Key challenges in transforming from “batch and blast” to persona-driven email marketing

Marketing Automation

Byron O’Dell Daniel Burstein

Senior Director, Demand Management Director of Editorial Content

IHS MECLABS

Session Speaker

2

Byron O’Dell

Senior Director, Demand Management

IHS

Byron has enjoyed executing marketing programs and helping to evolve the science of marketing for more than 15 years. In his current role, O’Dell works closely with the corporate, product and field marketing teams to deploy processes and marketing programs to drive revenue for IHS, based in Englewood, Colo. Prior to IHS, O’Dell worked for IMI Norgren, where he managed the marketing efforts for the Americas region for this large engineering and manufacturing firm.

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@byronodell

WHO IS IHS

We offer information, analytics and

expertise to organizations around

the world.

Organizations depend on our insights to help make decisions about everything from day-to-day operations to long-term investments.

© 2014 IHS 03

ABOUT IHS

2,600 Experts & Industry Analysts

140+ Global offices

6 0 + Acquisitions since 2005

IHS Jane’s Defense

Before: Batch and blast

• Lots of website traffic, no conversion

• Lots of contacts, no insight

• Unqualified leads

After: Personas and automation

• Actionable personas

• Higher engagement

• Sales alignment

• High-quality leads

Results: Massive increases in clickthrough rate

Touch 1 Touch 2 Touch 3 Touch 4

1,112%

741%

981%

398%

vs. Batch and Blast Baseline

Personas

• Example of personas

Results: Higher-quality leads

IHS Reporting Period

Marketing Contribution to Revenue: Aerospace and Defense

1st Half - 2013 6.5%

2nd Half - 2013 11.9% ( 83.3%)

Overcoming challenges

Keeping the rocket fueled

Getting the right content to the right people

Expanding on what you thought you knew

Challenge: Keeping the rocket fueled

Initial challenge at a glance

• Great Web traffic• Big contact list • Good brand recognition• Low email engagement• Contacts go stale• Low-quality leads

• Great Web traffic• Big contact list • Good brand recognition• Low email engagement• Contacts go stale• Low-quality leads

Initial challenge at a glance

Why automation?

How to determine if automation can help your company keep the rocket fueled

Growing company

Unengaged database

Unqualified leads

Not enough resources to target manually

Automation might not be a fit for your company if…

You like doing the same thing over and over again (and expect different results).

You have more budget and people than time.

You live in a buried bus in your backyard.

Challenge: Getting the right content to the right people

Definesecondary

personas

Knowhow the

customer uses the product

Defineprimary

personas

How to build personas

Tip: Get the right people in the right room.

Definesecondary

personas

Knowhow the

customer uses the product

Defineprimary

personas

How to build personasTip: Keep the right people in

the right room.

Personas Military/Gov’t (Planning & Strategy)

•Strategy & Planning

•Research & Development

Military/Gov’t (Technical & Program)

•Training / Simulation

•Engineering / Technical (Military & Security)

•Procurement

•Technical Information / Resource Management (Military & Security)

Intelligence Analysis

•Threat / Country Analyst

•Capability Analyst

•Imagery Analyst

•Legal Counsel

Industry (Commercial)

•Strategic Planning / Competitive Intel

•Business Development

•Marketing

•Commercial Information Resource / Researcher

Industry (Technical & Program)

•Engineering / Technical (A&D Industry)

•Product Development / Program Management

•Technical Information Resource / Researcher (A&D Industry)

Media/Advertising/PR

•Reporter / Media

•Advertising

•Public Relations / Corporate Communications

Primary Persona

Secondary Persona

Military/Gov’t (Planning & Strategy)

•Strategy & Planning

•Research & Development

No, this was not one of our personas.

Knowhow the

customer uses the product

Defineprimary

personas

Definesecondary

personas

How to build personas

IHS A&D Segmentation Model

• Helps target marketing messages by knowing audience • (i.e., how do they consume content)

• Applies not only to emails/collateral, but also to assets and offers • (i.e., where are they in the buyer’s journey)

Buyer Personas

Challenge: Getting the right content to the right people

Continuethe

conversation

How To: Get fresh, high-quality content

Buildcontent

around Value Proposition

for each persona

Createcontent

around Value Proposition

for becoming a customer

Identifysegmented content for immediate

engagement

Tip: Organize to ensure the database is targeted and content is balanced

across different personas.

How To: Get fresh, high-quality content

Buildcontent

around value proposition

for each persona

Createcontent

around Value Proposition

for becoming a customer

Identifysegmented content for immediate

engagement

Continuethe

conversation

Tip: Content takes much longer to build than technology for a multi-touch nurturing

program.

Persona-specific messagingDay 8

Inbound source customization

Inbound source customization

Persona-based customization

Buildcontent

around value proposition for persona

Createcontent

around value proposition

for becoming a customer

Identifysegmented content for immediate

engagement

How To: Get fresh, high-quality content

Continuethe

conversation

Tip: Hire a copywriter.

Tip: You probably already have some of this, round it up.

IHS provides the best contentDay 15

“Download a sample IHS Jane’s Defense Insight Report … ”

Buildcontent

around value proposition

for each persona

Createcontent

around value proposition

for becoming a customer

Identifysegmented content for immediate

engagement

How To: Get fresh, high-quality content

Continuethe

conversation

Ongoing nurture programSent at beginning of the month, and then behavior-triggered.

Challenge: Implementing technology and changing

the culture

Craft automated drip tracks

for each persona

Create forms to capture persona

information

Make templates

with customizable

content blocks

TestUse A/B

testing to optimize

How To: Implement automation technology

Build database

throughout campaign

using progressive

profiling

Tip: Don’t stop batch and blast – be smarter about it!

Progressive Profiling

How the program works

Nurture MessagingPersona Messaging

Welcome Email

Week 1:5 Ways IHS Can Help

Week 2:Case Study for you

Week 3:IHS best content

Week 4:Schedule Demo

Week 5:Insider Drip

Week 6:Insider Nurture

Craft automated drip tracks

for each persona

Createforms to capture persona

information

Make templates

with customizable

content blocks

TestUse A/B

testing to optimize

How To: Implement automation technology

Build database

throughout campaign

using progressive

profiling

Tip: Don’t just add technology, change the

culture.

Tip: Ask for the persona

33

What is your current role?

Forms Learning #1Tip: Iceberg form strategy

From this short form, we get all this!

• Company (structured)• Address• Company Phone• Fortune 1000 flag• Industry• Employee Count• Annual Sales

Craft automated drip tracks

for each persona

Create forms to capture persona

information

Maketemplates

with customizable

content blocks

TestUse A/B

testing to optimize

How To: Implement automation technology

Build database

throughout campaign

using progressive

profiling

Persona-specific messagingDay 8

Inbound source customization

Inbound source customization

Persona-based customization

Craft automated drip tracks

for each persona

Createforms to capture persona

information

Maketemplates

with customizable

content blocks

TestUse A/B

testing to optimize

How To: Implement automation technology

Builddatabase

throughout campaign

using progressive

profiling

Tip: You don’t have to build your targeted

database all at once.

Personal info opt-in page

Before

After

Progressive Profiling: Initial sign-up

Form shrunk from 15 required fields down to 7

Plus, this is another iceberg form:• Company (structured)• Address• Company Phone• Fortune 1000 flag• Industry• Employee Count• Annual Sales

Drips: Beginning and middle of the month

Content is gated

Progressive Profiling: Persona

Asking for more persona

information

Progressive Profiling: Contact

Tip: Auto-fill information that you

already know.

Ask for/confirm address because they are ready to

buy!

Craft automated drip tracks

for each persona

Createforms to capture persona

information

Maketemplates

with customizable

content blocks

TestUse A/B

testing to optimize

How To: Implement automation technology

Build database

throughout campaign

using progressive

profiling

Tip: Get it out the door! Follow best practices first, then optimize with data.

Top takeaways

• It is all about content – and the right target audience – and the right timing. It’s a three-legged stool.

• The payback on this approach is ultimately less overhead and higher engagement vs. traditional batch and blast.

• Getting the organization to think in terms of persona-relevant content and buying-stage-relevant content = higher success = sales.

• Use the technology: Triggered communications, form design and database enrichment will fuel your success long term.

• Just start and keep it simple. Remember, the fast eat the slow.

Thank you

Byron O’Dell

Senior Director, Demand Management

IHS

@byronodell

Daniel Burstein

Director of Editorial Content

MECLABS

@DanielBurstein

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