{"id":8,"date":"2023-04-06T19:32:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T19:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=8"},"modified":"2023-12-26T07:22:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-26T07:22:27","slug":"real-time-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ap\/blog\/real-time-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"What \u2018Real-Time Marketing\u2019 Means? And How Can it Wow Your Customers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marketers know it\u2019s important to reach customers in \u201creal time.\u201d But the phrase \u201creal time\u201d means different things to different people. We take a look at what that really means. <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re like most marketers, you\u2019ve been hearing the term \u201creal-time marketing\u201d a lot lately. And you\u2019ve probably been wondering, what is real-time marketing? Are we delivering content in seconds? Milliseconds? Even faster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can sound like marketers need to live in the world of the Oscar winning film Everything Everywhere All at Once<\/i>. But that\u2019s not necessarily the case. What matters is that you reach your customers when they need to be reached, with the right experience. Real-time marketing doesn\u2019t mean having all the answers all the time \u2013 it\u2019s actually about giving customers what they need, when they need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can a customer data platform do? <\/span> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A customer data platform can help take your marketing team to the next level, while keeping cost efficiency in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s look at the concept of real-time marketing and show some ways leading brands use it to win customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the difference between real-time marketing and real-time data? <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you search for \u201creal-time marketing\u201d you\u2019ll find a variety of definitions. They range from the vague (\u201csystematically responding to your customers\u201d) to the prescriptive (\u201cfocusing on customer feedback\u201d). It seems that no-one can agree what it really means. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the difference between real-time data and real-time marketing. Real-time data is processed and available for use right after it\u2019s captured. That\u2019s milliseconds. For example, the GPS on your phone captures your location and recommends a driving route in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while it\u2019s important to capture and process data quickly, it\u2019s not always necessary to act on it right away. This is especially true in marketing, when the customer drives the journey. Real-time does not have to mean right now. It\u2019s delivering the information when the end user needs it. That could be seconds or even hours later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel is a very time-sensitive business. If a customer\u2019s digital profile isn\u2019t accurate in real time, it can trigger unfortunate events.

When a customer changes their seat or flight on an airline\u2019s app or website, they expect it to show up in their profile right away. When they later go to a service counter, or call customer care, they expect \u2014 quite reasonably \u2014 that the service agent will be up to date. On the other hand, the customer is probably not expecting that the airline will send them irrelevant emails or offers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This example shows us the difference between real-time data and real-time marketing. Real-time systems should update customers\u2019 profiles right away. On the other hand, real-time marketing should happen at whatever speed is the right one for the customer \u2014 whether that\u2019s today, in five minutes, or next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are implications for the marketers\u2019 back-end data processing systems and resource requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the customer is on the website or app, they expect their actions to be processed in milliseconds. But there\u2019s no reason the contact centre can\u2019t be updated in seconds and the email system within minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing response rate requirements can lower costs and complexity, as long as this doesn\u2019t impact the customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  <\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do marketers mean when they say \u201creal-time\u201d? <\/span> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On most occasions, when marketers say real-time, what they often mean is right-time. It means delivering the right data at the right time, to the right systems, to better connect with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n