Cross Channel Marketing Platform
- 1. Managing campaigns and reaching customers in real time Cross-Channel Marketing Platform (CCMP)
- 2. The relaƟonship between brands and customers has fundamentally changed. Whereas once there was equilibrium between customer expectaƟons and brand fulfilment, now the balance has Ɵpped to the extent that customer expectaƟons goes way beyond what most businesses can deliver. Customers now demand a seamless user experience regardless of the channel or device they use to interact with the brand. Meanwhile, brands have struggled to keep pace with the rate of change which has created a gulf between the ever increasing demands of the customer and what brands are able to deliver. The growth of mobile means that consumers are “always on” and they expect brands to be the same. Smartphone penetraƟon in the UK has now exceeded 51% of the populaƟon and data from Experian Hitwise showed that 25% of all product searches driving traffic to retail websites over Christmas 2012 were from tablet devices. The convenience of mobile allows consumers to text, tweet, email, check in, research and shop at any Ɵme and any place – brands need to be able to respond to the desires of the modern “always on” consumer. On the markeƟng side, so many of the tools that we’ve used for years to connect with consumers are focused on a channel — whether that’s email, mobile, catalogue or the web. The big challenge for marketers is that message delivery within channels almost always happens via disparate plaƞorms, and, as a result, outreach to consumers is uncoordinated. This disconnect is confusing for consumers and expensive and cumbersome for brands. These dynamics have brought brands to a crossroads because, quite simply, consumers are way ahead of the systems we use to communicate with them. The good news for marketers is that there’s an emerging soluƟon to help solve this problem: the Experian Cross-Channel MarkeƟng Plaƞorm (ECCMP). What is ECCMP? ECCMP enables marketers to coordinate their campaigns across channels delivering smarter markeƟng communicaƟons to customers. In a nutshell the plaƞorm: • Integrates consumer informaƟon that comes in from mulƟple channels into a single view • Gives marketers the ability to understand how consumers interact with different channels — and what their channel preferences are • IdenƟfies how markeƟng efforts in various channels impact sales • Groups customers together to enable “triggered” markeƟng outreach • Interacts with customers across mulƟple channels in both a batch-based and real-Ɵme fashion • Manages all markeƟng campaigns across channels through one system Cross-Channel Marketing Platform
- 3. MarkeƟng SophisƟcaƟon Curve Cross-channel markeƟng is something that has been talked about for years but in reality is sƟll out of reach for many brands. The emphasis on channels has led to markeƟng teams working in silo and focusing exclusively on their deliverable be that email, social, search, banner adverƟsing, billboards, direct markeƟng – the list goes on. Most brands understand that they need to have a presence across mulƟple channels, but very few have the sophisƟcaƟon to link these consistently and get their channel experts to collaborate and execute effecƟve cross-channel campaigns. The various stages of sophisƟcaƟon are illustrated in the MarkeƟng SophisƟcaƟon Curve that provides an intuiƟve guide for brands to evaluate their level of cross-channel markeƟng sophisƟcaƟon, and a path with suggested opportuniƟes for improvement. Cross-Channel Marketing Platform
- 4. There is a sharp disƟncƟon between mulƟ-channel versus cross-channel markeƟng. While mulƟ-channel means being present and acƟve in mulƟple channels, cross-channel means being consistent and coordinated across these channels. Measuring progress in cross-channel sophisƟcaƟon provides strategic direcƟon about where to invest in technology and processes. Cross-channel opƟmisaƟon requires an integrated approach across the customer journey, company silos and disparate systems. The empowerment of consumers and the advent of the cross-channel integraƟon plaƞorm are creaƟng a massive shiŌ in how marketers think about both data management and campaign strategy. The sophisƟcaƟon enabled by ECCMP means brands need fewer outside vendors, resulƟng in cost savings to the business. However, the real strength of the plaƞorm is not in saving money but in delivering a beƩer customer experience that helps to drive long term value, advocacy and brand loyalty. Why is a cross-channel plaƞorm necessary? Marketers need to restore the balance between customer expectaƟons and what their brands can deliver. An Experian MarkeƟng Services survey conducted in April 2012 found that 84% of consumers would walk away from a company that doesn’t link up, understand and respond to their engagements across channels. Nothing irritates customers more than being offered products they have already refused or being contacted when they have specifically opted out of communicaƟons. In the digital age there is a proliferaƟon of data available to marketers which means we can know more about our customers than ever before. The challenge is bringing together disparate data sets and tying everything back to a single customer view. Managing all interacƟons through a single plaƞorm allows for a new level of knowledge and insight around who your customers are and how they interact with your brand across mulƟple channels. Using Experian data sets it’s now possible to idenƟfy and profile what your best customers look like, find more of those customers, and with ECCMP engage those customers through the channel they are most likely to respond to. Cross-Channel Marketing Platform Cross-channel markeƟng is a necessary evoluƟon if marketers want to keep their customers happy, stay relevant, acquire new customers, retain their current base of clients and grow their business.
- 5. KNOW Experian Intelligent use of data helps to influence the conversaƟon you are having with your customers. On the one hand, you have “Louise” who might be a heavy mobile user when researching products, but her preferred channel for purchase is online. “Laura” might be someone who likes to sit on the couch and thumb through a catalogue, then head into the retail store to purchase. By grouping these customers into personas by shopping habits, past purchase behaviours and other layers of consumer data and insights, marketers can get much more precise around messaging and targeƟng. It’s important to realise that ECCMP is not just about sending the right messages in a targeted way; it’s also about knowing when not to send messages. For example, a video rental company might want to highlight an offer of the week to rent a parƟcular movie at a discounted rate. However, for a customer who has rented that movie in the last 14 days, they are likely to feel cheated or short changed if the movie they paid full price for is now significantly cheaper on an offer. A part of ECCMP is restricƟng who gets messages and who doesn’t – and in this case excluding anyone who has seen the movie on offer already and providing them with a beƩer, more relevant service. Cross-Channel Marketing Platform GET KEEP
- 6. Cross-Channel Marketing Platform The benefits of Cross-Channel MarkeƟng Data, analyƟcs and insight are what enable a cross-channel markeƟng plaƞorm, but what makes it sing is that the consumer informaƟon living on the plaƞorm can be put into acƟon via triggered markeƟng outreach. For example, typically a marketer will send an email with links that direct a recipient to the brand’s website. OŌen the recipient will reach a landing page that extends the email’s call to acƟon (i.e., 50 per cent off, free delivery, etc.). Usually, the marketer will know what the individual has done in this chain of events — opened the email; visited a landing page and; hopefully, made a purchase. However, what the recipient also might be doing around the brand, say on their mobile device or in the store, is unknown; it’s totally disconnected from the email process. Imagine if all of these interacƟons and touch points could be managed on one plaƞorm? The marketer would have invaluable insights that they could apply to various interacƟons—maybe a visit to the landing page triggers a special hero graphic, a mobile phone coupon or an online display ad. A variety of markeƟng acƟons could occur in a coordinated fashion, all enabled by pre-set rules that trigger real-Ɵme messages. Taking it a step further, ECCMP can even connect with TwiƩer and Facebook ApplicaƟon Programme Interface (APIs) so that brands can post to fan pages, send emails through Facebook, respond to negaƟves tweets and posts, and conduct senƟment analysis. Aside from the obvious operaƟonal efficiencies, we know that the more relevant our markeƟng messages, offers and channels, the greater a consumer’s brand loyalty and the more money we will make. AddiƟonally, without a cross-channel plaƞorm, it can take weeks or months to set up campaign rules and apply them across plaƞorms — plus, once in place, they’re hard to change. ECCMP ensures highly flexible communicaƟons streams that can be changed in real Ɵme based on consumer behaviour. In pracƟce, fewer than 10% of brands are execuƟng true cross-channel communicaƟons informed by one view of the customer, but most marketers recognise the need to get there.
- 7. Cross-Channel Marketing Platform Conclusion MarkeƟng is evolving to meet the needs of increasingly demanding customers. Having a presence on mulƟple markeƟng channels is no longer enough when consumers demand a seamless user experience regardless of the channel they interact with. Cross-channel markeƟng, the ability to link disparate data sets and deliver messages consistently in a coordinated fashion is the paradigm brands should aspire to. Being able to execute cross-channel markeƟng requires two things: great data and a single integrated plaƞorm that is channel agnosƟc, delivering messages through the channel which best suits the customer. Experian has over 30 years’ experience as a dedicated data provider helping brands to understand their customers to create a single customer view. ECCMP now also allows you to push your messages through mulƟple channels in a dynamic manner which responds to the needs of the customer – making true cross-channel markeƟng a reality. To find out more how we can help you realise cross-channel marketing, please contact us using the details below: T (RO) +40 (0)269 210832 T (UK) +44 (0)1223 205080 E info@geo-strategies.com W mosaic@geo-strategies.com
- 8. Cross-Channel Marketing Platform About Experian MarkeƟng Services & Geo Strategies Geo Strategies and Experian MarkeƟng Services have teamed up to provide best-in-breed data and insight, digital markeƟng technologies and data management services to organisaƟons in Romania. Combining their unique informaƟon tools and with an understanding of individuals, markets and economies, our teams of consultants work with organisaƟons across industries to establish and strengthen customer relaƟonships and provide their businesses with compeƟƟve advantage. Our services cover the full spectrum of modern markeƟng from contact strategies, customer journey, CRM and data strategies, to Mosaic consumer segmentaƟon, Micromarketer area analysis and profiling, to the applicaƟon of customer analysis and profiling, customer driven insight and targeƟng, channel mix. By helping marketers more effecƟvely target and engage their best customers with meaningful communicaƟons across both tradiƟonal and digital media, our joint team enables organisaƟons to encourage brand advocacy while creaƟng measurable return on markeƟng investment. For more informaƟon, visit www.mosaic.geo-strategies.com www.geo-address.com www.experian.co.uk/markeƟngservices