Website personalization is becoming more and more popular as businesses scramble to find ways to stand out from the competition. However, it hasn’t taken over the life science industry quite yet. This means there are significant — and untapped — opportunities for early adopters. Real-time website personalization can give life science companies a serious edge, allowing them to increase conversion rates, engagement, loyalty, and target their customers with the resources and information that are relevant and interesting to each unique prospect. More and more, campaigns and websites with a one-size-fits-all approach just aren’t cutting it and research has proven that personalization can deliver impressive results.

What is personalization?

Personalization is the collection of user data such as geolocation, site behavior, past purchases, uncompleted goals, etc., and applying it to create tailored experiences on mobile apps, emails, digital ads, and websites. Not to be confused with customization or individualization, website personalization is dynamic content that creates more relevant experiences for various audience segments that feels in line with what they are seeking and interested in.  

How is it done?

While businesses may all have a similar objective, e.g., increase revenue, not all use cases are created equal. What may be an effective CTA or image to personalize on one website may not mirror the same benefits for another. Keeping your business goals top of mind while beginning your website personalization journey will help to steer you away from gimmicky updates and keep your tactics aligned with your overarching objectives. Strategizing and implementing custom web experiences that directly correlate with your business goals will take your website and user experience to the next level.

Benefits of website personalization

Customers place a high value on companies that make them feel appreciated and acknowledge their distinct interests, desires, and motivations. As a result, marketers are turning to personalization to better predict and respond to customers’ needs. When used effectively, website personalization can be a powerful tool for driving growth and success in the life science industry. After reviewing your business objectives, you can select website personalization tactics that will soothe your pain points and bring you closer to your goals. Below we’ve outlined the major benefits of implementing website personalization that are likely aligned with the goals you have in mind.

Increase conversion rates

A major benefit of website personalization for life science companies is its ability to increase conversion rates and goal completions throughout the website. Your website's landing pages are often your first impression to new users, and customized experiences may help you stand out. Personalizing the content by incorporating tailored calls to action will guide users to the actions you want them to complete on your site in order to convert them into leads.

For life science websites, personalization can be used to enhance the website's educational content and product lists. When website visitors are presented with content that is catered to their needs, they are more likely to engage with it and more importantly, remember it. By understanding the customers' needs and preferences, life science companies can develop more targeted marketing campaigns and product offerings, this will not only keep them from abandoning your site, but your website time spent can be increased, customer loyalty can be enhanced, and a higher retention rate can be achieved.

Additionally, while a carefully crafted CTA might entice a large number of your audience, it’s unlikely that it fulfills the purpose of every visitor. Having dynamic CTAs that cater to users depending on their place in their user journey will guarantee better conversion rates and help guide them quickly down the funnel.  For example, a user visiting your site for the first time is likely in the research stage and is looking to find out more about your company. In this instance, a ‘Learn More' or ‘View Our products” will lead them to exactly the content they were looking for. In opposition, a returning user who is not yet a customer already knows what you offer so they’re more likely to engage with a CTA such as ‘view testimonials’. This is giving them the nurturing they need to be convinced of your value. HubSpot’s study of over 330,000 calls to action shows that smart CTAs have conversion rates far above the average, converting 202% better than default versions.

Image source: hubspot

Improve user experience

An improved user experience paired with relevant content can guarantee lower bounce rates and extended session duration - all of which will bring you more website visitors. With today’s continually shrinking attention spans (Learn more about the impulse generation) it’s more crucial than ever that users can find what they are looking for intuitively and quickly, otherwise they will look elsewhere. Implementing website personalization to suggest relevant content based on their user data will ensure your leads are being properly nurtured and increases their chances of entering your sales funnel. For example, Physicians are bombarded with marketing emails, texts, and phone calls from an abundance of life science companies. The ones that stand out are those that take the time to understand who the physicians are and what type of information they would be most interested in seeing. Segmenting the content on your website based on previous searches and clicks will allow you to present users with the information they have been looking for right as they enter your site- creating a streamlined and more personal experience for the user.

Time and time again research has shown us that website personalization is extremely effective in increasing conversion rates, engagement, and loyalty. However, the life science industry has long struggled with how to deliver personalized, relevant solutions to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients while adhering to strict compliance and privacy concerns.  But the one thing you don’t want to do is wait and seeking assistance from a team with expansive knowledge in creating world-class digital experiences within the life science industry can help you navigate through the process with ease. Investing in digital experiences and adopting a human-centric mindset will open new opportunities for life science brands to deepen their relationships with customers and utilize data for actionable and effective patient insights.