platforms like TV, Satellite Television, Video Sharing, and Social Media in content. They have captivated audiences with highly entertaining, user-relevant media content which can keep viewers glued to their screens for hours – something that satellite TV or other platforms could never achieve. So how did they do it? There is something unique for S&M (Sales and Marketing) teams to learn here.
S&M teams can learn personalization lessons from today’s OTT platforms. Netflix, the current streaming service giant, is single-handedly winning the race with nothing but customized content. Netflix, along with other similar channels like Prime, Hulu, Disney+, etc., are the king of personalization. What they are doing in the entertainment industry can be copied in the B2B marketing industry as well.
In this blog, we are going to talk about marketing and personalization lessons today’s S&M teams can learn from OTT operators. We’d be looking at 3 specific lessons mainly.
Know thy customers
Gone are the days when you’d be profiling your customers under various boxes. Today’s viewers want their service providers to practically know them, their tastes, likes and dislikes, and priorities.
Talk about Amazon Prime, if it observes that you are skipping the “intros” or “recaps” of shows you are watching, you will start getting a “skip intro” or “skip recap” option the next time you watch your favorite series. Furthermore, you will see a homepage that will be super-personalized for you. That has happened because it has created a database around what shows you watch, how long you watch them, and the device you are using for watching them.
Coming back to the B2B world, the lesson here for sales leaders is to collect the data of their customers the way OTTs do for their viewers. You must understand where your leads are spending their time the most, their preferences – practically know them in and out. When you have it, you will be able to provide them a more accurate, targeted, and intuitive experience.
Continuously gather data
Desires change. The types of shows that viewers prefer to watch may differ from OTT to OTT. In other cases, they may constantly switch from one OTT to another depending on their current location, moods, and several external factors.
The lesson here is, “don’t just sit on your data.” Keep each customer’s data updated from every perspective. Gather more and more data to predict their future behavior. Today’s customers can be loyal to several brands at the same time, or at least look for possible options. If you are collecting data about their shifting loyalty, you can have a plan prepared prior to ensure that you are not losing customers to competition.
Bring the touch of ‘binge’
Binge-watching is the most famous USP of OTTs. Today’s viewers have a habit of watching their favorite show’s episodes one after another, without stopping. They will be glued to their screens throughout the day or sometimes, even weeks, until the series finishes. This addiction is nothing but a product of a little brainstorming plus a few adjustments of control options. Features like “auto-play”, cueing the next episode in the series immediately after the first one, and “recommendations” play a psychological role in motivating the viewer to consume content nonstop.
In the B2B world, these can be understood as CTAs or Call-to-Action buttons. You already know the game of CTAs, but now you need to view them from the perspective of an OTT. Just like an OTT, give your viewers recommendations related to product or service areas where they spend the most time. Once they have submitted data for a piece of content, hit them with another recommendation.
