Switching ESPs in a ComplexData Environment

1

Allyson LutzDir. of Revenue Marketing

Spark Networks

2

About Spark Networks

• Started in 1997• 20+ brands• Over 18M registered users across our

dating sites• ChristianMingle is responsible for more

Christian marriages than all other dating sites

• JDate is responsible for more Jewish marriages than all other dating sitescombined

Email is important to Spark Networks

• Highest-performing marketing channel• One of the main drivers of traffic to our

sites• ~50 million emails per month• Extremely high engagement• Key product features are delivered by email

The Existing Email Setup

• Previous email provider was set up in 2006• Two separate implementations, plus a

home-grown system• Data coming from unknown sources• Temporary patches that had become

permanent• Lack of faith in our customer email data

The Final Straw

Then we tried to run a test with our users, based on their subscription duration

SubDuration

THREE MONTHS

Ideal Structure

API Layer

Our Data Structure

Not The Goal

Something had to be done

The Goal

API Layer

Everything Else

Existing Systems Audit

• Know your business requirements– Data going in– Data going out– Data formatting– Field types and values

• Know what you need vs. what you want– Necessary features– Nice-to-have features

Spark’s Email Types

• Process Triggered Emails– Triggered via API– Logic managed internally

• Batch Email Processes– Data sent over on a set schedule– Could not modify fields being imported

• Marketing Emails– Designed, Scheduled, targeted by email

marketing team

Other Requirements

Independent Research

https://www.g2crowd.com/categories/email-marketing-best-of-breed

Other Requirements

Data Migration

• Set up standardization rules and know their impact before you start– Eliminated “generic_char1” and “generic_num2” field names

• Set up import limits – Only imported the last two years’ worth of user data

• Determine your preferred data transfer process(es)– Secure FTP transfer– API Triggers

• Thoroughly review data• Know your systems and your timing

– Our import process needed to happen during low-traffic hours– Data migration took about three weeks

Content Migration

• New ESP migrated all email content• Update the emails being migrated– Review tracking tags– Switch out Javascript for liquid markup– Create dynamic content

• Build out new features– Design and build new drip campaigns, workflows– Set up new sending automation rules

Our Results

• Added ~50 additional targeting attributes to increase audience segmentation abilities

• Increased speed of A/B tests• Decreased email build time by half• Increased deliverability across all brands• Gained the ability to track specific users across

campaigns• Increased open rates on key emails by 50%+• Saved us over $150,000/year

Key Takeaways

• Be very sure you want to switch• Know your system and your capabilities• Know your data• Clearly differentiate between your wants and

your needs• Always check unaffiliated references• Make sure the ESP you decide on has similar

business priorities

22