When Online Goes Offline
Boost your direct mail results with knowledge from the Net
October 2007 By William Hakes
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Marketers tend to approach online and offline marketing as two separate challenges that require different sets of solutions. It often is assumed that in the world of online marketing, online data is the only data that matters. Similarly, when executing direct mail programs, companies believe that the only relevant information is offline knowledge. Correct approach, right? Wrong. Very wrong.
With regard to online marketing campaigns, marketing firms have traditionally struggled to extract and leverage information from their Web analytics packages. Recently, however, this knowledge has become easier to grasp and process as some firms have homed in on how best to understand information, from clickstream data to keyword searches. Despite this progress, problems still exist, as online marketing teams devote their labor to focusing on online measurement to enhance online returns. Online marketing is successfully leveraging information online, but a world of opportunity exists if online marketing teams can learn how to leverage their data offline.
Why Leverage Online Knowledge Offline? How Do We Do It?
The necessity of integrating online and offline data depends entirely on your business situation and objectives. For example, this concern should not be something that keeps Amazon.com awake at night. But the importance of integrating data cannot be overemphasized when it comes to more traditional, customer-oriented firms that perform classical CRM activities, including acquisition, upsell, retention and reacquisition. For firms in industries such as telecom, financial services, hospitality, retail and consumer packaged goods, the combination of a robust Web presence and a forward-looking customer knowledge strategy must include the integration of online and offline data. Put simply, if your firm is like most firms today, your “standard” data is getting stale, and it’s time to up the ante. New data will foster fresh ideas, spurred by new information that can be gleaned from your customers. This is the kick-start your direct mail programs needs.
To implement this strategy, think of ways to establish a linkage between online and offline arenas, such as an account number that can be used as the data match-key. While you will secure this linkage on only a portion of your customers and prospects (perhaps from 5 percent to 25 percent will be linked across channels), this is acceptable; gone are the days of giant one-size-fits-all direct mail campaigns. With today’s rampant use of segmentation and the widespread application of customizable print technology, direct mail campaigns are, in fact, growing, not shrinking. You can see hundreds (indeed, sometimes thousands) of different versions of direct mail executed with surprising efficiency. Firms can profitably develop small-scale campaigns to leverage key aspects of knowledge.
With regard to online marketing campaigns, marketing firms have traditionally struggled to extract and leverage information from their Web analytics packages. Recently, however, this knowledge has become easier to grasp and process as some firms have homed in on how best to understand information, from clickstream data to keyword searches. Despite this progress, problems still exist, as online marketing teams devote their labor to focusing on online measurement to enhance online returns. Online marketing is successfully leveraging information online, but a world of opportunity exists if online marketing teams can learn how to leverage their data offline.
Why Leverage Online Knowledge Offline? How Do We Do It?
The necessity of integrating online and offline data depends entirely on your business situation and objectives. For example, this concern should not be something that keeps Amazon.com awake at night. But the importance of integrating data cannot be overemphasized when it comes to more traditional, customer-oriented firms that perform classical CRM activities, including acquisition, upsell, retention and reacquisition. For firms in industries such as telecom, financial services, hospitality, retail and consumer packaged goods, the combination of a robust Web presence and a forward-looking customer knowledge strategy must include the integration of online and offline data. Put simply, if your firm is like most firms today, your “standard” data is getting stale, and it’s time to up the ante. New data will foster fresh ideas, spurred by new information that can be gleaned from your customers. This is the kick-start your direct mail programs needs.
To implement this strategy, think of ways to establish a linkage between online and offline arenas, such as an account number that can be used as the data match-key. While you will secure this linkage on only a portion of your customers and prospects (perhaps from 5 percent to 25 percent will be linked across channels), this is acceptable; gone are the days of giant one-size-fits-all direct mail campaigns. With today’s rampant use of segmentation and the widespread application of customizable print technology, direct mail campaigns are, in fact, growing, not shrinking. You can see hundreds (indeed, sometimes thousands) of different versions of direct mail executed with surprising efficiency. Firms can profitably develop small-scale campaigns to leverage key aspects of knowledge.
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