Data Collection Strategies for Lifecycle Messaging

Dear ***,

When it comes to creating lifecycle messaging (LCM) campaigns, let's be honest:  The effectiveness of your targeting and personalization efforts are only as good as the data used to power them.  So for the next few months, we will focus on helping you collect the data you need to deploy lifecycle campaigns that evolve as customers' or subscribers' preferences and behaviors change over time. We'll begin with "stated preference" data.

Stated Preference Data: The Situation
You're probably already asking subscribers to tell you about themselves and their interests. That's the information we call stated preference data. However, if you’re like many email marketers, you may fall into one of two categories: You may not collect adequate preference data to create relevant campaigns, or you may not be effectively using the preference data you've got.

Collecting the Right Data
Of course you should collect first name, last name, email address, and postal code. But when it comes to collecting the right data for effective lifecycle messaging, you'll need to ask yourself and your team questions to inspire a preference data collection strategy that is unique to your business and/or subscribers' needs. Here are some conversation starters:

• What are your overall email marketing objectives? If you want to generate more online sales but aren't using site or purchase behavior data in your email initiatives yet, you could simply ask new subscribers how many times they purchase from your website each year, then use this data to drive and measure increases in purchase frequency. If you want to increase newsletter open rates, consider asking new subscribers about other email newsletters they enjoy.
• How do subscribers engage with your products or services? Depending on your answer, you can provide interest options for them to choose from, then you can send content targeted to those interests.

In addition to specialized preference data targeted to your business needs, here are two more stated preference data points you might not have considered:

• Subscription Management: If you send multiple emails, for instance a quarterly newsletter, monthly special offer emails, and weekly tips, give subscribers the option to manage each of these subscriptions individually, adding and removing at will, rather than opting out of your entire program.
• Time Zone: Ask your email service provider if they offer localized time zone sending. This feature allows your messages to be sent to subscribers based on their assigned or selected time zone so that your message deploys at the same time across the globe. In other words, your message deployment "follows the sun" by sending your email at, say, 8:00 a.m. on March 31 for subscribers who live in California, 8 a.m. on March 31 for those who live in Australia, etc.

Effectively Using the Stated Preference Data You've Got
Remember, if you are going to ask your subscribers for information, make sure to use it. Making preference selection optional and setting expectations by letting subscribers know what they can expect are best practices BlueHornet supports.  Additionally, a good preferences page will allow subscribers to uncheck interests and change their preferences easily, without opting out of the program entirely.

• Include an "Update Your Preferences" link in the footer of your emails. Or, develop an automated promotional email that sends a discount or special offer to subscribers who update their preferences. Set the promotional email as a recurring message that triggers automatically once a subscriber has been part of your email program for one year. The discount or offer code can be delivered via the "thank you" page subscribers get once they submit the updated form data.
• Keep Your Data Current: Managing subscribers' stated preferences can be a little like keeping your wardrobe up to date. Some data may need to be updated, some might need to be stored away for another season, and some may need to be tossed altogether.
• Monitor and test the effectiveness of your data collection strategy: Don't be afraid to make changes. 

As you can see, it's easy to improve your lifecycle messaging capabilities by optimizing your stated preference data collection strategy.  What's more, asking the right questions at the right time is an excellent way to show your subscribers that you respect their time, value their input, and want to enter into a long, mutually beneficial relationship with them. So put quality data into your LCM efforts—and get quality results back out, as well.

BlueHornet specializes in helping online retailers create and deliver highly targeted email programs that evolve through the customer lifecycle. BlueHornet's flagship email marketing application, eMS Enterprise, makes it easy to leverage transactional, preference, and behavior data so marketers can identify their most profitable customers and reach them when they're most likely to buy. For more information, contact BlueHornet sales at 866-586-3755, or send an email to Sales@BlueHornet.com.