The document outlines 3 essential steps to take before investing in marketing technology: 1) Conduct upfront analytics to identify strategic objectives and key metrics. 2) Develop a customer contact strategy based on profiling results to create a communications roadmap. 3) Assess current technology and create a roadmap for supporting database marketing with the right technology components and timelines. Taking these steps ensures investments are informed by analytics and strategy to maximize results.

1. Measure Twice, Cut Once: 3 Essential Steps to Take Before Investing in Marketing Technology March 2010

2. 3 Steps to Take Before Investing in Marketing Technology: Overview 6/8/2011 2 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 How are your strategies to engage with customers working? And… How will you develop plans to take that to the next level? Didn’t your father ever tell you this? “Make sure you measure twice, and cut once.” Nothing beats solid preparation and planning, whether it’s painting, building a bookshelf, developing a predictive model or investing in the right marketing technology platform.

3. 6/8/2011 3 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 3 Steps to Take Before Investing in Marketing Technology: Ponder This… Time and time again, companies become overly aggressive with their marketing database, campaign management and business intelligence plans. In many instances, they end up in a position where they are investingthousands, and in some cases, millions of dollars in marketing technology before really developing a strategy for how to leverage this investment. Seriously?

4. 6/8/2011 4 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 3 Steps to Take Before Investing in Marketing Technology: Ponder This… Unfortunately… Yes… Seriously. Sad isn’t it? Does any of this sound familiar? “We need a better database” “I can’t get timely reports or customer data” “IT takes too long to get me the information I need” If and when you hear these things – run for help immediately! Not sure where to go for help? Continue reading…

5. 6/8/2011 5 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 For customer data management and marketing technologies to be fully capable of fulfilling multichannel communications objectives, there are 3 essential steps to take BEFORE investing in marketing technology.

6. 6/9/2011 6 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 Step One: Up Front Analytics It is amazing how many companies either assume they can run segmentation and profilingduring or after the technology is in place. Conducting the right marketing analytics needs to be done up front. This is such an important step . Identify where and how to best achieve your strategic objectives. Develop the key metrics for your ongoing database marketing at this stage as well.

7. Step Two: Customer Contact Strategy 6/9/2011 7 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 You’ve done your profiling (in step one), now you can lay out the future strategies for messaging streams to reach your objectives and maximize their results. The findings from this step can be used to build a communications roadmap and a plan that can be used to “test and learn” to achieve better marketing results and customer engagement. You also want to take those findings to build out the required marketing technology requirements when they have been proven to drive positive ROI.

8. Step Three: Marketing Technology Assessment and Roadmap 6/9/2011 8 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 You’ve completed Steps One and Two. Now you need to assess the current technology and automation readiness of your organization. Include detailed recommendations for technology components and timelines you should consider as you plan to support a more robust database marketing program and investment.

10. your required contact strategies,

11. messaging streams, and

12. the expected ROI from these actions, You will be better informed to make the best marketing automation investment decisions.

13. You’ll be the Hero! 6/9/2011 10 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 This Could Be You…

14. Engaging your customersthrough analytics, strategy and technology 6/8/2011 11 Confidential © SIGMA Marketing Group 2010 Our Blog: FifthGearAnalytics.com Web: SigmaMarketing.com Twitter: @SIGMA_MktgGrp Call Toll Free: 888.277.9837 Email: SIGMAinfo@sigmamarketing.com