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Kathleen Kirk Todd Simmons. Agenda. Background Current Practices Issues to Address Recommendations Data Gathering Data Usage Messaging Other Technology Summary. Background. Introductions. Kathleen Kirk Todd Simmons St . Edward’s University MBA in Digital Media Management
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Agenda • Background • Current Practices • Issues to Address • Recommendations • Data Gathering • Data Usage • Messaging • Other Technology • Summary
Introductions • Kathleen Kirk • Todd Simmons • St. Edward’s University MBA in Digital Media Management • Capstone project
Our Assignment • Create a marketing plan to up-sell existing clients • Now offering a suite of products • Currently relies on CSD’s and Sales to upsell clients • Expect 40% of revenues in the next year to come from upsells • Upsells close 28% faster than new product sales and are only 7% less valuable
Our Process • Research • Bazaarvoice products and services • Current BV marketing efforts • B2B marketing best practices • Meetings with Deborah de Freitas (Director of Marketing)
Our Process • Interviewed BV employees • Harrison Yeager (Marketing Operations Mgr) • Chris Smith (Sales Director, Retail) • Rachel Hocevar (Client Success Director) • Shawn Gaide (Director of Market Planning) • Susan Stogner (Client Success Director) • Tina Dobie (Client Success Director)
Bazaarvoice Content • Bazaarvoice creates a huge amount of content with the goal of reaching CMO’s • White papers • Case studies • Webinars • Blogs • Also producing many events: • Social Summit • Roadshows
Tools • Salesforce/Eloqua • CRM • Data gathering/tracking • Campaign management • Lead management • Spark • Client portal • Mostly support
Current Process for Upsell • CSD owns client relationship • Acts as a consultant • Hard due to CSD/client ratio • Tiered system • Consultant model doesn’t scale
RAD Model • Using the RAD model to inform upsell strategy
Key Questions • How to… • get Summit content to those not attending? • keep client excitement up after the Summit? • share knowledge of the CSD to marketing and sales teams? • retain the existing customers and their revenue? • ensure that an upsell message is communicated at the right time in a client’s decision-making cycle? • reach the right people within the client’s org charg? • go up the chain to the CMO or move laterally to reach other groups at the company?
Areas to Cover • Outline a discrete set of marketing activities that improve performance • Can give recommendations that cover multiple departments • Concrete recommendations for how to make progress on the goal of upsell
Deliverable • Marketing Plan • Prefer a long-term system rather than a short-term campaign • Disregard structure of a traditional marketing plan • Focus on marketing strategies • Tailor messages by vertical
Items to Omit • Not expected to: • Develop a budget • Calculate ROI • Also not expected to cover: • implementation details • resource allocation • timeline
Data Gathering / Goals • Data was a consistent theme we encountered • Need processes in place to compile data on: • current clients • effectiveness of upsellstrategies • benefits of BV products
Data Gathering / What to Gather • Client data • vertical, sub-vertical, geography, company revenue, growth, daily interactions, org chart, etc. • Upsell data • response rates for different campaigns, touchpoints, communications, etc. • BV product benefits data • increased sales, SEO impact, ROI, customer loyalty, etc.
Data Gathering / Tools • Streamline databases or selectively display fields • Leads to increased adoption of tools • Integrate tools like Salesforce, NetSuite, etc. • Allows for data sharing between departments
Data Gathering / Internal Processes • Decide who owns each field in the database • CSD: day to day client interaction • Marketing: tracking and market intelligence • Sales: sales data, especially upsell • Incentives and processes • Progress bar • Quarterly data spring cleaning day • Bonuses • Conduct training to ensure buy-in
Data Gathering / External Sources • Use market intelligence tools (Reachforce) to acquire additional data on clients • Expand Spark to become main client portal, then track client interactions within site • Allow clients to keep their own data healthy by updating it in Spark
Data Gathering / Who is Responsible? • Effort should be driven by Marketing Research & Marketing Operations • Will also need to work with IT and HR for infrastructure and training • Work with Sales & CS to determine how the data could best be captured
Data Usage / Overview • Additional data allows for: • Better analysis of trends • More precise targeting • Smoother collaboration • Unique software solutions
Data Usage / Company Targeting • Use gathered data to achieve more precise company targeting • Determine which clients are most likely to upsell, then target them • Possible division of RAD matrix into additional sub-categories (vertical, sub-vertical, geography, company revenue, growth, etc.)
Data Usage / People Targeting • Reaching CMO is difficult – find other key players under the CMO • How? -- goes back to gathered data • Then target these individuals with marketing emails, calls, etc.
Data Usage / Message Targeting • Every message directed at the client should emphasize vertical, size, point in lifecycle, etc. • Increase dynamic content in electronic communications • Make Bazaarvoice website more vertical specific
Data Usage / Collaboration • More data allows for a smoother hand-off • Better define where the hand-off occurs between CSD’s and Sales on upsell
Data Usage / Upsell Notifications • Create software to analyze data, using trend/pattern/sentiment analysis to detect upsell opportunities • Salesforce extension that notifies CSD’s when an upsell opportunity is detected based on: • trend/pattern/sentiment analysis • upsell best practices • prior CSD notes • leads from marketing
Data Usage / Upsell Notifications • Example 1: • Client tells CSD about website update in 1 year • CSD makes note of this • Example 2: • Software detects increase in customers asking questions in a client’s R&R field • Example 3: • Software detects that clients in a particular vertical / size range typically upgrade at a particular time
Data Usage / Upsell Notifications • CSD must balance notifications with first-hand knowledge of client situation • If notification is inaccurate, then enter more data to correct • added benefit of update reminder
Messaging / Consistency • Marketing, Sales and CSD’s must all communicate a consistent message to clients to support upsell • Each department must “tell the same story”
Messaging / Key Messages • Value • Aggressively sell clients on the value they are receiving from BV products • Volume • Sell clients on the importance of best practices in implementation of BV products
Messaging / Key Messages • Current vs. new approach: • Content should be more dynamic/targeted for each specific client • Benefits of this approach: • Increases client satisfaction • Lays the foundation for upsell • Help retain existing clients
Positioning / Product Positioning • Currently, each product is billed as a singular solution • Instead, emphasize: • Suite of products, built to work together smoothly • Complementary/multiplying effect • Key value prop: only provider that covers full range of social needs • Also emphasize: • Progress over time • Social media market is not static • BV product offerings will grow/evolve over time • Clients should see their use of BV tools as a journey
Positioning / Campaign • New site launch = perfect time to revamp message • Suite • Rebrand • Tagline option • Better position in the SaaS marketplace • Emphasize connecting you to your customers • Evocative and defines what you do
Positioning / Campaign • Tagline ideas: • “Boost your brand's conversation.” • “Helping brands conquer the social sphere. “ • “Bringing the conversation to you.” • “Turning conversations into revenues.”
Other Technology / Spark • Position as a one-stop-shop for clients • Should include • Customer support • Marketing • White papers, case studies, webinars, videos • Social capabilities • Best practices
Other Technology / Spark • Provide a dynamic, customized experience for each user • Example 1: • When a particular client’s employee logs on, the most prominently displayed marketing content is related to that client’s vertical, size, etc. • Example 2: • Best practices are related to a client’s needs (recent A&A adoption results in related content)
Other Technology / Spark • Client profiles • Incentives for data entry: • Improved service • Progress bar • Discounts on subscription fees • Summit invitations
Other Technology / Sample Content • Create software to gather and filter sample content: • Scan a client’s R&R content for questions • Scan discussions on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs • Once content is found: • Show content in emails, Spark, etc. • Show what a client would gain from BV product • CSD’s / Sales should have final moderator control
Challenges • Limited time (6 weeks) • Limited access to data • Complex issue
Top Recommendations • Data • Effective gathering leads to many benefits • Messaging • Consistent, focused on upsell • Spark • Make it a one-stop shop for clients