Targeting
The objective of targeting for PAS 2020 is to target customers and prospects to whom the campaign is relevant and who are likely to respond.
The greenDM.co.uk web site has been developed to be used in conjunction with the BSI PAS 2020:2009 standard. The environmental performance relating to the level needs to be used in conjunction with the PAS 2020:2009 document.
Why target? What benefits and value can a planned targeting strategy deliver?
In the last 10 years a communications revolution has taken place, a revolution, which has crafted a fundamental shift in the way that brands can market themselves to consumers.
In the past, consumers have purchased from those brands that have had a great product but who have also put that product and the message that it is available to purchase in the path of the consumer. These products have been ‘pushed’, often very cleverly, towards those most likely to buy; towards those who aspired to live the dream that was being offered, to those who would be able to buy. And as consumers we all felt we had a choice so why should we worry?
Then in the space of 10 years, the mobile telephone and the internet exploded onto the scene and radically evolved the opportunity that marketers had to be able to get their brand in front of consumers. It was an advertising dream! All of a sudden, brands had a new set of channels that they could offer us; a brand could literally be in a consumer's pocket and on their computer screen. Brands could push to consumers’ messages of why they had the best product to buy – remember all those first generation websites with pretty messages and great slogans, but no call to action?
But it hasn’t been that simple. Why? Because consumers have minds of their own. They are clever, thoughtful, individual and fundamentally, they have opinions.
As this communications revolution developed, so did the consumer's ability to decide what brands they wished to engage with. Which brands delivered what they wanted, when they wanted, at a price they were prepared to pay. And because the internet allowed them to investigate prior to even seeing a brand, then their ability to ‘pull’ information and then make an informed decision, before even venturing outside their home, has become hugely important.
This shift from ‘push to pull’ marketing, or ‘push to work in conjunction with pull’ marketing, has also meant that the clever brands who are thinking about their customers, have a great opportunity to target their market efficiently; with offers, products and services that will be welcomed.
The Targeting Opportunity
Now more than ever before vast amounts of valuable data are being created and given to us as consumers ask for more information – online, using their mobile telephone, or by using more traditional methods like mail and telephone, they are giving us data.
Brands now hold market research data, customer feedback information, website tracking data, transactional data, and an ever growing list of data from a number of different sources. They can overlay this with additional information eg. geo-demographic data, and so drive at both an individual and aggregated level, the potential to understand and create hugely valuable insight of what consumers want.
So when consumers start to look to pull information for their pre purchase research, then brands can be ready. They can already have given the consumer the opportunity to engage with them, they can ensure that the message that they wish to get across is synchronised with the desires of the consumers that they wish to buy their product, and they can measure the results of their actions to make sure that they constantly update and develop their messaging and product lines.
From a “Green DM” perspective, this allows a brand to be more efficient when sending messages. As an example, targeted online messaging works well, but can often be considerably improved when used with complementary offline communication. In this example, in order to decide how to use these channels effectively, it is necessary to understand the consumer; what they want and when they want it. This is possible using data. Consumer behaviour can be predicted with varying levels of statistical certainty depending on the data that has been collected or available from third parties. On this basis then it is possible to test and measure those consumers who would respond more positively to just online, a mix or just offline communication.
This means that resource is being utilised with both the consumer and our environmental responsibilities in mind.
Visit the Data Lateral website
Level 1
A campaign shall include the documented selection and targeting of customers and prospects to whom the campaign’s DM communications are relevant and likely to yield a positive response.
Customer and prospect requests to opt out of receiving DM communications shall be recorded and fed into a suppression file for future campaigns.
Prospects who match the client’s target profile for a campaign shall be selected in accordance with documented procedures.
Level 2
In addition to Level 1, response rates and other key performance indicators that have been identified as applicable to the campaign (e.g. return on investment and/or evidence of behavioural changes) shall be measured in accordance with documented procedures.
Campaign response rates and contact history shall be recorded for customers and, provided permissions have been gained from the data owner or supplier, for prospects as well.
Where the intention is to contact the same customers and prospects for future campaigns, the campaign response rates and contact history shall be used to determine the frequency with which to send DM communications to the customer or prospect in order to achieve optimum results in future campaigns.
Two or more targeting analysis techniques shall be conducted and evaluated to maximize the targeting results.
Level 3
In addition to Level 2, a customer database shall be updated for each campaign or monthly, whichever is the least frequent. This shall include updating customer profiles with opt out preference changes since the last update.
A programme of continuing improvement shall be in place to minimize the effect on the environment over time whilst maximizing the performance of the campaign against the key performance indicators identified as applicable in Level 2 (e.g. return on investment and/or evidence of behavioural changes).