CGRAY-Aprimo Think Before You Send WP-Press-Quality
1. What would your mother think? She
receives an email stating, “We noticed
you haven’t been opening the emails
we’ve sent…” Unless your mother is
in marketing like you, she may have
just discovered that companies can
watch what she does and does not do
online. If she does not appreciate this
kind of scrutiny, the email could easily
backfire. Depending on your mom’s or
any intended recipient’s communication
savvy, such an email may fuel
discussions in social networks where
it can become toxic. Just because the
data is there, it does not mean you
should just use it. You have to think
first.
B2B and B2C marketers have long
used off- and on-line behavior data
to segment their campaign audiences
for creative and offer versioning. Why
do they use data this way? Because
it works - higher message and offer
relevancy leads to higher response
and conversion rates. Add recency to
the segmentation, and you multiply its
powerful effect. Add near real-time
online behavior data available from
today’s enabling technology – e.g., web
analytics – and you further amplify the
recency effect. You can get conversion
rates greater than 30 percent! That is
why today’s B2B and B2C marketers
are increasingly adding site-behavior
trigger campaigns - i.e., automated
communications based on an individual’s
explicit and implicit on-line behavior - to
their marketing communication mix.
You, too, can get great results from
behavior-driven trigger campaigns, but
only if you think before you act. Think
of how the average individual, someone
not in marketing, will react.
Before you send, think about:
Communication Strategy
Whether you send a follow-up email
because of an abandoned shopping cart,
or an incomplete event registration,
you need to decide if you are going
to communicate with a sales-driven
message or one that is more helpful or
service oriented. Once decided, you
need to determine how quickly after the
observed behavior you should send your
message. Test a few approaches to see
what works best.
> Promotional message strategy places
the emphasis on regaining the lost
sale or registration. Your intent is
to intercept the individual before the
behavior is a distant memory so you
Do’s and Don’ts of Trigger Campaigns Using Site Behaviors
White paper
Think Before You Send
2. typically send these follow-up reminder
messages shortly after the incomplete
behavior. The promotional approach
generates higher conversion rates, but it
may have privacy implications (e.g., did
they opt-in for these communications).
Examples: “10% discount when you
complete your order.”
“Finish your registration and receive a
complimentary benchmark report.”
> Customer Service message approach
focuses on the individual’s experience
and offers help to complete the
transaction. Although achieving
conversion rates that are slightly lower
than a promotional approach, you still
achieve impressive results. Of note,
the service related message assuages
any privacy concerns, as it is seen as
customer support for which opt-in is not
a consideration.
Examples: “You left items in your e- cart.
If you were experiencing difficulties, we’d
like to help…”
“We didn’t receive your complete
registration. Perhaps we can help…”
You may decide you want to use a
mix of both approaches, especially if
you track on-line behavior over time
and use a mix of episodic behaviors,
patterns and behavior changes to
drive marketing communications. B2B
marketers are particularly keen to rely
on these marketing tactics in their lead
management efforts, which are often
supported by an array of integrated,
automated and continuously running
interactive campaigns that collectively
work to nurture leads through the
stages of their buying cycle.
Message Content
Do not underestimate the value of
planning your message content, and
make sure you align it with the chosen
communication strategy. Specifically,
you must:
> Include pictures.
> State the benefits of the specific
product(s) or content the individual
considered during their site visit.
> Make it as easy as possible. Include a
link to the transaction.
> Mention the specific behavior or not?
Whichever you choose, manage your
wording carefully. You do not want to
make a direct reference to something
they would not expect you know – unless
you were watching. Avoid the risk: Big
brother is watching.
> Do not dilute the message. Do not
include information and offers for other
items.
> Consider multi-wave Reminders. Use
more than one follow-up communication,
as industry studies show that multi-
wave campaigns work best and do not
add significant cost – i.e., better ROI.
Offers
Whether acting on personal behalf or as
a working professional, site visitors are
human beings with needs, wants, and
preferences. They are also trainable.
That is, your marketing efforts can
actually condition your customers and
prospects to expect follow-up offers.
When you send offers shortly after an
incomplete transaction, you generate
higher conversion rates. Near real-time
follow-up communications also makes it
more likely the individual will associate
a “sweetened deal” with the recent
behavior. As such, you need to test the
timing and offers to find the optimal
ROI – i.e., drive incremental revenue
while protecting your margin. You can
try other approaches that stimulate
response without adding cost:
> Urgency (e.g., limited supply left)
> Unavailable (e.g., content will expire)
> Uncertainty (e.g., price may go up)
Permission and Legal
Considerations
Sending messages to individuals
requires the right permissions. A site
visit and an incomplete transaction
does not necessarily equate to an opt-in.
What should you do?
