Post on 12-Apr-2017
PLANNING BUDGET
TARGETDATA
CREATIVEPRODUCTIO
N
POST
HOW TO REALLY CONNECT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
SMART WAYS TO MANAGE
MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS
INVOICE REMITTANCE
SMS
WOW
NEOPOST – EUROPE’S NUMBER 1 SUPPLIER OF MAILING SOLUTIONS
Welcome to our guide to creating effective Multi-Channel Communications, which we have produced with support from the DMA.
Multi-Channel Communications is a concept that has developed over the last few years as technology enables more methods of customer communication.
In this guide, we will give you an insight into:
• Is this a real and successful means of generating more business or just a marketing buzzword?
• How your organisation can use Multi-Channel Communication to connect more effectively with your customers
AGREEDthat evolving into an effective multi-channel marketing company will drive more sales and profit.
AGREEDthat successfully integrating multiple channels under a single integrated marketing strategy is crucial to their long-term success.
THE DMA – REPRESENTING THE UK’S ONE-TO-ONE MARKETING INDUSTRYThe DMA is the professional body for the one-to-one marketing industry.
The DMA is the industry voice in discussions with the Government, Royal Mail and other key organisations.
There is a wealth of knowledge within the DMA, which we’ve used to produce this guide.
77%
86%
SOURCE: Forrester - The Multi-Channel Maturity Mandate (August 2012)
RATING FREQUENCY
BRAND INTERACTION
RATING POINTS BRAND LIFT
REACH
ROI COST PER LEAD
REAL METRIC NEW CUSTOMER QUANTIFIABLE
LEAD
WHAT IS MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS?
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
ABOVE THE LINE
BELOW THE LINE
We think that Multi-Channel Communication can be defined as the use of online and offline channels to communicate with target customers. As technology improves and an increasing number of consumers turn to online channels for information and other activities like interacting with businesses and brands, consumer demand for multiple channels of communication is growing.
Multi-Channel Communications add more dimensions to methods of connecting with customers and require an understanding of the way that customers use channels.
TV RADIO
OUTDOOR NEWSPAPER MAGAZINE
SOCIAL MEDIA
TRADE MARKETING / SAMPLING
ROAD SHOWS / DOOR TO DOOR
PROMOTION / SELLING EVENT MANAGEMENT
DIRECT MAIL EMAIL
WOW
WOW
WOW
SMS
SMS
How do they prefer to be contacted?
How do they respond and
purchase?
What can you realistically expect from
certain channels?
WHY HAVE MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS
SENDING
RESPONDING
EVOLVED?The growth in technology has enabled the rise of Multi-Channel Communications. With the rise of newer technologies such as email, SMS and social media, there are many more facilities to send communications and receive a response. More traditional methods such as direct mail and telemarketing have also seen developments that enhance impact and efficiency.
Customers are more able to receive and react to messages with the advent of smartphones and tablets.
More sophisticated technology means that facilities can be included in websites for customers to request information and purchase products as soon as they receive a message.
*1004 people sampled
INVOICE REMITTANCE
SMS
WOW
BUY
29%PEOPLE SAID INFORMATION SUPPLIED DIFFERED BY CHANNEL*
14% GROWTH OVER THE LAST YEAR
SMARTPHONE OWNERSHIP IN THE UK
(72%)
20142013 (58%)
SOURCE: Text Local - The Mobile Customer Experience ReportS
OU
RC
E: D
elo
itte
- C
on
sum
er
Rev
iew
(2
013
)
7in10PEOPLE OWN A
SMARTPHONE
WOWSMS
This is how I want it
KEEP ME POSTED
www.keepmeposteduk.com
An example of this pressure is the Keep Me Posted campaign, which has been launched by a partnership of charities, interest groups and businesses. It is lobbying service providers and government to give consumers the choice as to how they receive information, especially paper bills and statements.
USE ONLINE
MANAGEMENT
SOFTWARE TO
STORE YOUR
CUSTOMERS’
CHANNEL
PREFERENCES
AND MANAGE
SENDING OUT
COMMUNICATIONS
IT’S WHAT CUSTOMERS WANT
of adults want to choose how
they receive their information
81%of adults do not like it when companies take
away their right to choose how they are
communicated with
84%
Customer pressure has been a key driver in the growth of Multi-Channel Communications. Consumers and businesses are reacting against organisations who change methods of communication from paper to exclusively digital. The objective must be to listen to your customers and deliver information in the manner that they feel is appropriate.
SO
UR
CE
: Ke
ep
Me
Po
sted
(20
13)
IT W RKS!USE MORE CAMPAIGN CHANNELS FOR BETTER BUSINESS RESULTS
✔
l When print was the only channel used in a campaign, the average response rate was 6%, with a conversion rate of 16.2%.
l When email was added into the mix, the response rate rose to 7.6% and the conversion rate rose to 18.3%.
l When print and a web landing page were combined, the average response rate was 7.6% with a conversion rate of 15.3%.
l When email was added into the campaign, the response rate increased to 8.2% with a higher conversion rate of 16.5%.
l When print, email, a web landing page and mobile marketing were used, the response rate increased to 8.7% with a higher conversion rate of 16.5%
l When print, email personalised URLs and mobile were used together, the response rate jumped to 8.7% and the conversion rate rose to 19.0%.
The increased response rates that organisations are seeing from Multi-Channel communications show that it really does work. An InfoTrends study found that:
These results are typical for well-produced personalised marketing campaigns.
WOW
AND INCREASES RESPONSE RATES
SMS
A CROSS-MEDIA CAMPAIGN WILL SEE ON AVERAGE A
HIGHER RETURN ON INVESTMENT33%
SOURCE: Printing Industries Alliance (2013)
(Percentage of respondents who then purchased or converted to new business)
Percentage of people responding to campaignSOURCE: InfoTrends - Understanding Vertical Markets Enterprise Communications Requirements (2012)
6.0%
PR
INT
ON
LY
16.2%
7.6%
PR
INT
&
EM
AIL
18.3%
7.6%
PR
INT
&
WE
B L
AN
DIN
G P
AG
E
15.3%
8.2%
PR
INT
&
EM
AIL
&
WE
B L
AN
DIN
G P
AG
E
16.5%
8.7%
PR
INT
&
EM
AIL
&
WE
B L
AN
DIN
G P
AG
E
& M
OB
ILE
MA
RK
ET
ING
16.5%
8.7%
PR
INT
&
EM
AIL
&
WE
B L
AN
DIN
G P
AG
E
& M
OB
ILE
MA
RK
ET
ING
19.0%
SOURCE: Murphy & Murphy - Leading on the Edge of Chaos (2002)
60% 80%
L VE YOUR CUSTOMERSAND INCREASE THEIR VALUE
of customers
LEAVE
because they perceive you to be indifferent to them
COMPANIES THAT PRIORITISE
THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
GENERATE 60% HIGHER PROFITS THAN THEIR COMPETITORS
FUTURE PROFITS WILL COME FROM
20% OF YOUR
EXISTING CUSTOMERS
SATISFIED CUSTOMERS TELL 9 PEOPLE HOW HAPPY THEY ARE
DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS TELL 22 PEOPLE OF THEIR BAD EXPERIENCE
2% 10%=
Reducing your customer defection rate by 5% can increase profitability by 25 to 125%
25-125%
5%
TIMES the cost
Acquiring new customers can cost as much as five times more than
keeping existing customers happy
5A 2% increase in customer retention has the
same effect as decreasing costs by 10%
68%
££££££EFFICIENCY AND COST SAVINGGiving your customers information in formats that they want is obviously a key consideration. Adopting a Multi-Channel Communication strategy can also result in increased efficiency and cost saving for your business. This is the case for both outbound and incoming communication.
OUTBOUNDl You can use the same creative
approach, proposition and offer
strategy across all channels.
This provides a consistent image
and saves on cost
l Use of email, where customers
will accept it, reduces paper and
postage bills
l Technology can cut manual
processes and increase
staff efficiency
INBOUNDl Enable response by email or to
website to minimise Freepost or
Business Reply postal charges
l Response received by digital
channels enables you to react
more quickly
Neopost is the key ingredient to improved Multi-Channel Communications at Ranson UK - go take a look at this case study at www.neopost.co.uk/ranson
In Germany alone, businesses wasted more than
(US$1.5billion) a year on
unproductive marketing - often due to
a narrow focus on single channels.
¤1 BILLION
SOURCE: Booz & Co - Multi-Channel Customer Management
Delighting Customers, Driving Efficiency (2010)
££££££MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS
THE COMPONENT PARTSThere are many different channels that could be used to target customers including TV, radio, and outdoor advertising. We will focus on what, for most businesses, are the most relevant and prevalent. These are:
l DIRECT MAIL
l EMAIL
l TELEPHONE MARKETING
l WEBSITE AND CONTENT MARKETING
l SMS
l SOCIAL MEDIA
In the following section, we will examine how you can use each of these channels in more detail and how you can combine them to maximise the effectiveness of your communications.
WOW
DATA RULES!Accurate customer data is critical to the successful implementation of a Multi-Channel Communication programme. It is also a must have for all businesses. The Experian Global Data Report 2014 found the following:
• Inaccurate data costs businesses and fundamentally impacts on their performance
• The average organisation loses 12% of its income because of bad contact data, through wasted marketing spend and resources as well as lost productivity
• But the hidden costs may be even greater – 28% of those who have had problems delivering email because of bad data say that customer service has suffered as a result, while 21% experienced reputational damage
of businesses dependent on databases have reported that they believe some aspect of the data they hold is:
MOST THINK THIS IS MORE THAN A QUARTER
94%
FLAWED
of companies that
INVESTED in better data quality saw their
PROFITS INCREASE last year
90%
HOW TOTo find out how to get more from your database go to:
www.dma.org.uk/guide/data-guide
SOURCE: Experian - Global Data Quality Research (2012)
SO
UR
CE
: E
xp
eri
an
- G
lob
al D
ata
Qu
alit
y R
ese
arc
h (
20
13)
Investment in improving data accuracy has the power to more than compensate.
Worldwide, the average increase in profits was almost
£1 MILLION
per year*
*Over £940,000*Over £940,000
‘ONE PIECE OF DATA CAN
CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE
OR COMMUNICATE WITH
A CUSTOMER’
If email becomes your customers’ preferred
means of communication –
do you have an accurate email address
for ALL contacts? Does your database enable
you to maintain this?
1
ASSESS what customer data should be collected based
on your business goals
3
AUDIT your data and identify where
errors are occurring
4
CAPTURE
data accurately at the
point of entry
2
IDENTIFY
within the business where you can
obtain data
1
INSTIGATE a data
maintenance regime
3
STRIVE to ensure
each record is complete
4BE
PREPAREDto amend your data collection
regime to support business
requirements
2
ASSESS what you can do
in-house?
DATA
COLLECTION
RULES
DATA
MAINTENANCE
RULES
SOURCE: Experian - Data quality, The Key to Unlocking Cross Channel Returns (2013)
DATABASE
2/3rds
OF PEOPLE KEEP MAIL
FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
Direct mail has long played a key role in communication with customers. This could be for marketing or transactional mail such as invoices, statements, etc. There is a perception that mail has fallen out of favour and has been superseded by the ostensibly cheaper alternative of email, however recent research by the DMA dispels that theory.
People continue to value direct mail and printed communications from brands, finding that it plays a seamless role within their connected worlds, offers some qualities not found in other comms and is an essential part of the overall brand experience.
Direct mail remains a vital component in any communication programme and is welcomed by customers.
It is most effective at:l Providing informationl Generating a response
DIRECT MAIL TRIGGERS AN ONLINE RESPONSE
58%MORE LIKELY TO CLICK A LINK IF THEY RECEIVED SOMETHING
IN THE POST
67%REFER TO MAIL WHEN
SEARCHING FOR A PRODUCT OR SERVICE ONLINE
Neopost and the DMA produced the ‘Practical Guide to Creating Effective Direct Mail Campaigns’ - go to www.neopost.co.uk/dmaguide to download your free copy.
PLANNING BUDGET
TARGETDATA
CREATIVEPRODUCTIO
N
POST
RESPONSE
A
PRACTICAL GUIDE TO CREATING
EFFECTIVE
DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS
SMART IDEAS FOR SUCCESSFUL
COMMUNICATION
PEOPLE TAKE DIRECT MAIL SERIOUSLY
79%OF CONSUMERS
REACT TO DIRECT MAIL IMMEDIATELY
hello!
SO
UR
CE
: DM
A - W
hy
Dire
ct M
ail S
till Matte
rs (20
13)
SO
UR
CE
: DM
A - D
irect M
ail D
rive
s Dig
ital R
esp
on
se (2
011)
HOW TOTo find out how to get the best from
direct mail go to:
www.neopost.co.uk/dmaguide
WOW
WOW
DIRECT MAIL
EM@ILThere has been an obvious growth in
email traffic over the last 10 years.
It can be a very cost-effective method of
contacting customers with offers and links
to websites. There are a number of email
service providers and also packages that
can be purchased to implement campaigns
in-house.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH EMAIL?1. INCREASE SALES
CONVERSIONS Prospects may require up to nine ‘touches’ before making a buying decision.
2. GENERATE REPEAT SALES Keeping in touch on a regular basis can generate repeat sales and improve customer loyalty.
3. UP-SELL AND CROSS-SELL YOUR PRODUCTS Email provides a great opportunity for you to help customers order “one more” product while they’re in the mood to buy.
4. GAIN FEEDBACK FROM YOUR VISITORS Email in particular provides your customers with a unique opportunity to give honest feedback.
5. DRIVE WEB USERS TO OFFLINE PURCHASES Email marketing is often a catalyst for web users to purchase offline. More than half of users in one survey had made a purchase offline after receiving an email promotion.
Receiving response – email enables responders to get to you quickly. Ensure you are set up to receive response and capture important information.
SOURCE: DMA - Email Tracking Report (2013)
HOW TOTo find out how to get the best from
direct mail go to:
www.neopost.co.uk/dmaguide
HOW TOVisit the DMA website to find out to
construct a successful email campaign
www.dma.org.uk/guide/email-guide
Consumers who receive email spend
83%more when shopping
90% of consumers subscribe
to emails from trusted brands
TELEPHONE MARKETINGTelephone marketing is extremely effective when deployed as part of a Multi-Channel Communication programme. It can be used for both outbound and inbound calls, enabling you to speak to customers directly about their requirements.
1. Telemarketing can work with either ‘cold’ or ‘warm’ lists – You can use telemarketing to acquire new customers and clients, close deals and progress leads with people you’ve already contacted or even sell to existing customers.
2. It’s direct and elicits a direct response This means immediate results regardless of your objective.
3. It’s human! Good telemarketers can listen as well as talk.
4. It increases the effectiveness of other marketing efforts This is particularly true when linked with direct mail.
5. It can generate key customer and marketplace data You can be filling in the gaps in your database whilst making sales calls.
6. It’s extremely measurable Every call provides data and you can determine what data is useful to you.
7. It’s flexible As soon as you start making calls you will start gaining valuable feedback. Telemarketing can be responsive to new information.
HOW TOTo find out how to get the best
from telemarketing go to:
www.dma.org.uk/guide/telemarketing-guide
SOURCE: SCI Study (2011)
SOURCE: SCI Study (2011)
A study found that
90% of marketing managers think telemarketing is effective for
lead nurturing
of small business owners rely on phones (telemarketing) and, among them...
say such efforts are effective. (constant contact survey)
73%
74%
SMS
SMS
SMS & MOBILE MARKETINGThe rise of the smartphone has established SMS as a communication channel that can be utilised effectively within a multi channel communication campaign. A Royal Mail survey found that 56% of people use their mobile to access the internet from anywhere.
HOW TOTo find out how to get the best
from telemarketing go to:
www.dma.org.uk/guide/telemarketing-guide
HOW TOVisit the DMA website to find out to construct
a successful SMS campaign
www.dma.org.uk/guide/mobile-guide
1
2
3
4
5
6
SOURCE: Textlocal - The Mobile Customer Experience Report (2013)
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SMS? It’s a direct, immediate
channel
You can use shortcodes to simplify response and build your database
It can support and integrate with other channels
You can learn more about your customers
You can increase customer engagement
Response data enables you to monitor, track and improve
SOURCE: Pure 360 - MCM - Why SMS is integral to it (2013)
97%r
read SMS within 15 minutes
45%r
of SMS receive a positive response
HOW TOTo find out how to get the best from
content marketing go to:
www.contentmarketinginstitute.com
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF CONTENT MARKETING?
B2B marketers are using content marketing
tactics to affect the top of the sales funnel.
Content marketing objectives by program (% of respondents)
82%Engage customers/prospects
Drive sales
Educate the market
Build through leadership
Increase web traffic
SEO
Stay up-to-date with competitors
55%44%43%43%19%2%
WEB & CONTENT MARKETINGA recent marketing development is the
increased use of content marketing,
which organisations are using to connect
with customers and move them up the
decision-ladder. Updating your website
with new content can keep it fresh and
encourage customers to engage with
you more.
WHAT IS CONTENT
MARKETING?
The Content Marketing Institute defines it as: A marketing technique of creating
and distributing valuable, relevant and
consistent content to attract and acquire
a clearly defined audience - with the
objective of driving profitable
customer action.
SOURCE: Emarketer - Driving Engagement (2013)SOURCE: Content Marketing Institute(2013)
93%of B2B Marketers use
content marketing
WHY DO B2B COMPANIES USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
TOOLS USED TO MEASURE SOCIAL MEDIA ROI INCLUDE:
SOCIAL MEDIASocial media has become a cost-effective
element of a Multi-Channel Communication
programme. It is much more than just
Facebook as organisations are successfully
exploiting other sites such as LinkedIn and
Twitter to generate traffic to content on
their own website. The key social media sites
have sophisticated campaign planning and
execution tools.
79% brand awareness
74% customer acquisition
71% lead generation
64% customer retention/loyalty
64% thought leadership
60% web traffic
51% sales lead quality
43% sales lead quantity
45% social media sharing
41% direct sales
41% qualitative customer feedback
41% SEO tracking
SMALL AND MEDIUM B2B BUSINESSES WITH AT LEAST
50 TWITTER FOLLOWERS GENERATE TWICE AS MANY
ONLINE LEADS AND BENEFIT MORE FROM SOCIAL
MARKETING THAN LARGER BUSINESSES
SOURCE: Social Media B2B - Audience Statistics (2013)
SO
UR
CE
: So
cia
l Me
dia
Exam
ine
r -
Mark
etin
g In
du
stry R
ep
ort (2
014
)HOW TOVisit the DMA website to find out how to
construct a successful social media campaign
www.dma.org.uk
92%of marketers say that social media has generated more exposure for their business
BEST COMBINATIONSA major benefit of Multi-Channel Communications is the opportunity to test different combinations to ascertain which works best for your organisation. Also, asking your customers what they would prefer will help to direct your efforts.
When considering your strategy, the results below may give you food for thought.
WOW
SOURCE: Royal Mail - Market Reach (2013)
SO
UR
CE
: DM
A (2
014
)S
OU
RC
E: Q
uad
ran
gle
- Ho
w d
o y
ou
pre
fer to
he
ar fro
m n
ew
co
mp
an
ies/
co
mp
an
ies y
ou
have
use
d b
efo
re (2
013
)
of marketers found that campaign performance improved when combining telemarketing with another channel
81%
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF RECEIVING MAIL
92%driven to online
or digital activity
87%influenced to make online purchases
86%connected with
business
54%engaged in
social media
43%download something
CONSUMERS SEE MAIL AND EMAIL AS PLAYING DISTINCT ROLES
Preference for Mail vs. Email (Absolute: % Prefer Mail vs. % Prefer Email) Mail Email
Brochures and catalogues 63 21
Welcome packs 62 23
Bills or statements 53 26
Loyalty rewards 49 27
Reminders 40 42
Issues or complaints 39 36
Information from companies not used before 26 43
Other products and services 22 54
Confirmation or follow up messages 21 57
Promotions and offers 21 53
News and updates 17 62
WOWSMS
Hopefully, the previous pages have given you information that will help you to design a Multi-Channel Communication campaign to suit your objectives and budget. We have suggested a few things to consider as you are planning your programme.
HOW TO CONSTRUCT YOUR MULTI- CHANNEL COMMUNICATION PROGRAMME
HOW TOVisit the DMA website to find out how to
construct a Multi-Channel Communications campaign
www.dma.org.uk
CONSUMERS SEE MAIL AND EMAIL AS PLAYING DISTINCT ROLES
1. ASK YOUR CUSTOMERS It is vital that you communicate with customers
how THEY want to, NOT how it suits you. A
reasonable sample of customer research should be
the first stage in your planning process.
• What do they expect?
• What would they be
unhappy with?
3. ASSESS WHAT CHANNELS YOU ARE ALREADY USING/ COULD DEPLOY It is likely that you are currently communicating with customers to send emails, statements and marketing information via direct mail and/or email.
• Could you do more with those communications?
• Could you do more with those channels?
• What channels could you easily deploy to in a Multi-Channel Communication? If you have a website, could you add content?
• Do you have employees that could assist in telephone marketing?
5. WHAT CHANNELS COULD YOU QUICKLY SET UP? LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook profiles are initially free, although increased sophistication can bring cost.
6. WHAT CAN YOU DO IN-HOUSE?• You will have expertise and resource
available in-house, how can that be used?
• What tools could you purchase to increase the in-house capability?
• Where can you go for external support?
• What tools do you need?
PLAN
WOW
PLAN
??
4. DO YOU HAVE GOOD QUALITY DATA?Including:
• Accurate contact names
• Postal addresses
• Email addresses
WOW01001010110100111
00100101101110000
00101010011101010
00101100000010101
2. PLAN YOUR ACTIVITY • What are the key events that you need to
promote – product launches, events, etc.?
• Do you want to implement an
ongoing campaign
of lead generation?
To implement your Multi-Channel Communication strategy successfully, you will need
some tools. Exactly what will depend on your assessment of what you can do in-house
or use external resource. Here are some suggestions:
KNOWLEDGEEmbarking on
a Multi-Channel
Communication
programme may be
a new departure and
you may need
to draw on
knowledge that will
point you in the right direction.
The DMA website, www.dma.org.uk
has invaluable
information on
strategy, the
component parts
and approved
suppliers in all
the key areas.
INCOMING MAIL You may currently receive customer
information in paper format. Make use
of DCS (Data Capture Solutions) to scan,
electronically capture and manage this
information to save time and minimise
data capture errors.
WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED?
DATABASE We have explained how
an accurate customer
database that is
regularly maintained
is fundamental
to the success of
your Multi-Channel
Communications.
The DMA website has
some good pointers,
including information
on suppliers.
At Neopost, we have some extremely
effective data management products,
to find out more visit:
www.neopost.co.uk/mailing-software
OUTPUT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
www.neopost.co.uk/oms
lDesign documents simply and flexibly
lManage personalised content
lUse OMS to manage your customers’
communication preference -
mail vs email, etc
lCentralise production
lManage distribution
via mail, email
and SMS
SEND BROCHUREwww.neopost.co.uk/send
All you need to
know about
creating,
producing and
distributing mail
is contained in our
‘Send’ brochure -
download yours
now at the
link above.
EMAIL SOFTWARE
If you plan to add
sophistication to
your email marketing
and integrate it into
a Multi-Channel Communication programme,
you may need to acquire an email marketing
tool that will enable you to segment
communication and to analyse success.
MAILING PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT You may choose to create,
produce and distribute
mailings in-house. Neopost
has a range of equipment that could help,
including folder inserters and envelope
printers. For more information, please visit:
www.neopost.co.uk
FRANKING MACHINE
A franking machine is an
easy way to achieve the
most up-to-date postage
discounts. Neopost has a full range,
visit www.neopost.co.uk or
call 0800 731 1334 to find out
which model is best for
your business.
WEBSITE An effective website is vital to enable
customers to respond to you and to
showcase products and services.
The regular addition of new content will
obviously give them a reason to return.
RESPONSEMULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS IN
ACTIONWe have included a few examples of
how businesses are using Multi-Channel
Communications to increase revenues.
Whilst some of these organisations are large,
some of the tools and techniques can be
scaled for any size of business.
NEOPOSTHere at Neopost, we are advocates of Multi-
Channel Communications and will combine
a number of disciplines in each marketing
campaign. This enables us to efficiently
target customers with consistent messages
using direct mail, email, content marketing,
telephone marketing and press advertising.
GATWICK AIRPORT
OBJECTIVE• Improve customer support across a
range of information points.
METHOD• Offered 24-hour Twitter support,
encouraging customers to tweet via information screens.
• Transformed construction hoardings into customer information points using QR codes.
• Integration with ratings and customer review pages.
RESULTS• Widespread media coverage in the
offline press, including The Sunday Times. The campaign also resulted in more than 100 pieces of online coverage internationally.
• From October to November 2010, Gatwick Airport saw an increase in online buzz of 57% with 85% of all online comments being positive.
JOHN LEWIS
OBJECTIVE• Increase online annual sales by creating
opportunities for customers to interact with the brand through new and multiple touch points.
METHOD• Refocused their strategy and made
e-commerce growth its highest priority - incorporating in-store kiosks (click and collect).
RESULTS• Results showed that a Multi-Channel
customer was worth on average 3.3 times more than a shop-only customer shopping on average six times per year.
• There was also a 27% increase in the number of Multi-Channel customers over the period 2010/2011.
ELSEVIERA provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services.
OBJECTIVE• Effectively use email as an additional
channel for communicating with leads in the decision-making process.
METHOD• Targeted customers and asked for a
click through to website content as the call-to-action from personalised email.
• Offered content from multiple sources - website, email and case studies.
RESULTS• Combining email and content
marketing lead to a 35% conversion rate for Elsevier.
• There was an average open rate of 13% and click-through rate of 24%.
• The average conversion from click to registration form completion of 35%.
TOPSHOP
OBJECTIVES• Engage customers
in-store in an exciting way as well as increasing customer and prospective customer engagement on Facebook.
• Increase content (particularly images) using social media on Topshop’s Facebook page and Instagram feed.
METHOD• After receiving free style and make-
up sessions in-store, shoppers were invited to create a digital ‘Wish You Were At Topshop’ postcard using photo-sharing app, Instagram.
• Customers were also given a copy of the postcard to take home, and were also able to upload the image onto Facebook and an online Topshop gallery.
RESULTS• An increase in Topshop’s Facebook
page views and unique views, as well as over 2,000 comments.
• The campaign also helped to generate a year’s worth of activity on Topshop’s Facebook account in just four days.
• Total reach for the campaign exceeded 7.5 million.
• 2,595 unique images were created on Instagram.
OBJECTIVES• Recognised offline and online as
complementary channels, due to a shift in customer behaviour so wanted to create a seamless Multi-Channel experience for customers.
• Develop transactional web sites for brands Karen Millen, Oasis, Coast and Warehouse.
METHOD• Created a fully integrated
e-commerce platform to coincide with existing stores - online shoppers were able to verify product availability in real time, resulting in a more shopping experience.
• Offered complete web store flexibility. Multi-Channel support was built in; as were the links to back office systems for customer ordering, call centre and fulfilment processes.
RESULTS• Multi-Channel strategy achieved by
successfully launching transactional websites for all brands in just 18 months - resulting in higher rates of repeat business.
• Business growth is already being delivered - for example just five months after implementation the Coast online store became the brand’s top trading store.
• Online stores delivered around 5% of group revenue after five months.
BT EXPEDITE WITH AURORA FASHIONS
RESPONSE
If you need any further information on Neopost services and products, please visit www.neopost.co.uk/mccguide or call 0800 731 1334
Neopost LimitedNeopost House, South Street, Romford, Essex RM1 2AR.www.neopost.co.uk
AND FINALLYHere’s a final checklist on how to create an effective
Multi-Channel Communications campaign
MULTI-CHANNEL CHECKLIST
1Make sure you’re contacting your customers in the way they prefer.
Online Management Software can store your customers’ channel preferences.
2Have you planned your campaign activity?
What key events are you promoting, how will the campaign continue to run?
3Are you utilising all of the available component parts for your campaign?
Direct Mail, Email, Telephone, Website and Content Marketing, SMS and Social Media – all have a role to play.
4Do all of the component parts of your campaign follow the same creative approach?A consistent image raises awareness, is more memorable and saves costs.
5Is your customer data accurate and up to date?
Don’t let inaccurate data cost your business and impact on the performance of your campaign.
6Do your colleagues know about the campaign?
Keep everyone in your business involved in the process and ready to respond effectively and efficiently to customer requests.
7Do you have all the relevant tools for your campaign?
Data Capture Solutions, Email Software, Mailing Equipment, Franking Machine, Output Management Software – all these tools can help make your campaign successful.
8How will you capture, monitor and analyse response?
Responder data can help you build and enhance your database – a key asset for your business and the first step for your next campaign.
WOWSMS