Targeting with Success

Targeting is a critical stage in the preparation of a campaign. Any error at this stage could have an impact on the turnover of the company.

In addition to mastering the targeting tool, (see 'Understanding targeting modules'), a successful targeting will require a good knowledge of the features of the contacts you want to reach, the impact of the different communication channels and the required commercial pressure.

Recommended Steps

Whether your action is made of one or several campaigns, whether you use several communication channels in parallel or at different times, it is necessary to have a clear idea of who will receive what and when.

  1. Define the contacts you want to reach

  2. Define the communication channels used for each identified group of contacts

  3. Determine the send time for each channel

The best way to carry out this reflection might be with a pen and a sheet of paper (or a Word document)

  1. Who? Define the contacts you want to reach

    Explain in a single sentence the contact group(s) you want to reach.
    Next, describe the characteristic(s) of these contacts (common/distinguishing criteria) independently of the communication channels used.

    Do not forget exclusions (customers who made a purchase on the previous day, customers who received another mail communication the previous day...).

    Example : I would like to reach French customers of 8 stores in France, who are members of my loyalty program.

    Criteria common to my contacts

    Contact status

    Customer

    Nationality

    French

    Country of the stores to which the contacts are linked

    France

    Stores linked to the contacts

    List of the 8 stores

    Loyalty program status

    Member

  2. How? Define the communication channels used for each identified group of contacts

    Determine the channel(s) that you want to use for your campaign.

    This choice will probably be influenced by the data available in your database (e-mail, mobile phone number, postal address), how precise they are, as well as the marketing consent to use a specific channel (opt-in/subscription).

    Example : My campaign will reach my target through 2 communication channel: E-MAIL and SMS.

    Components of the action

    Channel used

    Contacts with only an e-mail address

    E-mail

    Contacts with only a mobile phone number

    SMS

    Contacts with both an e-mail address and a mobile phone number

    SMS

    Conclusion :

    • You obtain 3 sub-populations.

    • New selection criteria highlighted through the choice of a communication channel: Opt-in e-mail / Opt-in SMS / E-mail address known / Mobile number known.

    These new criteria are distinguishing ones.

    Criteria common to my contacts

    Status of the contacts

    Customer

    Nationality

    French

    Country of the stores to which the contacts are linked

    France

    Loyalty program status

    Member

    Distinguishing Criteria

    Opt-in

    E-mail / SMS / Both

    Contact data known ?

    E-mail / SMS / Both

    A Venn diagram can easily represent these logical links.

    images/download/attachments/615286728/Capture_d%E2%80%99%C3%A9cran_2017-09-11_%C3%A0_15.22.55.png

    Example :

    A = customers with a known e-mail address
    B = customers with a known mobile number
    C = customers with both an e-mail address AND a mobile number

  3. When? Determine the send time for each channel

    Plan the ideal contact time.

    Example: The communication is planned on two distinct days depending on the communication channel, in order to choose an optimal opening/reading time.

    The campaign schedule will most probably impact your targeting criteria:

    CASE 1

    Components of the action

    Channel used

    Contact time

    Contacts with an e-mail address but no mobile number

    E-mail

    June 19th 2017 at 6pm

    Contacts with a mobile number but no e-mail address

    SMS

    June 20th 2017 at 9am

    Contacts with both a mobile number and an e-mail address

    SMS

    June 20th 2017 at 9am

    As a result, your targeting will take the following elements into account:
    E-mail targeting: E-mail address is known + Mobile number is unknown
    SMS targeting: Mobile number is known

    CASE 2

    Components of the action

    Channel used

    Contact time

    Contacts with an e-mail address but no mobile number

    E-mail

    June 19th 2017 at 6pm

    Contacts with both a mobile number and an e-mail address

    E-mail

    June 19th 2017 at 6pm

    Contacts with a mobile number but no e-mail address

    SMS

    June 20th 2017 at 9am

    As a result, your targeting will take the following elements into account:
    E-mail targeting: E-mail address is known
    SMS targeting: Mobile number is known + E-mail address in unknown