Data Driven Marketing: Few examples of using data as a force for the good

This article originally appeared in MarketingSherpa email newsletter.

You can’t work in the marketing industry these days without talking about details all the time. Data-driven marketing. Big Data. Marketing analysis. Facebook is worth over $ 650 billion, and that’s not because photos of cats and selfies of a cheese sandwich are so valuable. That’s because Facebook is just one big bag of user data.

But I must admit that you may find yourself in the same boat using data that does not come naturally to me. I work in marketing because I am a creator, not a statistician.

If you feel the same way, here’s an analogy that changed your mind. I was interviewing Peter Fader and Sarah Toms from Wharton. We discussed how the Electronic Arts were using data to improve the product. “When they realized the power of data that Pete was just talking about, they had a small identity crisis. They are like, “But we are a creative company. How can we all give up now, all the time? Toms said.

Zach Anderson, the director of analysis at Electronic Arts, took those creative hearts and minds to this analogy: Cooking contests in which chefs show amazing creative things with ingredients given to them.

So the data is really just another ingredient you have when you bring your creativity to a classic matzoh scoop soup or marketing campaign.

“Data is really a good thing that they should embrace because it allows them to be even more creative,” Toms said.

So, with that approach in mind, let’s look at some examples of using data as a force for good and improving marketing results.

Example # 1: A Data-Oriented View Helps Sell Non-Profits Through E-Commerce Identify the Best Opportunity to Increase Revenue

Data can become too fast. So many numbers. How do you get the chance?

TenbyThree © is a non-profit organization that sells products. The charity sells baskets created by artisans in rural communities in developing countries to help artisans lift themselves out of extreme poverty.

And there was a lot to do with his towing team in so many directions. Where to focus? This goal is especially important with the increase of COVID-19.

TenbyThree sells these baskets primarily in physical stores like Total Food Market, Disney theme parks, and specialty retailers. But with the pandemic, there has been a huge drop in foot traffic and therefore sales, so the nonprofit has tried to increase ecommerce sales through its website.
The team at the MECLABS Institute (parent organization MarketingSherpa) worked with TenbyThree to find out where their optimized conversion results should focus.

This data analysis revealed an opportunity hidden in the product labels on the scene. Each basket sold in the stores was tagged with information on how to connect with the individual craftsman who created the basket by going to the TenbyThree website.

Few customers have used this feature. If the tags could be optimized to allow more people to use the craft search feature of the website, that increase in traffic is also likely to help increase website sales.

In The Marketer from Philosopher Episode 2, The Data Pattern Analysis: 3 Ways to Turn Insights Into Insights, you can use the methodological approach used to expose that insight to help you identify more opportunities in your own data . The episode also teaches viewers how to use a data model analysis tool (you can download the tool for free here).

For further help with details, you can participate in a live coaching session with Flint McGlaughlin, CEO and Managing Director, MECLABS Institute, Thursday, August 20, 2020, beginning at 1 p.m. at 2 p.m. EDT. In this question and answer session, participants will learn how to set up and use the Data Model Analysis Tool, simplify their data with three dial keys, and apply the principles of The Marketer as a Philosopher: Episode 2 in their own business.

Example # 2: Targeted Database Helps Rotate Tent Maker

It is not enough to say that COVID-19 has forced companies to make significant changes. We all live, we all know the impact.

But some changes are harder than others. When that shift is focused on a new ideal customer, it can be difficult to pivot quickly. Many companies have built their customer base and customer contacts for many years.

This is where external data can come in handy.

For example, TentCraft sells tents to event producers for concerts. But the event industry around the world closed in March. While the staff always knew they were too narrowly focused on one industry and needed to diversify the business, they never had time to act.

But as the saying goes, the mother of invention is the necessity.

Suddenly, they had to replicate their overall approach to marketing and quickly find a new target customer. The team came up with the idea of ​​turning the concert tents into COVID-19-powered test facilities, but they never sold to hospitals and did not know any hospital administrators.
The team looked for a way to quickly enter a new market without increasing overheads. They worked with ZoomInfo to get data and information for hospitals and other health systems.

They used the company and contact search to quickly execute a serial approach. The marketing team would initiate a broader outreach approach by building an outreach list of 2,000 to 3,000 contacts. Based on open rates, responses, and conversations, they learned not only the specific roles they should focus on, but also what their weak spots were.

The sales team would use this information to create a more targeted outreach list of 100 to 200 contacts, then tailor messages and images to show how TentCraft could address specific issues.

The click-in rate for opening larger emails ranged from 15% to 28%, with more targeted listings typically between 35% and 45% and a handful approaching 60%. Keep in mind, when you see these numbers, it was just cold.

Because they had phone numbers, job titles and location details, the marketing team was able to provide this information to the sales team in real time when emails were opened and clicked. links. This helped teams prioritize, get into the conversation faster, and shorten the sales cycle.

Over $ 600,000 in revenue in March alone, but in the first two months of this pivot, the company recorded over $ 2 million in revenue, making April its biggest revenue month ever. of the business (during a pandemic with the closure of a basic income). They are now 12% ahead of last year’s pace. In the first month of Pivot, they signed a contract with over 100 healthcare facilities that are, we remember, an industry that the tent maker had no previous experience with.

This pivot was reactive. And while it has worked so far, the attitude of the business has now changed.

“A major advantage of our team is that we must always focus on new markets, new products, features and partners. It means speed and agility, ”said Matt Bulloch, president of TentCraft.

Example # 3: Test data shows the benefits of a value sequence for AD software

There are many compelling aspects to valuing your business. But your client may not be ready to get them all at once. This is why an effective value sequence is so important.

At what point in the customer journey should the customer be introduced to the various aspects of the value of your business? Details can show you the route.

David Richter wanted to use marketing data to find out how to position his company’s brand and the messages used at each stage of the marketing funnel.

Richter works for CIPHR, a software platform that serves HR departments. “It’s a crowded market, and every year we compete with over fifty different suppliers. In terms of functionality, a vendor rarely has a distinct advantage over the entire market. If any game-changing features are developed, they are quickly replicated by other similar vendors, ”said Richter, chief marketing officer, CIPHR.

One thing that sets CIPHR apart, according to Richter, is its attitude toward integrating its people management platform with specialized third-party tools. Because large competitors have strategically acquired complementary businesses, they are less motivated to integrate third — party tools that they do not have, Richter says.

However, Richter was concerned about leading this “connectivity” in marketing communications.

“Connectivity is the USP (Unique Sales Proposal) on which CIPHR has hung our hat in our market and the position on which we want to build a strong brand,” he said. “The problem is that, at the time of the first relationship, most HR professionals don’t think about a HR system, what it can fit into.”
When terms like “API” or “integration” are added in the subject lines the email opening rate of the HR SaaS platform has halved. About two-thirds of all leads are generated through the CIPHR website. It is therefore necessary to optimize messages for conversion.

To show senior management that CIPHR needs to tailor the focus of its messages at each stage of the sales cycle, Richter’s team decided to try different messages on different landing pages on the Web site. Landing pages were only used for PPC traffic from the same keywords and ads displayed to drive the click.
Landing page title # 1 — Generic HR software with a benefit message, for example, “HR software that cuts down on paper and helps you work more efficiently,” converts traffic to 14.1%.
Landing Title Page # 2 — HR Software with Connectivity Message eg “HR Software with Brilliant Connectivity” converts traffic to survey by 10.2%.
Landing page title # 3 — Connectivity post not to mention AD software, e.g. “Connect your staff data across your organization” converts traffic to a survey at 6.4%.
Armed with this data, CIPHR executives are now willing to lead relevant, product-focused and benefits messages on the (pre-engagement) website that situate connectivity as the differentiator. “We now have a strong leadership awareness campaign to educate prospects about the benefits of connectivity,” Richter said.

Example 4: Online Meditation A / B School Test on Student Registration Rate Doubles

If you take A / B testing, you can learn from real customer behavior to better serve your customers and improve results. Here is an example.

“In creating our platform, we have been extremely successful in using a data-driven approach to most of our marketing decisions,” said Kyle Greenfield, Founder of TheJoyWithin.org. “One example is how we used Google Optimize testing combined with Hotjar heat map and feed data to improve the layout of our blog.”

The Online School of Meditation, Happiness and Personal Empowerment found that less than 1% of blog readers signed up for a free meditation class. The bounce rate ranged from 79% to 81%, although most readers spent three to five minutes on the site.

The team tested two aspects of the blog layout: the sidebar and internal online ad placement.

The team tested a new approach to be more direct about the various options new students have on the platform. They walked away from a banner ad with the headline “Discover a Clear, Modern Path to Happiness” along with a list of potential benefits. The new approach was a direct question for the user, asking “How can we help?” accompanied by a one-sentence explanation of what was offered, and three possible pathways: “learn how to reflect”, “increase my happiness” and “express the life of my dream”.

They tested different variations of this idea and eventually found that better conversion resulted in making the message clearer and more direct, with fewer graphics and design elements.

This change was combined with the integrated ad placement test. It started out as a pre-post submission. But the team found that users were more engaged when a few items were placed in the ad in the blog post. Previous data informed this decision, as staff knew users were already reading the content and scrolling down the page.

With this change, staff were able to double student enrollment rates and reduce the bounce rate from 12.5% ​​to 70%.
Example # 5: The hatchery generates 300 fruits to help fight hunger

For marketers who want to do good in the world, sometimes forget a basic piece of data, your website should have a landing page with the ability to capture data from those who want to help the cause.

For example, Not Impossible Labs (NIL) describes itself as a one-of-a-kind technology incubator and content studio dedicated to changing the world and making it impossible for individuals facing a range of issues (which it “Nonsense” on them.).

Recently, NIL tackled the absence of hunger, which put further pressure on the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, NIL began working with Salesforce and Postmates on a prototype platform to feed insecure people on a large scale. The incubator has created a text-based service that connects people in need of food with pre-paid, nutritious take-away meals from nearby restaurants. A child or family in need of food can text “hungry” and the solution links them to nearby restaurants with extra food that is likely to be wasted.

In March 2020, when the pandemic hit the United States, NIL was rolling out a nationwide program to serve some of the 42 million people, including 15.9 million children, who suffer from hunger. every year.

How did they make it possible or should I say, that it was impossible to fight hunger? Marketing landing page.

Verndale and Sitecore offered pro bono assistance to create a landing page on the site to capture visitor information in a form attached to a customer relationship management (CRM) platform to store the data.

“We kept everything simple, from the design and messaging experience to providing multiple friction channels to get involved. More conversion points created more opportunities to get involved, ”said Ross Lucivero, general manager of Verndale’s Los Angeles office.

NIL was able to gather data on about 300 prospects who were ready to donate, participate, spread the word, name a new city, or join their local community.

“The new ability to capture individual leaders and further enhance our ability to attract audiences is a player,” said Joseph Babarsky, director of strategy and partnerships, Not Impossible Labs.

This re-engagement depends on being able to have details of who has previously visited the landing page and then present them with another marketing message, a call to action on the homepage that is not Impossible for those visited. Hunger campaign page but not changed by form submission or donation. “This personalized invitation again brings informed visitors and brings them back to the campaign environment for action,” said Liz Spranzani, senior vice president of technology, Verndale.

“If you have an open mind, you can do what is impossible. You can see this again and again through the work that Not Impossible Labs does to help people with various disabilities and, of course, with their anti-hunger project, ”said Paige O’Neill, CMO, Sitecore.
Example 6: internal operation of customer review sites

Most of the discussion I have seen about the use of data in marketing focuses on categorizing how data is collected. The company itself collects first-party data, and a company sells you third-party data that aggregates data from many other companies.

In addition to how the data is collected, you also need to consider how customers view the data. I would classify this data in two ways: the data you control and the data you do not control.

The data you monitor may be in your ad or on your website, such as “Nine out of ten dentists recommend Brusha Brusha toothbrushes.”

Data that you do not control may be shared in the press or on social networks, and in particular on review sites. An example is a site called Best Company.

The overall mission of Best Company is to harness data to improve the decision-making process of consumers across multiple industries. As a business, we believe that we are changing the world for the better by empowering consumers to make the best possible decisions with their money. We are a truly independent and impartial review site, promising accurate ratings and reviews and refusing to reward unsecured steps for money, ”said Rebecca Graham, Content Manager, Best Company.

This means for your business that customer experience of products and services is also part of your marketing. The more you master and optimize the experience, the more you can optimize this type of data for your brand. “When reviews are accessible to all, companies that do business with high value and integrity will naturally emerge as reputable leaders, while less confident companies will lose their rank,” Graham said.

You can also learn from these websites. They provide customers with valuable insight into how real customers view your brand as well as third-party social proof and credibility opportunities that you can take advantage of in your marketing. “For example, on Lendio’s commercial lenders review page, potential customers can see a breakdown of star ratings across more than 400 verified customer reviews, including ratings on sentiment criteria such as value for money and customer service. Lendio, which currently averages 4.7 / 5 stars based on customer reviews, can leverage the data referred to above through social media sharing and content marketing and e-marketing. job, ”Graham said.

So leverage your business value proposition, see how you articulate it in your marketing, and then see where customers agree and disagree. Where can you learn from customers to communicate the valuable aspects of your marketing that customers experience but do not communicate well? For example, Cotton Mask Co. that his face masks were very useful for people wearing hearing aids by monitoring customer reviews and replicating marketing accordingly.

But also, examine the reviews carefully and determine your brand’s shortcomings. Is it because customers assume that your business has some aspect of value that is not part of your stated value proposition? If so, edit your marketing for clarification. Or is your business not meeting its value? In this case, you have the data to show why the marketing department needs to be involved in the product and customer service experience to improve it.

Because consumer review platforms provide data to customers when considering a purchase decision, it is important that brands understand how they perform. So I asked Graham for an overview of Best Company. There are some that she may not share (like how their algorithm works), but hopefully the mini-interview below will help you better understand how this data ends up about your online business and a little more of the companies that put them there. .

MarketingSherpa: How Do You Make Money? What is your business model?

Rebecca Graham: Our two sources of income come from:

1) Lead generation for affiliate partnerships

2) Business Suite Subscriptions.

Like many sites, we may be remunerated through affiliate relationships with companies in BestCompany.com. But we have no relationship with any companies that guarantee or impact their ranking or score and we never will.

A Basic Profile is free to any qualifying business in the United States. Purchasing our B2B Business Suite reputation management product cannot increase your brand ranking, but it can provide traffic-based insights into your profile page and improve it to improve visuals and performance. thoroughness, such as showing product images and videos. , adding an FAQ section and highlighting how you stand out from your competition.

MS: How do you get reviews? How do you check them?

RG: Best Company receives thousands of review submissions every week. Each review submitted goes through a very thorough moderation process to ensure its accuracy before it is posted on BestCompany.com.

Reviews are generated in four ways:

1) Organic and direct traffic, i.e. users visiting our site

2) BestReviews, our review generation process where we collect customer reviews on behalf of the business. We offer fully managed email and phone solicitations for businesses with customer contact lists, as well as a custom form that businesses can use to educate themselves.

3) Reviews from charity and fundraising groups

4) Opinions solicited from our members

ALL reviews, whether organic or company-solicited, go through our review moderation process, which includes email address verification and analysis through our fraud threshold algorithm (including we do not disclose details in order to prevent companies from trying to “play” the system).

Additionally, Best Company reserves the right to reject or remove reviews that violate our standards, which include content that is irrelevant to the company or the service of the company being reviewed, appears to be instigated, or contains content. false information.

We also encourage consumers to resubmit reviews with their most recent experience with a business.

MS: How do you make sure that your data is not manipulated by companies to improve itself?

RG: Here are some of the protocols we have in place to ensure the accuracy of data reporting on our site:

Companies don’t receive a numbered ranking until they have at least 10 reviews on their profile.

Badge accreditations are only available to companies that deserve them (such as the # 1 ranked company or a Top 10 position)

A business can’t hide or remove negative reviews from their BestCompany.com profile

Best Company believes that the moderate reviews posted on its site are valid, unless proven otherwise by the company with factual evidence of false information, moderation errors, or duplication. You can find more information on disputes here.

Example 7: Independent Financial Advisor Cites Sources to Boost Credibility

This following example is a little different from using data in marketing, but I thought it was worth showing you as I noticed that the marketing industry has an endemic problem with sources of credit.

There are so many bold marketing claims that scream and brag. But why should anyone believe these claims?

Alec Tuckman shared with me the story of a seminar he hosted on stock market performance. He was often challenged by a participant.

“Not wanting to look bad in front of his wife, I was not confronted or angry, I just pulled out a thick notebook filled with clippings from the Wall Street Journal that I have compiled these five over the years , “said Tuckman, owner / operator, Wealth Management Partners of Los Angeles.

Each of these articles supported Tuckman’s remarks in the market. Although he did not get the business from this particular participant, Tuckman felt that it gave him immediate credibility. “Data is the best marketing tool,” he said. “If you can cite a well-known credible source, you are given credibility.”

But don’t just mention details, or you risk damaging your brand’s credibility. “Make sure the data comes from a reliable source. I would not recommend you to mention something you read from a friend on Facebook IM while trying to prove that you are an expert on a certain topic like the stock market. Make sure you get content from credible sources like Kiplinger, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Bloomberg, ”suggested Tuckman.