Case Study(s) relating to Research, Measurement & Database Marketing

Summary: If you want email subscribers to respond to a call-to-action, you need to understand what motivates them. The problem is, different groups within your database have different motivators.

See how the marketing team at the American Heart Association solved this problem with a take on segmentation called "mind type." By researching its database and uncovering the key interest areas of four unique groups, the AHA created an email nurturing campaign that spoke directly to subscriber motivations and increased donation rates 42.5%. continue...

Summary: Two of the biggest challenges when fielding a customer survey is getting people to start the survey, and then keeping them engaged enough to finish it.

See how a credit union designed its annual member survey to get more responses and better information about what customers wanted. Includes details on writing questions in a conversational Q&A format to increase completion rate, and why email was the best promotional channel. continue...

Summary: Are your email promotions proven to be effective, or do you fall back on the same offers because it’s the way you’ve always done things?

Read how a marketing team answered this question for themselves by changing their approach to discount offers. Rather than offering a straight percentage discount, they set a new, low price for minimum orders and watched sales jump 25% for a crucial shopping event. continue...

Summary: Consumers are watching their spending, which means marketers must find creative ways to appeal to cost-conscious buyers without hurting their own bottom lines. One marketing team found a solution in the work of a behavioral economist.

Read how they adapted a psychological experiment about the impact of arbitrary price benchmarks on a consumer’s spending habits. They created a "budget" shopping guide that included useful tips on assembling an inexpensive party, but featured a total price point higher than the typical customer’s party spending. The result: a 35% increase in average order value. continue...

Summary: Although the last click before a conversion is the metric most search marketers use for attribution, it’s often just as important to understand the preliminary keywords that assist that final click.

Read how a marketer uncovered the non-branded and long-tail keywords that assisted their search conversions. By attributing revenue to these preliminary searches, they’ve optimized their keyword bidding strategy and reduced cost-per-acquisition 25.6% while increasing sales. continue...

Summary: Your site’s search tool can provide a wealth of information about the most sought-after products in your inventory – and the problems customers may have finding those items.

See how a car parts retailer used internal search data to uncover popular products and drive page design changes. They’ve seen nearly 59% more revenue from the redesigned pages. continue...

Summary: Social media and user generated content are the newest -- but not the only -- ways to engage customers and get their opinions. Online surveys are still an effective way to pinpoint what your customers want from your site -- and what they want improved.

Read how a jewelry marketer used a simple online survey to uncover ways to expand services, improve the website, and increase sales as much as 4.5% in some categories. Includes creative samples of the entire survey. continue...

Summary: Large organizations often have dozens of email databases operating independently. But keeping email databases in silos means marketers can’t get a complete picture of subscribers that can be targeted by customer profile and preferences.

Listen to how a major media company merged email databases for 26 different publications into a centralized system that allowed them to offer segmented campaigns to advertisers for the subscribers they targeted. CTR skyrocketed and banner ad sales almost doubled. continue...

Summary: Letting your customers haggle over price online can lift your revenue. Does a 685% boost get your attention?

Check out how an eretailer hit the jackpot after adding a simple button to their website to negotiate price. Here are three steps your IT department can take with little hassle. continue...

Summary: Birthday clubs are a proven traffic driver for many brick-and-mortar stores, but does the tactic work as well online? Well, that depends on your incentive.

See how one retailer launched and grew a loyalty club into 2 million happy subscribers who keep coming back for more. Includes clickthrough and coupon download rates that are simply delicious. continue...