10 Steps For a Successful Personalized Web Engagement Strategy Personalization allows you to use specific information about buyers to make their online experience more relevant It offers companies an.
10 Steps For a Successful Personalized Web Engagement Strategy Introduction Real-time personalization (RTP) is a web engagement method used by both B2B and B2C companies to create meaningful, real-time interactions with targeted individuals through dynamically generated, personalized communication across email, web, ads, and mobile Personalization allows you to use specific information about buyers to make their online experience more relevant It offers companies an opportunity to target customers more effectively As consumers research online independently before making buying decisions, businesses must create marketing strategies to increase engagement with these potential buyers throughout the buying process According to Marketo’s research, customizing mobile and web experiences can lead to a 30% increase in conversion rates and up to a 270% increase in content consumption Creating a more relevant and personalized experience across the web helps catch the eye of decision-makers and keeps them engaged with your brand Real-time Personalization (RTP) drives one-to-one conversations with prospects, developing trust over time, through a combination of different tactics spanning the web—from targeted ads, to mobile, to personalized web content The more relevant the digital experience is, the more effective it is in leading website visitors to a conversion According to Marketo’s research, customizing mobile and web experiences can lead to a 30% increase in conversion rates and up to a 270% increase in content consumption According to Marketing Sherpa, 82% of prospects find content made for their specific industries more valuable, and 67% also value content created for their specific positions RTP applications in your marketing automation platform provide targeted content based on individual visitors’ behaviors and demographics This allows you to adjust images, calls-to-action, content, and more based on unique buyer attributes Personalization enables you to market more strategically and add value for customers This ebook guides you through the 10 steps you should take in order to implement your RTP campaigns now, so that you can begin targeting individual visitors and moving them down your sales funnel to become customers STEP Take A Brief Primer: The W’s of Personalization Let’s first take a step back What is personalization and how can you use it? Personalization applies to all aspects of the buyer journey To simplify things a bit, we like to explain personalization using our framework of the W’s: Who, What, and Where WHO WHAT Who will you personalize for? The who is your target audience, which may differ slightly depending on your customers What will you personalize? The possibilities are nearly endless Try a combination of calls-to-action, images, product offers, and content, which can include case studies, blog posts, ebooks, videos, and more Marketers can personalize all of these assets based on the audiences they are targeting B2B companies will focus on firmographics like company name, vertical, and overall revenue The company’s position in the customer decision journey, or buyer’s cycle, will also play a role B2C companies will look at a customer’s geographical location, interest in products, price sensitivity, and purchase history WHERE Finally, where can you personalize? You can personalize your own website, email, and online ads, as well as various features on mobile And you can even personalize offline! Choose Two Use Cases There are many use cases for real-time personalization, but the key is to start out simple and choose two or three different use cases to implement By use cases we mean different examples of how RTP can work for your organization Begin by asking yourself what you want to achieve by using RTP For example, you want to promote a product line for a specific region, or are you looking to gain new customers in a specific vertical? Identify a few goals and align your RTP use cases to those goals Here are some examples of how B2B and B2C companies might use RTP: B2B Account-Based Marketing (ABM) By employing an ABM strategy, you can target and personalize for specific companies or industries with the assistance of your RTP platform For instance, you could focus on one of the large target accounts you are trying to go after Or you could target based on an industry that you are trying to market into, such as financial services Persona-Based Marketing Similar to ABM, marketers using a personabased approach to their marketing use their RTP tools to target specific buyer personas For instance, they could focus on Chief Financial Officers and highlight content created specifically for this job title Location-Based Marketing You could target your buyers based on location Say you are holding events in various regions throughout the country Why not create specialized campaigns to tell those buyers about your local events? Behavior-Based Marketing You can also target buyers based on behaviors and lead profile data such as score, product interest, and buying stage If someone downloaded several ebooks on a particular topic, why not provide him more content that fits with his interests? STEP IMPLEMENTING ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING (ABM) ABM is a strategic approach to lead generation in which your time and resources target a key group of specific accounts in a given industry To begin your ABM campaign, identify the accounts you wish to target You can accomplish this by reviewing your CRM or marketing automation history Or, talk with sales to identify key high-yield accounts You can then personalize content and calls-to-actions for your top “sales whale” accounts! B2C Location Target consumers by geographical location A clothing brand could choose to highlight its swimwear for users visiting from hotter climates, like Florida You can also personalize based on shipping terms and pricing Demographics Use demographics to target customers with RTP For instance, clothing stores can increase the relevance of customer experiences by showing women’s clothing when a woman visits the site, or men’s clothing when a man visits Behavior If a consumer has visited your website previously and reviewed or purchased specific products, suggest similar products or content the next time he lands on your home page You can also target based on price sensitivity and highlight more cost-effective items Buyer Persona and History In many cases, the buyer visiting your site has had previous interactions with your brand and is known to you The information you already have on a specific buyer, such as previous purchases or interests and profile or customer type, can be used to further customize and optimize her buying experience with more relevant offers For instance, a customer that has shown previous interests in a golf vacation will be presented with content and offers on your latest golf package, or a customer that bought a specific car model can be offered a relevant upgrade or additional equipment to add The key here is to start small and think big! You don’t need to start out by choosing 10 different use cases Instead, choose two that are either easier for you to create or have more impact on your business Then, get moving! STEP Take Your Use Cases One Step Further Once you have chosen two or three use cases, go deeper by outlining the specifics of the strategy For example, if you choose account-based marketing, determine which companies you want to focus on Similarly, if you decide to personalize by location, consider which regions make sense for your business Here are some ideas: Go for Easy Wins Target regions where your company already performs well and try to increase business in these areas Strategic Targeting Pinpoint regions where you hope to expand your business Leverage Existing Content Start with audiences for which you already have good content and offers Consider Local Events Do you have a conference coming up in the Northeast? Use RTP to target visitors from this region and advertise the event more effectively Segment and Gather Initial Analytics After you’ve given more thought to your use cases, it’s time to start putting a basic strategy together The next step is to set up metrics and segment your use cases so you can create a benchmark before you actually start your RTP campaigns ESTABLISH ANALYTICS CREATE SEGMENTS By setting up analytics immediately, you can see where your campaigns are now and where they will be in the future It will also help validate the audience choices you made by showing you just how many prospects/buyers actually exist in each segment It’s important to set your measurements up quickly so you can establish baseline metrics and begin testing Some RTP platforms, like Marketo’s, integrate with Google Analytics to allow you to see how specific segments interact with your website Combine Google Analytics and marketing automation to obtain a full-funnel tracking experience Once you set up analytics, take note of how your chosen groups currently perform This information helps you further segment your markets for more effective nurturing, which refers to the process of using strategic messaging and content to guide buyers toward conversion over time Here is some of the information you might need: Once you set up analytics, take note of how your chosen groups currently perform STEP Number of Visitors How many visitors from each segment and verticals visit the site today? Be sure to benchmark before and after you begin RTP Demographics and Behavior Which types of people come into the system? What they once they arrive on your site? Is there specific content they consume? Engagement Which audiences are and aren’t engaging with you at the moment? STEP Leverage Existing Content A successful RTP campaign requires content To create a fully personalized experience, include customized calls-to-action for each segment that lead to more personalized content For instance, a CTA to download an ebook should be personalized based on the site visitor, and the ebook itself should be consistent with the CTA It may sound daunting to create the amount of customized content needed to implement RTP, but there are strategies you can employ to more with less To make your existing content go further, you can re-create sections to make them more relevant to specific industries or demographics The fact is that most of the content you need for personalization already exists! Think about all of those ebooks, case studies, and testimonials you have Can you use those for different segments? Can you change a few minor details in order to be relevant? Employing a content recommendation engine helps you to provide a seamless, relevant experience while at the same time allowing you to more effectively use the content you already have To make your existing content go further, you can re-create sections to make them more relevant to specific industries or demographics PREDICTIVE CONTENT RECOMMENDATION ENGINE Marketo’s content discovery and recommendation engine (CRE) combines the speed of real-time targeting and personalization with the insights of machine learning and predictive analytics It is designed to identify visitor profile and behavior patterns and automatically discover and recommend the most appropriate content for each interaction The content discovery engine automatically identifies all of the content assets on your site—blogs, videos, case studies, ebooks and more—eliminating the need for a manual inventory project This engine shows you all the “ammunition” you have, including the consumption performance of each content piece The second part of the CRE leverages machine learning to recommend the right content, to the right visitor, at the right time Essentially, the platform discovers and maps your content assets, learns which content works best for specific users, and uses this information to recommend the most relevant content to visitors and leads This tool supports your RTP campaigns by providing valuable content in real-time to drive prospects down the sales funnel You will still run your specific, targeted campaigns, but the CRE will also be running in the background to supplement with additional content in order to increase consumption Think about it this way: while a CMO at a financial services company might be underwhelmed by a general marketing whitepaper, she might be more likely to take a look at a marketing whitepaper written with her industry in mind The CRE system also takes previous behavior into account to deliver new results with each new visit, slowly drawing the lead down the sales funnel So in this example, after the CMO downloads a whitepaper, she may be presented with a new content asset, such as a different targeted whitepaper or webinar Content suggestions allow you to dramatically increase the value of RTP with little effort REPURPOSE CONTENT To maximize the potential of your personalized campaigns, you may have to create new content, but you may also be able to repurpose some of the assets you already have Take a look at the relevant content you’ve already developed and see if you can revise the following to make it targeted to your specific groups: Titles Revise titles as necessary to better match your target readers CTAs Edit the call-to-action to reflect the targeted segment Statistics and Copy Look for industry-specific studies or other data unique to each segment Maximize Content Slice and dice the content you have into smaller assets, like cheat sheets, short ebooks, or even blog posts 10 Use Customer Journey Maps STEP The goal of RTP is to drive buyers down the sales funnel using personalized content and website experiences To accomplish this effectively, outline which content you will deliver during each stage of the customer journey Map out each customer journey If you are a B2B marketer, create a graph that looks like this: CAMPAIGN PROGRAM MATRIX EXAMPLE: VERTICAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY: COMPANY X Segment / Asset Type Fortune 500 Companies Educational Industry Named Account Lists Awareness Interest Evaluation Commitment State of the Modern Meeting Facebook How Company X Helps You Company X Advanced Solutions Live Demo User Group Cloud-based Video Conferencing Company X User Summit Whitepaper Event / Conference Company X Mandate and Promise Join Our Top Executives Infographic Learning with Company X Use Case Case Study Wharton University Testimonial Company X Demo Center Wharton Connects Students Overview Video Videocast Advanced Services Networking Meeting 11 Outline your chosen groups—whether you’re targeting separate regions, demographics, or verticals—and select content for each stage of the buyer’s journey For B2B this will include sections for awareness, interest, evaluation, and commitment For B2C, include three sections: awareness, consideration, and decision Identify content assets for each phase You might start with an infographic or short video for the top-of-the-funnel, move on to a testimonial or case study for mid-funnel, and finish with a demo or data sheet for the bottom of the funnel A graph for consumers might look like this: CAMPAIGN PROGRAM MATRIX EXAMPLE: CONSUMER PRODUCT Target Segments Product Interest A Awareness Product Highlights Infographic Interest Product A Versus the Others Video Comparison Decision Last Minute Special Offers Localized Delivery and Shipping Details Shipping Policy Product Interest B Product Introduction Introduction Video Happy Customer Testimonial How Product B Won International Awards Press Release 12 Engage in Web Nurturing What exactly is web nurturing? It’s similar to the concept of lead nurturing, which you can accomplish through your marketing automation platform, except it takes place across the web Use a tool like Marketo’s Ad Bridge to draw visitors back to your site with personalized remarketing ads and nurture unique site visitors across a variety of channels Ad Bridge connects Marketo’s rich behavioral data with Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and other advertising platforms so that marketers can target the right potential customers with meaningful, relevant ads Because Marketo tracks how customers engage with you across a wide variety of channels, including email, social, web, and more, Marketo uniquely understands the past behaviors of your most promising prospects and uses this information to keep your brand top-of-mind as they surf the web As an example of web nurturing, consider this: a customer from the healthcare industry comes to your website She sees a healthcare-specific video and a healthcare-specific ebook She watches the video and leaves your site She then logs onto Facebook where she might then see an ad for the ebook you offered her on the site She doesn’t download it there, but instead goes to LinkedIn where she sees the advertisement again and decides to take action and download Now you are nurturing your customers across the web, rather than using email alone Successful nurturing relies on as many touch-points and interactions as possible, so that your buyers have more chances to read their content and educate themselves at their own pace Adding web and ad interactions to existing email nurturing increases the number of potential interactions and can increase the effectiveness of your nurturing programs STEP COMBINE WITH EMAIL NURTURE Since nurturing is multi-channel, make sure to combine your web nurturing with your email nurturing activity Email continues to be one of the most successful ways to keep in touch with engaged buyers By aligning your email and web nurture, you can ensure that you aren’t duplicating content and that all of your channels are speaking to one another 13 STEP Power Your Ads With Data to Target As we have said, successful personalization doesn’t just involve your website It also involves other channels, such as online ads Online ads are a great way to drive first-time visitors back to your site and raise awareness for your brand over time Let’s dive deeper into how you can use online ads SHOW THE RIGHT ADS TO THE RIGHT AUDIENCE By using a tool like Marketo’s Ad Bridge, you can deliver the perfect ads to the right prospects across numerous channels Ad Bridge infuses behavioral, firmographic, and persona-related data into Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and other platforms to target customers with ads more effectively You can even target relevant buyers or prospects with personalized messaging based on their engagement levels, demographics, or other outlined features of your campaign Here are some things you can with Ad Bridge: Personalized Remarketing Ads Don’t just show ads: personalize them Target the most users based on who they are and what they do, or suggest new content while they browse elsewhere so you can bring them back in your site Optimized Pay-Per-Click Connect offline conversion data to Google AdWords so you can optimize your keyword bidding around the search terms that bring you paying customers Ads are more likely to convert when the content is relevant to viewers Implementing personalized ads in addition to your RTP will increase the overall value and effectiveness of your strategy This ensures you only target the right audience and show them relevant ads 14 14 A/B Test As with any campaign, it’s important to implement A/B testing to determine what worked well and what could be improved with the next campaign Here’s how you go about it: SET UP MULTIPLE CAMPAIGNS There are several components to any campaign, and it’s possible to run A/B tests for all of them The more you A/B test, the better insight you have for the next campaign Create more than one campaign for each segment, so you have a basis for comparison Each campaign might include different CTAs, different content for each stage of the buyer journey, and even unique ad targeting STEP METRICS TO REVIEW Here are some metrics to consider when reviewing campaign performance: Ad Conversions Look at ad click-through and conversion rates to gauge the success of your ad placements Web Engagement How well did personalized CTAs and content drive engagement? Did visitors engage with the content? Did anonymous visitors turn into leads in your database? People who view personalized content typically stay longer on your site, read more pages, and convert at a higher rate than average Sales Feedback Ask the sales team about the quality of the leads passed over from your RTP campaign Is there a possibility sales will close deals with any of them? SEE WHAT WORKED BEST Use the information gleaned from your A/B test and keep this data in mind for the next RTP campaign you take on Utilize A/B testing with each campaign so you continue to hone and improve your campaigns over time 15 Show the Right Reports to Sales At some point, you’ll need to turn over these accounts to the sales team (if you have one) to help you turn leads into closed sales To begin this transition, start putting together reports from your RTP campaign Create reports on: Key Organizations From Sales Territories Once the campaign has been up and running, are certain organizations showing more interest in your company than others? Are these organizations a good fit for your company? 10 STEP Key Leads Coming From Sales Territories Are there specific decision-makers you’ve located in sales territories? Be sure to highlight these as well as their level of engagement Specific Reports on Mobile Data Produce reports on how many leads accessed your materials using mobile devices This information is valuable for sales reps and is also a key consideration for future campaigns 16 Conclusion Real-time personalization software gives you the opportunity to provide more relevant experiences to incoming buyers In a one-to-one marketing world, you are more likely to win over prospects with experiences targeted to their specific needs Each visitor has a unique perspective and use for your products and services A one-size-fits-all approach is no longer effective in today’s marketing environment Personalization has made its way into many campaigns, and it’s time to take the next step and personalize every part of the customer journey In addition to segmenting email campaigns, you need to implement the same processes for website copy and ad targeting to create memorable and relevant experiences for prospects By leading these visitors through the buyer’s cycle with targeted content and experiences, you are more likely to turn these contacts into qualified leads In a digital marketing landscape that is increasingly competitive, hyper-relevant and timely content across multiple channels is a great way for your company to differentiate itself from competitors and prove to customers that you have the right products and services for them 17 Marketo (NASDAQ: MKTO) provides the leading marketing software for companies of all sizes to build and sustain engaging customer relationships Spanning today’s digital, social, mobile and offline channels, Marketo’s® customer engagement platform powers a set of breakthrough applications to help marketers tackle all aspects of digital marketing from the planning and orchestration of marketing activities to the delivery of personalized interactions that can be optimized in real-time Marketo’s applications are known for their ease-of-use, and are complemented by the Marketing Nation™, a thriving network of more than 250 third-party solutions through our LaunchPoint™ ecosystem and over 50,000 marketers who share and learn from each other to grow their collective marketing expertise The result for modern marketers is unprecedented agility and superior results Headquartered in San Mateo, CA with offices in Europe, Australia and a joint-venture in Japan, Marketo serves as a strategic marketing partner to more than 3,000 large enterprises and fast-growing small companies across a wide variety of industries For more information, visit marketo.com © 2015 Marketo, Inc All Rights Reserved ... you can create a benchmark before you actually start your RTP campaigns ESTABLISH ANALYTICS CREATE SEGMENTS By setting up analytics immediately, you can see where your campaigns are now and where... you have for the next campaign Create more than one campaign for each segment, so you have a basis for comparison Each campaign might include different CTAs, different content for each stage of... view personalized content typically stay longer on your site, read more pages, and convert at a higher rate than average Sales Feedback Ask the sales team about the quality of the leads passed