Contact strategy boosts response and limits opt-out

Data | Operations | Insight

[email protected] percassity.com +44 (0)20 7193 7682

Case study: Contact strategy boosts response and limits opt-out

The diminishing effectiveness of ongoing conference marketing activities lead a well known IT conference producer to adopt an analytics-lead approach to data segmentation and sourcing. Conversion rates rose whilst costs and opt-outs fell, ensuring the ongoing value of the marketing database. Profile: Business-to-business IT conferences organiser with a portfolio of nearly 20 two and three day events in Europe. Objective: improve response rates to audience acquisition direct marketing activity (print direct mail and email) and reduce opt-out and disengagement from marketing activity. Situation: The diminishing effectiveness of direct marketing activity was impacting the ability to grow conference attendance and support a programme of new conference launches. Despite the specialist nature of each conference, a range of topics are covered which appeal to different IT and business roles. This diversity meant that different aspects of the conferences needed to be highlighted with each group. What happened: Working with the conference marketing and programme (event content) managers, a clear understanding of delegate profiles was developed. This was based on the “tracks” or content themes of each conference, together with job roles, titles, seniority, business issues, stated preferences and past behaviour of potential delegates. Utilising a combination of this information, consumption and usage of other research products and information collected during marketing interactions, a propensity model was created. This guided the development of suitable segmentations for each conference together with selection criteria for external data acquisition and the existing marketing database. Adopting a statistically lead approach ensured the necessary rigour of both the segmentation itself and also the identification of external data. This enabled data acquisition to move beyond simple job title and industry selections to geography, growth profile and other parameters. In addition, estimates of likelihood to convert for the different segments greatly refined the allocation of marketing budget and event capacity planning. Additionally, a strategy, linked to opt-out requests, was implemented to encourage prospects to provide more information about their preferences, allowing prospects to manage their own communication

“The diminishing

effectiveness of direct marketing

activity was impacting the ability to grow

conference attendance”

Case study: Contact strategy Percassity Marketing Data Solutions

Data | Operations | Insight

Percassity Marketing Data Solutions Ltd, Suite 27 | 61 Praed Street | London | W2 1NS | United Kingdom [email protected] percassity.com +44 (0)20 7193 7682

experience, rather than opting-out completely. This included the option to receive no further information about a particular conference, whilst continuing to receive information on future and alternative events. “Operational” implementation of the segmentation was crucial, with each conference campaign consisting of as many as ten touches over a 3-5 month period. Utilising cohort management functionality within the campaign system, individuals were assigned to segments, providing the ability to readily extract lists with the necessary segment flags for campaign execution. The segmentations were then used to drive the content of marketing communications, with customised content and touch tempo appropriate to each group. This meant that an individual having previously indicated that customer relationship management was a business priority, or having purchased research on data quality, would be selected for the associated conferences. Furthermore, the profile of each individual was then used to highlight specific content. This could mean strategic considerations being highlighted to a CIO whilst a business analyst would be directed to more practical implementation content. Sales activity was also driven by the segmentations; high value prospects were invited to one-on-one sessions, VIP events or passed to sales teams. Finally, earlier behaviour, such as having previously attended the same event, a similar event or never having attended an event was taken into account. Outcome: Marketing communications became significantly more targeted to individual recipients. Response and conversion rates improved, data acquisition and marketing communications costs declined, and opt-out rates were slashed. Incorporating declared interests, related product consumption and past behaviour, it was possible for messaging to be more relevant to recipients, a key driver of response. Intrinsic to the success of this approach was coupling the programme activity with the necessary operational capability to execute and track multi-segment activity, particularly with regards to email marketing activity

Percassity Marketing Data Solutions Percassity Marketing Data Solutions is a marketing data strategy and marketing operations consultancy. Adopting advisory and implementation roles, Percassity addresses challenges such as identifying the right prospects, labour intensive campaign execution, sales disengagement and measuring marketing results.

The company’s skills span marketing data management, marketing automation, lead management, analytics and contact strategy development.

Whether meeting a specific consultancy requirement or fulfilling an ongoing role, we're equally comfortable augmenting your existing database marketing or marketing operations team as acting in an outsourced capacity where this resource does not already exist.

With nearly four decades decades of experience at some of the world's leading

agencies and bluechip organisations, Percassity founders Simon Daniels and Charles Eaton-Hennah know the challenges faced by marketing teams.

www.percassity.com

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