The CRM market is a competitive one. Getting a CRM product noticed in such a tough market can be a challenge, especially since there are multiple stakeholders involved in a purchase decision. CRM software provider Teradata, which also sells analytics tools, database software and data appliances, used an integrated campaign to get customers' attention, said Erin Fagan, director of Marcom programs at the company.
“We addressed the confusion straight on,” she said. “Our key message was that the CRM market is very cluttered, and we're creating breakthrough CRM performance with our product.”
The three-pronged campaign, launched last June, was created in conjunction with interactive agency Tocquigny, Austin, Texas. It targeted VP- and director-level recipients at 310 companies, and touched more than 3,000 contacts via email, direct mail and sales calls. Approximately 10 days elapsed between each follow-up email or direct mail piece sent to prospects.
The first element in the campaign was an email, Fagan said, using customer testimonials. “We used customer quotes, with them talking about their experience,” she said. “It was a customer-led strategy to get people thinking about why they might need our product.” In addition, recipients were able to click through to download a white paper that discussed both technical and business benefits. It was collateral that didn't inspire a single opt-out, Fagan said.
The second email upped the ante, offering a free session with John Lovett, senior partner at Web analytics and optimization consulting firm Web Analytics Demystified. “A lot of people think they can't afford to hire a consultancy, so this was an important offering—something that really resonated,” Fagan said.
The final email and corresponding direct mail piece went out soon after. Both contained a hard call to action as well as an offer of a free iPad that was preloaded with e-brochures, sales tools, a Flash demo, white papers, and a podcast featuring Web Analytics Demystified's Lovett.
“The iPad was a tool, an educational tool that the prospects could use within their own companies,” Fagan said. “We wanted to put information into their hands that they could share with others [at their companies] who shared the decision-making process.”
Anyone who didn't respond to the emails or direct marketing piece got a final touch, too: a “last chance” letter sent via USPS reminding recipients of the free iPad offer and urging them to schedule a meeting with the Web Analytics Demystified consultant. During the campaign, when a prospect responded to one of the offers they were removed from other offers in the campaign cycle and received a follow-up phone call within 24 hours from a salesperson.
To date, the campaign has received 355 responses, a 17% response rate. The audience reached was about 60% IT people and 40% from the business side, Fagan said. In total, 301 people downloaded the company's white paper, and 55 in-person sales meetings were generated. About 15 people requested the free consultation with Lovett. The iPads were hand-delivered to prospects.
Since Teradata's sales cycle is about 18 months, it's too soon to say whether the campaign will result in identifiable revenue, however Fagan said she and her team were very happy with the results. “I call it associated revenue because you can never say one thing, one piece of marketing, was the main reason someone makes a purchase,” Fagan said. “We're really pleased, however, with the number of meetings that the campaign generated.”
