Have you reached the end of a marketing campaign and not known how well it performed? Or gotten lost in a data jungle unable to make sense of what happened? Campaign results are critical in making future decisions about budget, channels, tactics, and strategy, but often we don’t think about analysis until the end of a campaign, and by then, it’s too late. Before launching your next campaign, start thinking about the results. What do you want to measure and how will you capture it? Set yourself up for success by incorporating these three steps to prepare for campaign results.
Collect Response Data
Prior to publishing your campaign, a really important step is to think through how people will respond to your offer. Are you asking them to fill out an online form? Call? Or make a purchase in store? Whether it’s one avenue or a mixture of options, create a system to capture data. Tracking who is responding, what advertisements they received, and which channels they interacted with will help you fine-tune your marketing strategy.
Acquiring data about your customers is exciting, but be hyper aware of how much information you are asking of them. Consumers do not like difficult transaction processes. If they feel like you’re asking too much information or if the checkout process is too tedious, they will leave and abandon their cart. While it’s extremely important to collect response data, consider the customer’s environment and what’s appropriate to ask in that scenario.
People are more apt to give additional information online than they are over the phone or when checking out in store. If they are making a larger transaction, they may be more willing to give information than if they are buying something small. For example, if someone is purchasing an outdoor shed, you can ask for more information than you can when they are buying groceries.
The other end of the spectrum is collecting no data or too little data. If you don’t collect enough to identify people, it will be impossible to match responders to those targeted. Ideally, you want to capture a responder’s name, postal address, and email. Depending on your business, you might also need a phone number. Each business has unique needs, so capture what you need but limit your data collection to what is necessary.
After you have created a system and have customer data, you can match up your transaction file to your marketing list. This data process is called a response analysis or a matchback, and it will show you who responded to your marketing efforts.
Create Data ID Keys
On your marketing data list, create a unique identification code for each record. You will also want to include a marketing key, so you can see which records received a particular marketing package. This is especially helpful when you are using a tiered marketing approach or are incorporating an A/B split. Make sure each variation has a unique code that stays with the record through the entire marketing preparation and execution process. You can use this code to see which aspect of your campaign performed the best.
Minimize Test Variables
Incorporating test variables into your marketing campaign is always a good idea. You can see which subject line people clicked on more or what postcard design generated the highest response rate. Testing lets you identify more quickly what catches your audience’s attention and what resonates with them. Having this information enables you to make better offers and design more eye-catching pieces.
Testing different variables can be exciting as you see what your audience responds to, but avoid testing too many variables at once. It’s best to only test 1-2 elements on your marketing piece. This way you can track the difference between the elements.
If you test too many things at once, your campaign results will be muddied, making it difficult to see which element worked best. As mentioned above, note which record received which variable test, so you can report accurate response results.
Wrapping Up
Marketing requires strategy, constant learning, and flexibility. You can make these decisions based on intuition, or you can use data insights to make informed decisions. Do the hard work up front and establish a great system for collecting customer data. When you have a strong data collection process, you can easily analyze campaign results and know what’s working and what needs to be changed.
Our analyst team specializes in collecting and analyzing high quality data. We can help you with anything from data hygiene to custom built data models. Let’s connect and set your next campaign up for success.