"Get user to download Facebook app. Pull Facebook data. Push into CRM lead record. Pull the following segment from CRM "Select all leads who subscribed to my fan page and Def Leppard's fan page who are over 35 and made a sales inquiry to my call center". Take list and push into email marketing system. Send special campaign, offering free download of "The Best of Hair Bands" music collection if customer purchases product."
When I talk about our simple automated tool that does this cross-channel segment, it blows marketers away. "Really? Your team knows how to do that?" Yes and you'd be shocked how easy and cheap it is to do it. I find it interesting that for all the hype, vision, blogging, seminars, funded social media companies, and buzz words out there, marketers still can't get a simple cross-channel segment into production. Some of this has to do with the fact that data has never been aggregated like this before and therefore, marketers just don't know what will work. Some of it also has to do with stubborn IT teams and a failure to communicate marketing integration needs.
I am a big believer in start small and simple. Here is an exercise that can actually take you from beyond the hype to execution. Grab a notebook and pen and head to Starbucks one morning.
Throw way all previous conversations with IT about what can't be done and clear your mind of all the "big picture or canvas or broad strokes" hype about cross-channel this or that. Simply ask yourself this question, "If I could have any segment I want between two data points, what would it be?"
Follow these steps:
1. Write out all your tools that collect customer engagement data. Leave room under each to add the types of data each collects.
2. Under each tool, write out the types of data it collects. Yes, there may be way too much to remember. Write down at least the stuff you know may be useful.
3. Once it is all written out, start to draw lines between data segments that you may find interesting. Here is the catch: only draw one line between two tools. You can connect multiple data points within the tools, but only have one line across tools.
4. Create 5 of these lines and then actually write out the segmentation on a fresh sheet of paper. For example:
"select all people this week who abandoned my shopping cart and then posted a negative comment on our FB page"
5. Read my previous posts about engaging IT teams to get marketing integration projects done. Part I and Part II.
6. Approach IT (humbly) with the segment that you think is most important and ask their insight on the feasibility of getting whatever backend integration required to make this segment possible. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that they are willing to help you accomplish this one segmentation goal. They'll either build something from scratch or reach out to a company that can help (hint) with the integration. More than likely, they will implement a tool that can do more types of cross-channel data integration, but don't get ahead of yourself.
It is very feasible that you could have the integration you need to execute your first cross-channel segment within a few days or weeks. From there, move onto your next segment and integration.
If you think this seems too easy, then you are right. Our most common and popular tool at RapidScaler is our simple Facebook to SalesForce to ESP adapter. Why? Because it moves cross-channel segments from a pipe dream to a reality.
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