Data Driven Marketing: 7 examples of using data as a force for the good

1. Data Driven Marketing: 7 examples of using data as a force for the good This article originally appeared in the MarketingSherpa newsletter. You can't work in the marketing industry right now without talking about data 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 grilled cheese sandwich selfies are so precious. That's because Facebook is just a big bag of user data. But I have to admit that you might find yourself in the same boat using data, it doesn't come naturally to me. I work in marketing because I'm a creator, not a statistician. If you feel the same way, here is an analogy that has changed your mind. I interviewed Peter Fader and Sarah Toms of Wharton. We were talking about how Electronic Arts used data to improve the product. "When they realized the power of the data Pete was just talking about, they had a little identity crisis. They say, “But we are a creative company. How can we be given all the time, all the time? Said Toms. Zach Anderson, the director of analysis at Electronic Arts, captured those creative hearts and minds with this analogy: cooking contests show where chefs do amazingly creative things with ingredients offered to them. So, data is really just another ingredient you have when you bring your creativity into a classic matzoh scoop soup or marketing campaign. "Data is actually a good thing they should accept because it allows them to be even more creative," Toms said. So, given this approach, let's take a look at some examples of using data as a definitive force, while improving marketing results.

2. Example no. 1: A focused view of data helps non-profit organizations selling through e-commerce identify the best opportunity to increase revenue The data can quickly become overwhelming. So many numbers. How do you find the opportunity? 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 rise from extreme poverty. And he had a lot to do with his team being drawn in so many directions. Where to focus? This goal is particularly important with the growth of COVID-19. TenbyThree mainly sold these baskets in physical stores, such as Whole Foods Market, Disney theme parks, and specialty retailers. But with the pandemic, there has been a massive decline in walking traffic and therefore sales, so the nonprofit organization has tried to increase e-commerce sales through its website. The MECLABS Institute team (parent organization MarketingSherpa) worked with TenbyThree to determine where to focus their conversion optimization results. This analysis of the data revealed a hidden opportunity in the labels of visible products. Each basket sold in stores had a label with information on how to connect with the individual craftsman who created the basket by accessing the TenbyThree website. Very few customers have used this feature. If tags could be optimized to get more people to use the website's manual search function, increasing traffic would likely help increase website sales. In The Marketer as Philosopher Episode 2, The Data Pattern Analysis: 3 Ways to Transform Insights In Insights, you can see the methodical approach used to discover this perspective 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 more help with the data, you can attend a live coaching session with Flint McGlaughlin, CEO and CEO, MECLABS Institute, on Thursday, August 20, 2020, starting at 1:00 p.m. at 14 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 Marketer as Philosopher: Episode 2 principles to their own business. Example no. 2: The targeted database helps to rotate the tent manufacturer

3. It would be an understatement to say that COVID-19 has forced companies to make significant changes. We all live it, we all know the impact. But some changes are more difficult than others. When this change focuses on an ideal new customer, it can be difficult to pivot quickly. Many companies have built their customer base and customer contacts over the years. External data can be useful here. For example, TentCraft sells tents to concert event producers. But the global event industry stopped in March. While the team has always known that it focuses too narrowly on a single industry and needs to diversify its business, they have never had time to act. But, as they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Suddenly, they had to pivot the entire market entry approach and quickly find a new target customer. The team came up with the idea of turning the concert tents into COVID-19 testing facilities, but they never sold to hospitals and never knew any hospital administrators. The team was looking for a way to quickly enter a new market without increasing overhead costs. They worked with ZoomInfo to obtain data and information for hospitals and other health systems. They also used the company and search for contacts to quickly execute a layered approach. The marketing team would start with a broader information approach by building an information list of 2,000 to 3,000 contacts. Based on open rates, responses and conversations, they learned not only the specific roles they should target, but also their weaknesses. The sales team would use this information to create a more targeted mailing list of 100 to 200 contacts, then tailor messages and images to demonstrate how TentCraft could address specific issues. The click-through rate to open larger emails ranged from 15% to 28%, while more targeted listings typically ranged from 35% to 45%, with one hand approaching 60%. Remember, when you see these numbers, it was just cold. Because they had phone numbers, job titles, and location data, the marketing team was able to provide this information to the sales team in real time when emails were opened and clicked. connections. This helped teams prioritize, engage in conversation faster, and shorten the sales cycle.

4. Revenues of more than $ 600,000 disappeared only in March, but in the first two months of this pivot the company recorded revenues of over $ 2 million, and April was the highest revenue month in history. of business (during a pandemic with the closing of basic income). I am now 12% ahead of last year. In the first month of the pivot, they signed a contract with over 100 medical institutions which, let's remember, is an industry with which the tent manufacturer had no previous experience. This pivot was reactive. And, although it has worked so far, the mentality of the business has changed now. "A great advantage for our team is that we must always focus on new markets, new products, features and partners. It means bringing speed and agility to execution, ”said Matt Bulloch, president of TentCraft. Example no. 3: Test data show the advantages of value sequencing for HR software There are many compelling elements to the value proposition of your business. But your customer may not be ready to receive them all at once. This is why efficient value sequencing is so important. At what point in the customer’s journey should the customer be introduced to the various elements of the value of your business? The data can show you the way. David Richter wanted to use marketing data to learn how to position his company's brand and the messages used in each stage of the marketing funnel. Richter works for CIPHR, a software platform that serves human resources departments. "It is a crowded market and every year we are competing with over fifty different suppliers. In terms of functionality, it is extremely rare for a vendor to have a distinctive advantage across the market. If any game-changing features develop, they are quickly replicated by other similar vendors, "said Richter, CIPHR's director of marketing. The only thing that differentiates CIPHR, according to Richter, is its attitude towards the integration of its platform for managing people with specialized tools from third parties. Because larger competitors have strategically acquired complementary companies, there are fewer incentives for them to integrate third-party tools they do not own, says Richter. However, Richter had concerns about driving with this "connectivity" in marketing communications.

5. "Connectivity is the USP (Single Sale Proposal) on which CIPHR has hung its hat on our market and the position we want to build a strong brand," he said. "The problem is that, at the time of initial employment, most human resources professionals, when looking for a human resources system, do not think about what can be included." Including terms such as "API" or "integration" in the subject has halved the opening rate of HR SaaS platform emails. About two-thirds of all opportunities are generated through the CIPHR website. Therefore, it is essential to optimize your messages for conversion. To demonstrate to senior management that CIPHR needs to tailor its messages to each stage of the sales cycle, the Richter team decided to try different messages on different landing pages on the site. Landing pages were used only for PPC traffic from the same keywords with the same ads shown to generate clicks. Landing page title # 1 - Generic human resources software with a benefit message, for example, "Human resources software that reduces documents and helps you work more efficiently," converts traffic into demand by 14.1%. Landing page title # 2 - HR software with connectivity message, e.g. "HR software with brilliant connectivity" converts survey traffic to 10.2%. Landing page title # 3 - Connectivity station without mentioning human resources software, e.g. "Connect your staff data across the organization" converts survey traffic to 6.4%. Armed with this data, CIPHR executives are now happy to lead with relevant, product-focused and website-focused (pre-employment) messages that position connectivity as a differentiator. "We now also have a strong awareness campaign for potential customers to educate prospects about the benefits of connectivity," said Richter. Example 4: The online meditation school A / B test on the blog doubles the student enrollment rate If you participate in A / B testing, you can learn from real customer behavior to better serve your customers while improving results. Here is an example. "In creating our platform, we were hugely successful using a data-driven approach to most of our marketing decisions," said Kyle Greenfield, founder of TheJoyWithin.org. "An example is how we used Google Optimize tests combined with heat maps and Hotjar power data to improve the look of our blog." The online school for meditation, happiness and personal empowerment found that less than 1% of blog readers enrolled in a free meditation class. The rejection rate was between 79% and 81%, although most readers spent three to five minutes on the site. The team tested two elements of the blog's look: the sidebar and an internal placement of online ads.

6. The team tested a new approach to be more direct about the different options that new students have on the platform. They moved away from a banner ad entitled "Discover a clear and modern path to happiness", along with a list of potential benefits. The new approach was a direct question to the user, who asked "How can we help?" combined with a one-sentence explanation of what was offered and three possible ways: "learn to meditate," "increase my happiness," and "manifest my dream life." They tested different variants of this idea and finally found that by making the message clearer and more direct, with fewer graphics and design elements, a better conversion resulted. This change has been combined with the integrated ad placement test. It started as an insert from the first line before posting. But the team found that users were more involved when the ad was placed a few paragraphs in the blog post. Earlier data informed this decision, as the team knew that users were already reading the content and scrolling down the page. With this change, the team managed to double the enrollment rates of students and reduce the rejection rate from 12.5% to 70%. Example # 5: The incubator generates 300 potential customers to help fight hunger For marketers who want to do well in the world, sometimes forget some basic 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 unique technology incubator and content studio dedicated to changing the world and making it impossible for people facing a number of problems (which it calls "nonsense"). More recently, the NIL has addressed the absurdity of famine, made all the more pressing by 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 paid, nutritious food from nearby restaurants. A child or family in need of food may write "hungry," and the solution connects them to nearby restaurants with extra food that would probably be wasted. In March 2020, when the pandemic hit the United States, the NIL was running nationwide programs to serve some of the 42 million hungry people, including 15.9 million children. every year. How did they make it possible or should I say, impossible to fight hunger? A marketing landing page.

7. Verndale and Sitecore provided pro bono help to create a landing page on the site to capture visitor information in a form connected to a customer relationship management (CRM) platform for storing data. "We kept everything simple, from designing and messaging experience to providing several ways without friction of involvement. More conversion points have created more employment opportunities, ”said Ross Lucivero, general manager of Verndale's Los Angeles office. NIL was able to collect data on about 300 customers ready to donate, partner, spread the word, designate a new city or get involved in their local community. "The new ability to capture individual leads and increase our ability to re-engage the audience is a game changer," said Joseph Babarsky, director of strategy and partnerships, Not Impossible Labs. This re-involvement is based on the ability to have data about who visited the landing page before and then present them with another marketing message, a call to action on the homepage impossible for those who visited. Hunger campaign page, but not converted by sending the form or by donation. "This personalized invitation rehabilitates informed visitors and brings them back into the campaign campaign," said Liz Spranzani, senior vice president of technology, Verndale. "If you have an open mind, what seems impossible may become possible. You can see this countless times through the work that Not Impossible labs do to help people with various disabilities and, of course, through their anti-hunger project, ”said Paige O'Neill, CMO, Sitecore. Example 6: Internal operation of a customer review site Most of the discussions we have seen about the use of data in marketing focus on classifying how data is collected. First party data is collected by the company itself, and third party data is sold to you by a company that aggregates data from many other companies. In addition to how the data is collected, you also need to consider how customers perceive the data. I would classify this data in two ways: the data you control and the data you don't control. The data you monitor can be in your advertising or on your website, such as "Nine out of ten dentists recommend Brusha Brusha toothbrushes." Data that you do not control can be shared in the press or on social networks and, in particular, on review sites. An example is a site called Best Company.

8. "The whole mission of Best Company is to capitalize on the data to improve the decision-making process of consumers in several industries. As a business, we believe we are changing the world forever, giving consumers the opportunity to make the best decisions possible with their money. We are a truly independent and unbiased review site, promising accurate rankings and honest reviews and refusing to reward undeserved rankings for money, ”said Rebecca Graham, Content Manager, Best Company. This means for your business that the customer experience with 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. " are accessible to all, companies that conduct business with high value and integrity will naturally emerge as reputable leaders, while less reliable companies will lose their rank, ”Graham said. You can also learn from these websites. They provide valuable customer information about how your brand is viewed by real customers, as well as social evidence and third-party credibility opportunities that you can exploit in your marketing. ”For example, on the Lendio commercial lender reviews page. , potential customers can see the breakdown of star ratings into over 400 verified customer reviews, including ratings of opinion criteria, such as value for money and customer service. Lendio, which currently has an average of 4.7 / 5 stars based on customer reviews, can use the data referred to above through social media sharing and content marketing and e- marketing. mail, ”Graham said. So capitalize on your value proposition for your business, watch how you express it in marketing, and then see where your customers are and disagree. Where can you learn from customers to express the valuable elements of marketing that customers experience, but do not communicate well? For example, Cotton Mask Co. found that these face masks were particularly useful for hearing aid wearers, monitoring customer reviews and pivoting marketing accordingly. But also carefully review the reviews and determine the shortcomings of your brand. Is it because customers assume that your business has a value element that is not part of your declared value proposition? If so, change your marketing to clarify. Or is it just that your business is not fulfilling its value proposition? In this case, you have the data to show why the marketing department needs to be involved in the customer's product and service experience to improve it. Because consumer review platforms provide data to customers when considering a purchasing decision, it is important for brands to understand how they work. So I asked Graham for an overview of the best company. There are some that she was unable to share (such as how their algorithm works), but hopefully the mini-interview below helps you better understand how this data about your business gets online. and something more about the companies that put them there. . MarketingSherpa: How do you make money? What is your business model?

9. Rebecca Graham: Our two sources of income come from: 1) Generating leads for affiliate partnerships 2) Business Suite subscription. Like many sites, we may be remunerated through affiliate relationships with BestCompany.com companies. But we have no relationship with any company that guarantees or has an impact on their ranking or score and we will never have it. A basic profile is free for any qualified company in the United States. Purchasing our Business Suite B2B reputation management product may not increase your brand ranking, but it can provide traffic- based information on your profile page and improve it to improve your visibility and performance. meticulousness, such as displaying product images and videos. , adding a frequently asked questions section and highlighting how you distance yourself from your competition. MS: How do you receive reviews? How do you check them? RG: The best company receives thousands of articles submitted 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, ie users who visit our site 2) BestReviews, our review generation process in which we collect customer reviews on behalf of the company. We offer fully managed email and phone requests for companies with customer contact lists, as well as a personalized form that companies can use to educate themselves. 3) Reviews from charity and fundraising groups 4) Opinions requested from our members

10. ALL reviews, organic or company-requested, go through our review moderation process, which includes checking and analyzing your email address through our fraud threshold algorithm (including disclosing details to prevent companies from trying to "play" the system) . In addition, Best Company reserves the right to reject or remove reviews that violate our standards, which include content that is irrelevant to the company or service of the company that is reviewed, appears to be instigated or contains content. false information. We also encourage consumers to submit reviews with the latest experience with a company. MS: How do you make sure your data is not being manipulated by companies to improve? RG: Here are some of the protocols we have to ensure the accuracy of data reporting on our site: Companies do not receive a numbered ranking until they have at least 10 reviews in their profile. Badge accreditations are only available to companies that deserve them (such as the company ranked 1st or a top 10 position) A company cannot hide or remove negative reviews from its BestCompany.com profile Best Company considers that the moderate reviews posted on its site are valid, unless the company proves otherwise, with factual evidence of false information, moderation errors or duplication. You can find more information about the disputes here. Example 7: The independent financial advisor mentions sources to increase credibility The following example is a little different from using data in marketing, but I thought it was worth showing you, because I noticed that the marketing industry has an endemic problem with credit sources. There are so many bold marketing statements that scream and brag. But why should anyone believe these statements? 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 make him look bad in front of his wife, I didn't face the confrontation or the anger, I just took out a thick notebook full of cutouts from the Wall Street Journal that I compiled these five years. past, "said Tuckman, owner / operator of Wealth Management Partners in Los Angeles.

11. Each of these articles supported Tuckman's statements on the market. Although he did not receive the business from this participant, Tuckman felt that it gave him instant credibility. "Data is the best marketing tool," he said. "Being able to cite a credible and well-known source gives you credibility." But don't just quote data or risk damaging the credibility of your brand. ”Make sure the data comes from a trusted source. I would not recommend quoting something you read from a friend on Facebook IM when trying to prove that you are an expert on a particular topic, such as scholarship. Make sure you get material from credible sources like Kiplinger, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Bloomberg, ”Tuckman advised.