interactive customer engagement
DESCRIPTION
Interactive Customer Engagement Webinar: Provides descriptions of levels of interactive marketing maturity, and provides a framework for maturing your people, processes and technology to the highest level.TRANSCRIPT
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January 27, 2011
Interactive Customer EngagementIs Your Current Marketing Team Up to the Challenge?
Siteworx
11480 Commerce Park Drive
Third Floor
Reston, VA 20191
www.siteworx.com
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Who We Are
Shadee Sedghi, Marketing Coordinator
David Nickelson, PsyD, JD, Director of Digital Engagement
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Featured Clients
Awards
Siteworx Overview
Award-winning Interactive Agency
Specialize in WCM/CMS, Search, and Analytics
Majority of clients are Fortune 1000
Strong qualifying track record for Financial, Media and Nonprofit
Extensive experience with Open Source, COTS and Custom solutions; Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
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What We’ll Cover
1. What kind of interactive marketing department do you have now?
2. What is does the ideal interactive marketing department look like?
3. How do you get from the department you have to the one you need?
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The only constant is change….
An increasingly integrated and networked world, driven by consumers, not
companies.
Current and future role of marketing and advertising is widely discussed and debated
See: “Future of Advertising”, Fast Company, Nov. 17, 2011.
• Many interactive teams and marketing departments are struggling
• Too much or too little authority
• Little strategic direction or prioritization
• Splintered or constrained structures
• Redundant or missing skills and positions
• One NPO has restructured both Marketing group and Interactive team three times in
two years; another twice in two years. Many similar stories from for-profit
businesses….
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What Kind of Interactive Marketing Department Do You Have Now?
Interactive marketing departments continue to evolve from Traditional to Networked
Currently, most departments have a Transitional structure
Traditional
Transitional Centralized
Transactional
Networked
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What Kind of Interactive Marketing Department Do You Have Now?
Case Studies
From Traditional to Centralized to Networked
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
From Transitional (Centralized) to Networked
Rubbermaid
From Transitional (Transactional) to Networked
Meijer
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What Kind of Interactive Marketing Department Do You Have Now?
Traditional
“Creative Brief”
Silo support
Reactive -- not strategic
Four “P’s”? Often just one P anymore….
Example: ADA (circa 2008)
“Internet” team
Marketing team
Communications team
No central strategy or authority
No coordinated practices, procedures or project management
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What Kind of Interactive Marketing Department Do You Have Now?
Emerging Transitional Models
Model 1) = Centralized
Support multiple brands and business functions
Channel experts
Guide programs, not brand
Execute campaigns
Remain together as team that supports other departments on the organizational chart
Example: Rubbermaid
Central team had overlapping skills (and skill gaps) w/ brands and other departments
Frequently built “one-off” interactive tools for one department that could not be repurposed
Closed platforms, few APIs
All responsibility, no authority
Budget was isolated from business goals
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What Kind of Interactive Marketing Department Do You Have Now?
Emerging Transitional Models
Model 2) = Transactional
Drive online transactions and online sales
Integrated into brands and business functions
Web, online acquisition and on-site conversion reside on ecommerce team
Located exclusively within the eCommerce or online Sales division; focus is on driving transactions
Example: Maijer
Interactive Marketing team was part of eCommerce department w/i Advertising group
Prioritized transactions and conversions
Budget priorities were set by department, not by group
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What Does the Ideal Interactive Marketing Department Look Like?
Networked (Distributed) Interactive Marketing Department
Align interactive staff and expertise with brands and corporate functions
Key staff, skills and responsibilities live within the business unit, but are still connected and operate as a team
Team remains connected via a real or virtual (dotted line) arrangement that ensures all interactive digital processes and deliverables are standardized
Develop and maintain standards (forms, data, templates, platforms, vendors, etc.)
Develop and maintain SOPs (intake, project management, etc.)
Team leader assumes responsibility for strategy, integration and coordination of all interactive marketing activities
Responsible for customer engagement strategy and execution
Responsible for delivering unified interactive customer experience (transparent multi-channel engagement)
Team members are responsible for customer contact strategy
No matter what title, role and formal responsibilities, team members also evangelists, educators and business analysts at all times
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Five Steps
Assess
Assert
Act
Measure
Repeat
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Step 1) Assess Start with Business Objectives
Strategic plan: Key objectives
Develop “spill down” departmental objectives
Develop testable, measureable goals:
– Traffic? Transactions? Conversions? Renewals? Memberships? Revenue? Others KPIs?
– NB: Pick Top 3 – 5 with highest impact; stand, crawl, walk, run…
Skills needed
Develop list of projects that are helping/will help meet goals and objectives
Parse projects into skills
What specific skill sets are required to structure and manage the tactics, and complete the tasks?
Are these skill sets available elsewhere in the organization?
More cost effective to use a vendor?
Develop Position Descriptions
Group tasks and skill sets together logically
e.g., do not put “Proficient w/ AJAX” in the same position as “Develop project management plan and timeline with stakeholders”
Collect job descriptions
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Develop Departmental Structure
Focus on tasks, responsibilities and skills, not titles or current FTE allocation
Focus on developing a structure that models the integration you believe the organization would benefit from – that is, LEAD!
Build direct and “dotted-line” teams that both consult and produce
If more than one team, the teams should complement and not compete
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
BEWARE! During the “Assess” DO NOT:
Create objectives that do not “roll up” to a key organizational objective
Publically identify gaps in the department that you are far from having the ability to fill
Discuss with current staff
Assess whether current staff do or do not possess needed skills
It’s “Lonely Manager” time….
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Step 2) Assert:
Put findings in a written document or PowerPoint
Share your findings “up”; seek support and sponsorship within – and outside – of current structure
If major changes are possible (e.g., eliminating or significantly changing positions), consider sharing your findings with Human Resources department
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Step 3) Act
Once you have the support of your supervisor and any other required executive staff:
Talk with HR about best practices/ preferred approach for communicating to staff and stakeholders
Schedule necessary staff and stakeholder meetings
Set short, clear, appropriate and very public deadlines for transitions
Move quickly and fairly through the process
Execute list of projects created at “Assess” step
Evangelize and educate
Try new things
Fail fast
Learn what works (and what does not)
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Step 4) Measure
KPI’s: developed during “Assess” phase
Build team business cycle that complements and supports brand and corporate unit business cycles
Measure (Benchmark)
Analyze
Recommend
Develop
Repeat
Add new KPI’s only after you understand impact of current KPI’s
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How Do You Get From the Department You Have to the One You Need?
Step 5) Repeat
Never stop reassessing current structure and positions
NB: Revisit every 24 months or risk not evolving fast enough
Anticipate the future and look for development opportunities for current staff
Regularly scan and assess skill sets in other departments; is there duplication, or could there be a logical collaboration that benefits both departments, and the organization as a whole?
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Case Studies
American Diabetes Association: From Traditional to Centralized to Networked
Was…
“Internet Services” team
+ Marketing team
+ Communications team
No central strategy or authority
No coordinated practices, procedures or project management
Is Becoming…
Merged Communications and Marketing; Online Services became Internet Strategy & Operations w/i MarCom group. More recently, IS&O staff and responsibility redistributed into other departments, coordinated by virtual “dotted line” teams.
Allowed Marketing and Interactive to mature before distributing into and across business units
Director of Digital Marketing
Responsible for interactive strategy, standardization, and project management
Reports to SVP of Marketing
KPIs: traffic & transactions acquisition & engagement loyalty & LVPC
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Case Studies
Rubbermaid: From Transitional (Centralized) to Networked
Was….
Central team had overlapping skills (and skill gaps) w/ brands and other departments
Frequently built “one-off” interactive tools for one department that could not be repurposed
Closed platforms, few APIs
All responsibility, no authority
Budget was isolated from business goals
Is Becoming…
Now an executive overseeing interactive marketing; reported to CIO w/ dotted line to CMO; create a blend of technology and marketing with credibility
Continually streamlining technology resources and processes
Leading development of enterprise-level web strategy, determining how and why each brand should be online.
Supporting an open web platform for all brand sites -- reducing costs and improving third-party collaboration
Standardizing campaign templates and processes to make execution easier across brands
Share cost and accountability with brands
Brands and corporate share costs of development of function and platform
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Case Studies
Meijer: From Transitional (Transactional) to Networked
Was…
Interactive Marketing team was part of eCommerce department w/i Advertising group
Prioritized transactions and conversions, not customer experience
Budget priorities were set by department, not by group
Now Becoming….
Interactive group now organized to support brands and corporate functions, from single location – for now…
Allowing Interactive to mature before distributing into and across brands
NB: Core groups ½ digital and ½ traditional, focused on “lead generation” and “customer retention”
Created dedicated Digital “leader” position
Responsible for interactive strategy, projects and operations.
Reports to Director of Advertising
Demonstrate digital “wins” and insights that inform offline activities
Project budgeting is shared w/ brand or corporate function
KPIs: Loyalty, brand engagement, community and social media measures
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Surviving the Transition
Challenges between traditional and transitional
Legacy….
Org Charts (silos)
Politics
Systems
Staff
Digital Assets
Budgets
Challenges between transitional and distributed
Channel more important than the customer
Not strategic
Skills are “force fed”, not aligned
Understaffed
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Success Factors
Initial and ongoing benchmarking
Integrate with Customer Intelligence groups
Customer Experience Management (CEM)
Business Intelligence (BI)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Other analytic and analysis groups that provide insight about customers
Educate, educate, educate
Try and fail fast
Develop internal team skills
Create “talent pipeline” – interns, etc.
Empower all departments to embrace interactive
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Contact Information
David Nickelson, PsyD, JD
Director of Digital Engagement
Siteworx, Inc.
703-657-1280
Twitter: http://www.Twitter.com/DrDNickelson
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin/in/DNickelson
Skype: DrDNickelson
Delicious: DrDNickelson