The email marketing world has had to grapple with the dramatic changes in the past 12 months, with clients, legislators and consumers all reacting strongly to the impact of spam. Many clients chose to shy away from using email due to the potential legal issues, with thirty-six states passing their own confusing mixture of civil or criminal laws. This legal smorgasbord culminated in the Federal government’s recent enactment of CAN-SPAM legislation, which established national compliance regulations. As for consumers, they were simply burned out by the quantity of spam arriving in their in-box each day, and open rates to plummeted.
But out of these clouds came a silver lining. The good news is that while email still remains a tool in the marketing arsenal, its decline in effectiveness has given cause to another form of media that has provided even better results at a greater value for clients. Through the use of online surveys, tightly constructed registration path and highly targeted offers, clients are finding they can get a higher quantity of pre-qualified prospects, each of who is a better quality lead with the opportunity to make multiple purchases.
Here’s an example of how the process works:
Step 1: Ironically, this exciting “new” approach begins with renewed use of some “old” online media assets, particularly banner ads. Start by targeting web sites that are relevant for a specific client. For example, when our P&G client wanted an offer for its Clairol hair
coloring brand, we researched and bought media with the best female demographic and carried other women’s related offers, such as diet, shopping, cooking or horoscope sites. The banner ad, or in some cases pop-up, is created specifically for that particular web site and does not advertise a product but instead contains an enticing pitch (“Win a free shopping spree!”)Step 2: When consumers click on the banner, they are directed to our Franklin Survey site. We begin with a simple survey question such as “Do you own a home?” If the consumer answers “yes, ” a relevant offer such as mortgage refinance or home improvement appears. If the consumer answers “no,” they proceed to the next survey question. As visitors travel down the registration path, we are gathering more data about their interests and make each subsequent offer more targeted and relevant to them based upon their responses.
Step 3: Weekly analysis is conducted regarding which offers are generating the most revenue. This response determines which offers move up in the order, and which ones move down or out.
Step 4: This highly qualified data is given directly to clients for fulfillment and other marketing purposes.
With a substantial amount of our business now coming from this survey approach to lead generation, we’ve experienced the following results:
- Multiple purchases: Consumers answer survey questions and travel down the reg path, each time being presented with a targeted offer based upon their responses. Multiple responses to questions provide potential to convert on as many as three or four offers for each visitor. On average, each visitor takes at least one offer.
- Greater value: Banners on a targeted web site are a more cost-effective buy – as much as 1/10th the cost – compared to the cost of an email list. Where email lists can run up to $50 per thousand for special selects on targeted lists, targeted banner ads generally run $1-to-$2 per thousand and targeted pop ups run $5-to-$10 per thousand.
- Better leads: The survey process enables the client to get a much more qualified lead, with a much higher chance of closing a sale. The more traffic that’s driven through the survey site, the higher quantity and quality of leads delivered.
- Strong traffic: Because banners are placed on relevant web sites, the survey gets a strong, steady volume of targeted prospects (average of more than 25,000 visitors per day).
- Blue-chip clients: The survey has worked successfully for high-profile consumer products brands including P&G, Dell Computer, Claritin and others. They generally have increased stick rates for longer survey campaigns compared to email efforts, and tend to renew the campaigns with different offers.
Allan Levy, CEO, SilverCarrot, Inc., New York, NYFor more information about how online surveys have successfully become a part of online lead generation, please contact me at [email protected].
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