Bill Bernadelli
Director, worldwide services strategy, InfoPrint Solutions
In today’s multichannel world, it is possible for marketers to integrate all of their marketing programs and still achieve strong ROI using customer-facing promotional campaigns.
Transpromo is one emerging technique, which marries promotional materials and transactional documents to target a captive audience. Studies show that personalization and colorful promotions can increase end-user uptake dramatically. Our own research shows that 50% of consumers are encouraged to be more loyal to a brand offering them promotional offers on the statement.
There are a few simple steps to consider when rolling out a transpromo campaign.
At the beginning of such a project, companies should assess their current marketing response rates and existing marketing outlets as well as the transactional vehicles available to them. These could be anything from an invoice or a frequent customer statement to a fully developed loyalty program.
Once this is done, it is time to identify any gaps between the goals and the results of current marketing campaigns. This should enable companies to articulate their goals clearly, such as what they are trying to achieve through a transpromo strategy.
For a true transpromo campaign, some level of customer data availability is required, such as favorite store, favorite travel destination and geographical information. Data analytics are then applied to provide relevant and personalized messages, and special offers are added to the document that will ultimately connect customers to the mailer.
Companies can then identify a suitable marketing application for their transactional documents. It is important to run a pilot test and have tracking techniques to prove the rise in ROI with transpromo campaigns.
By following these steps, companies can see a new approach with potential response rates up to 20 times higher than that of typical direct marketing.
THE TAKEAWAY
Consumers are more loyal to brands providing transpromo offers
Chris Stone
President and CEO, StreamServe
Accessing the information in customer-facing documents such as statements, invoices and welcome packs for marketing purposes has traditionally been a challenge for organizations as these documents are typically stored in back-end systems and embedded in IT departments to ensure accuracy and security. Yet these difficult-to-access documents are the very platforms marketers require in order to leverage existing customer data and produce personalized and meaningful communications with the one audience that truly matters – their customers.
Organizations are under increasing pressure to bridge the gap between business and IT. When considering transpromo, the first thing many organizations do is look at their existing document output and printing requirements to see how they might be adapted.
However, they should really consider whether or not the IT infrastructure has a services oriented architecture (SOA) approach or a closed solution. An SOA approach, which is preferable, includes a document software solution that tightly integrates with back-end legacy systems while providing the flexibility for third party collaboration. This means marketers can access all relevant information regardless of where the information is stored, integrate it with their preferred software and even make it available to third partners via a Web interface.
Organizations using SOA are already selling ad space on their transactional documents to drive additional revenue and team up with partners on joint promotional campaigns and promotions.
THE TAKEAWAY
With transpromo, companies need to bridge the gap between business and IT
Scott Draeger
Product manager, ExstreamSoftware
Transpromo is a buzzword these days, but it’s just a fancy way of describing transactional documents with added promotional content. The buzz comes from companies becoming more aware that, unlike spam and junk mail, transpromo presents relevant information to recipients, which turns into valuable upsell opportunities. Studies show that 64% of companies lack a formal strategy for using their customer data.
The simplest type of transpromo application might involve placing a generic marketing message on a monthly statement. This tactic is ultimately ineffective, as it doesn’t consider customers as individuals. A high-impact transpromo program is more sophisticated, more precisely targeted, and more challenging to implement — but not as difficult as it might seem with the right technology in place. Such a program integrates data drawn from an organization’s various information silos, such as customer sales history, the customer CRM system, marketing and sales resources, and even credit history.
Bringing all these resources together with the right technology allows the marketer to create business rules that enable it to send an offer for sporting equipment only to those customers who regularly buy those products.
Starting out, it’s important to find software that can accept data in any format from any source and automatically prioritize targeted messages to ensure the best messages are included in the limited space. Cohesive campaigns that span multiple customer interactions should also be a priority.
THE TAKEAWAY
A high-impact transpromo program is sophisticated and targeted
Nick Romano
President and CEO, Prinova Inc.
Transpromo must be treated as a process rather than a one-off project – always be aware that transpromo strategies are dynamic and organic. As you consider your strategy, there are seven key axioms to keep in mind.
The first is the importance of creating a messaging strategy, which is crucial to ensure you are communicating the right messages, to the right customers, at the right time. Companies should also try to focus on business needs, not technology. We always tell our clients that, before jumping into transpromo feet first, they must assess their environment and business requirements. This means evaluating both current and available technologies and whether further investments are warranted.
Now it’s time to determine how the messaging will be leveraged. Helpful questions to ask at this stage include: What are you trying to say to whom and how? Will the transpromo program be integrated into the broader marketing programs? Are your campaigns and messages multichannel and multitouch?
Involving the owners and stakeholders in the business process can also help insure the success of a transpromo program, since transpromo impacts several stakeholder groups within the enterprise. Give them a voice and provide them with the tools they require.
Developing a structured workflow using an automated solution provides the mechanism for effectively managing multi-channel campaigns and content. And just as with any kind of direct marketing, testing is crucial. Targeting criteria can be complex in transpromo, so make sure to test messaging to ensure accurate delivery and effective prioritization relative to other messages.
Tracking and measuring results should also be a priority. Once a transpromo strategy has been launched, it’s important to continue to actively manage the program, ensuring that messages are innovative, relevant and fresh.
THE TAKEAWAY
Transpromo must be treated as a process rather than a one-off project
