DMA 2011 Reflections: Balancing Online & Offline Lead Generation
Posted on Wed, Oct 19, 2011 @ 01:44 PM
The Tranzact Information Services (TIS) team just returned from the 2011 Direct Marketing Association Conference in Boston. Billed as the Global Event for Real-Time Marketers, the show's presentations focused on the integration of all types of direct response channels, from mobile to direct mail.
That leads us to today's topic, which follows up on many of the discussions started at the DMA.
1. What is the smartest way to balance online and offline lead generation?
2. How can marketers in different industries use traditional, offline targeting techniques to improve their online targeting and lead scoring?
Measurement
The key to smart balance is measurement and testing. Track not only customer acquisition costs but lifetime value by all channels, offline and online. It is not surprising that companies that excel at tracking, such as insurance organizations, are believers in a variety of customer acquisition channels. At the DMA we heard that direct mail channels are continuing to perform well and in many cases outperform online channels.
Strategy
Another notion of how to balance is whether your company wants to only reach active shoppers (often online) or to reach out to prospects that have not thought about your services but are highly qualified and look like best customers. Large Mortgage lenders have robust PPC spend and purchase online leads. So they reach active shoppers. But they still mail heavily to highly-targeted lists based on credit score and property value. A balance of both online and offline channels keeps a steady flow of qualified applicants in the Mortgage pipeline.
Real-time Lead Scoring
Many marketers don't know that they can score online leads, using the same data attributes they use to target customers in other channels. This scoring can help in offer optimization and sales treatment. For example, automotive marketers can score their online leads with information such as: Risk Insight (TIS' estimate of actual credit score), Income Insight, current make/model, presence of children, age and other demographic attributes. These data elements, which are used for highly-targeted mail and email programs, can now be used in real-time for online lead scoring.
Lead Scoring: Standard or Custom?
Some organizations are relying on a standard package of lead scoring. Tranzact Information Services has created lead scoring programs for specific verticals including: Education, Mortgage, Financial Services, Auto, Insurance, and Home Services (warranties, alarms, etc.) These pre-configured packages provide lead scoring using that data elements and models that traditionally perform well offline. We also help clients compare offline and online customers and then recommend scoring and workflow that is different, and then test performance. Our insurance and financial services clients are leading the way with customization and testing.
Change is the Only Constant
If you are constantly balancing online and offline lead generation programs, it's important to have a data and analytics partner that can support both and measure results.
If you'd like to talk to one of our lead generation specialists about offline compared to online, simply call us at 800-488-9113. Plus we welcome your postings about the DMA show and the latest ideas in customer acquisition and targeting.