Campaign summary
Salesforce.com is synonymous with CRM, but is less known for its contact centre solution; Service Cloud. The objective of this video in print (ViP) campaign was to create massive impact amongst key decision makers within UK contact centres and establish salesforce.com as a serious contender in this space.
The campaign aims to achieve cut-through by providing a personalised experience for 1000 prospects. The mailer speaks to them directly through print personalisation and video technology. Only used once previously in the UK, ViP is high impact and is expected to achieve viral uptake and touch influencers as well as key decision makers. The mailer incorporates many marketing innovations:
- ViP technology
- Personalised URL’s (PURLs)
- Industry specific customer snapshots
- An article with 11 areas of personalisation
- QR codes showcasing salesforce.com’s advocacy to mobile
- Industry specific videos contained within their PURL
This is the first step in an integrated campaign aimed at generating an ongoing dialogue and lead generation with these key prospects. The mailer dropped on April 18th 2011 and is still at early stages in terms of measurement. However, it has achieved a nine per cent response rate from mailer to PURL and 495,000 in new opportunities during the first four weeks.
Strategy
Aimed at approximately 1000 contact centre managers within major UK bluechip businesses in healthcare, high-tech, media, retail, transport and logistics and finance industries, the campaign’s goal was to illustrate the numerous benefits of implementing Service Cloud into their contact centre. In the past the target audience in these businesses have been difficult to get the attention of via traditional methods. Therefore, salesforce.com’s brief demanded a DM piece which would create cut through, position salesforce.com as a thought leader and become a viral communication. Key points:
- Highlight benefits of Service Cloud
- Create cut through using innovation and personalisation
- Achieve viral uptake
- Reflect salesforce.com’s key brand benefits of thought leadership and innovation.
Objectives of the campaign
1.To raise awareness of salesforce.com’s Service Cloud product and facilitate recall during the telemarketing follow up.
2.Recipients to visit their PURL so specific campaign measurement can to take place.
The target audience
Inhouse contact centre decision makers within large UK bluechip businesses in the healthcare, high-tech, transport and logistics, retail and finance industries. Extensive work was carried outin ensuring the target list was qualified to 100 per cent accuracy. Job titles were dependent on industry and segment, but included contact centre managers, customer experience managers and operations managers.
Through personalising the ‘Story’ on the cover to include the individual fictitiously within their own success-story, as well as the use of video within the mailer itself to illustrate the benefits of the solution, the piece aimed to be more appealing and likely to be digested by this time-poor audience.
Key Points
- Aimed at contact centre managers in UK.
- Personalisation used to make them the ‘hero’ of fictitious news story.
- Video used within mailer to clearly and quickly illustrate benefits of Service Cloud and showcase customer testimonials.
- First touch of an integrated campaign aimed to create an ongoing dialogue.
Media, channels and techniques used
Direct mail piece
To maximise initial impact the direct mail piece was manufactured to appear like a hardbacked book and incorporated a personalised front cover and video screen on page three.
1. The cover of the direct mail piece
The personalised cover of the DM piece focused on a fictitious news story in ‘The Contact Centre Bulletin’ newsletter highlighting the future success the target would have if they implemented Service Cloud within their business.
Alongside the article is a case study from one of the six industry sectors, with the most relevant included dependent on the target’s industry sector.
At the foot is the primary PURL call to action visited through the recipient’s browser or using the personalised QR code via a smartphone. An added incentive of a Flip Camcorder was also used to encourage visitors to their PURL.
2. Interior pages, video and back cover
The interior of the piece contained generic information about the Service Cloud product, what the future of the Customer Service looks like to salesforce.com as well as a ‘Who is using it?’ page incorporating the video screen and chapter buttons through which the target could watch different videos on particular aspects of the Service Cloud product offering. The back cover contains a further customer success story, once again highlighting the significant operational and fiscal benefits of implementing Service Cloud.
3. PURL microsite
The primary call to action and the portal through which the majority of the campaign measurement took place. It was again personalised depending on the individual and industry inwhich they operate. Using the PURL salesforce.com is able to track visitors and their on line activity thus enabling them to tailor their follow up telesales activity and focus upon those targets who show the highest levels of interest.
Campaign timescales
Design, development and production began during the last quarter of 2010 with the DM piece dropping from 18th April 2011. Telesales follow ups and the pipeline generation is still ongoing.
Client testimonial
The video in print campaign has achieved cut through in our target market of customer service decision makers. The response rate of direct mail to PURL was excellent achieving a nine per cent response rate. Significant positive feedback was received from both receivers of the mail and industry peers. The campaign positions us as an industry leader in innovation through the use of QR codes, PURL’s, personalisation and video in print. Marie Byrne, marketing programmes manager, Salesforce.com
