More Relevant Messages in Three Steps: Part 1

Using Segmentation & Dynamic Content, Part 1

How can you create more targeted and engaging messages without tying up your dev team for the entire summer? Try this 3-month test using segmentation and dynamic content! With little to no tech resources, you can launch customized messages that will demonstrate the power of these tools.  This test is also an excellent way to prove ROI to upper management and get buy-in for advancing your program and putting the necessary tools in place for comprehensive segmentation. Using segmentation and dynamic content typically results in higher opens, clicks and ultimately conversions so it should be a no-brainer! Here’s what you can expect in this three part series:

1. Types of data to use and how to collect it.
2. Campaign types and set-up.
3. Developing a calendar and testing.

By the time the summer ends, you’ll have segmentation and dynamic content up and running!

Month 1: It’s All About the Data!

In order to fuel segmentation and dynamic content, you must have data! There’s data that you need subscribers to provide and there’s data that you can collect yourself. How do you get all of this data? You probably already have more than you realize!

Let’s begin with the basics. Beyond the email address, you will want to collect additional demographic information:

• Name
• Gender
• Birth date
• Location (city, state and/or zip)

You can also request other data; such as if they have children, their age or anything else you feel would be pertinent to your business.  In order to gather this data, walk the line between what is required and what’s optional. Be mindful of what you insist subscribers provide - you don’t want to cause abandonment with an overwhelming form.  To combat this, I suggest a two-part sign-up process whereby you first collect the email address and only ask for additional –optional– data on the confirmation or thank you page. This is helpful for collecting data on new subscribers.

You’ll then want to gather preference data directly from your subscribers using a Manage Preferences form or Profile Center. There are many preferences you can collect, but some of the basics to ask are:

• What content do they prefer?
• What frequency would they prefer to receive messages?
• What products or categories are they most interested in?

Consider a survey or manage preferences campaign to gather data on existing subscribers. Ask your subscribers to provide you with helpful information and, if you can, incentivize participation.  It’s also helpful to add a strong CTA to update your preferences in all of your standard messages as well. This can live in the footer or a bottom content section in your template.

Next, you’ll take a look at all of the data that you don’t have to rely on your subscribers to provide. The purchase history you have sitting in your database? Use it! Find out:

• What kinds of products have they purchased?
• When did they last purchase?
• How often do they buy?
• How much do they spend?

This is the kind of RFM data that you can target on and also use to build out the lifetime value of your customers over the long-term. You can also collect other data around your subscribers’ behavior. Determine what messages they open or click.

For site behavior, you will need an advanced analytics tool to collect:

• What they’re browsing
• What they leave in their cart
• What offers they respond to
• How they enter your site

We’ve seen click-stream data-driven messages alone bring in 9x the revenue and 32x the net profit of standard broadcast messages!  Lastly, make sure you’re collecting all of your back-end data in a way that it can be tied to the contact and leveraged in Bronto, or your current ESP.

Get Started

• Brainstorm the different types of campaigns you’d like to create and make sure the data needed to execute is collected.
• Review a list of possible data fields and decide what makes the most sense for your business.
• Start to plan how you’re going to collect all of this juicy subscriber information.

Month 1 Plan

1. Decide what field data you should collect.
2. Create those fields in Bronto.
3. Tweak your Manage Preferences form to capture those fields.
4. Do the same for your website sign-up form.
5. Add a CTA to update preferences in your standard messages.
6. Send out a Manage Preferences message.
7. Remail the Manage Preferences email to those who didn’t update.
8. Upload any back-end data that you have available.

Stay Tuned for Part 2!

So now that we understand what we need to build our foundation in Month 1, get started with the steps listed above. Use this month to gather all the data that you need and then check the week of June 27th for Part 2 of this series. We’ll discuss the how-tos of setting up segmentation and dynamic content and the different types of campaigns they can benefit.

Anna Pfeiffer Marketing Strategist at Bronto @annarpfeiffer