Barclays Personalised Lending Video

Getting email marketing right has been my key mission over the past few weeks. Creating email campaigns that resonate with the recipient and cut above the noise for the target audience is a tough challenge for any marketer.
Dynamic, personalised emails are becoming increasingly common, with tailored offers, copy, imagery and links based on specific customer data. We can now send a customer who hasn't purchased in the past 3 months 20% off vs a regular customer 10% off. Brands are also experimenting with the endless possibilities to use the increasing amounts of data we hold on customers.
A brand who absolutely smashed data-driven personalised targeting through email is Barclays. In the video below you can see how they use extremely specific customer data to explain their offering, proposition and price and deliver the campaign in a fun and engaging way.

The videos appear to be bespoke (in reality there were over 500 names recorded), giving the customer a complete surprise as it feels as thought the video has been filmed especially for them. 

The overall campaign aims to make it clear to customers that Barclays can give you a good estimate of the value of a potential loan before you apply, therefore eliminating the fear of rejection. They also focused clearly on three reasons why customers may want to take out a loan i.e. home improvements, for a car or to consolidate debt. This made the proposition entirely clear for the consumer and provided visual reminders the entire way through of their own potential loan amount. It's almost like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey, but without the fear of having this taken away once applying.

The video was then embedded in to multi-device optimised emails, which were shown to have 106% uplift in open rates in comparison to Barclay's usual email campaigns. They also delivered 1100% uplift in click-through rates, so overall an all-round success.

Delivering these emails to a carefully selected data set, with highly personal and targeted offers, meant that Barclays were able to track and monitor how likely each customer was to convert, based on their past banking habits. Data really is giving marketers the power to shape campaigns like never before. Barclays were even able to address different customers in certain ways, for example over 50s were addressed with their title and surname, whereas under 50s were just addressed by their first name.

Emails are easy to track, fairly cost-effective and are direct channels which marketers can really take advantage of in order to deliver customer-centric communications. Don't let your email campaigns sink in with all the untargeted junk we receive on a daily basis!

Well done Barclays!

Why Argos & eBay's distribution methods can work together in harmony

I have to say, as someone who is more-interested-than-most in the digital marketing space, eBay is one of the only brands I really pay attention to when it comes to their email marketing campaigns. They are often well-targeted, relevant and provide decent value. Hence I was pleasantly surprised to see this email in my inbox recently:

There was an existing partnership between Argos and eBay with many Argos product sold through eBay regularly. However, this extension of the way the channels work together is a great strategic move from both parties.

A few years ago, upon the spark of the digital age, which saw the likes of Woolworths, HMV and Habitat struggle- I was worried that Argos would simply be destined for the same fate. It was surely going to be out-priced, out-producted and out-branded by the likes of Amazon? However, by thinking and accepting that their existing distribution model wasn't going to be sustainable long-term, Argos have adapted their strategy which blurs the lines between the online world and bricks and mortar retailers.

I think the key to success in what Argos is doing is the fact they are so accessible, convenient and efficient. Their Click and Collect service was pioneering, their digital channels are fantastically-integrated with their retail channels and they partner with the best brands- often I don't even have to check if Argos stock something I just presume they will and I'm not often wrong. They also have great, local stores, you don't have to go in to a big town or city to find exactly what you are looking for.

However, this isn't just beneficial to Argos in terms of defining their brand as a digital, well-distributed service. eBay gain something they've never had before- a physical presence in the UK market. So many brands (especially those who are solely online) are realising the importance of an omni-channel experience and that 'human interaction' with the brand. By collaborating with Argos, eBay have a tangible setting in the form of hundreds of stores. 

eCommerce sold us the idea the home delivery is the way forward, however consumers are starting to realise that it is not as convenient as originally thought. Fear of leaving your house whilst waiting for a parcel or having to cart it home on the tube after having it delivered to work or worse, queuing in the post office depot on a Saturday morning- all build the case as to why click and collect has become a phenomenon! Amazon locker was a solution that had won over many consumers and now eBay is matching that with their own offering.... featuring humans!

Not only is this a great strategic move for the two brands, but this will ultimately provide a fantastic experience for the customer. They are able to drop whatever they've sold on eBay at a local Argos store (open late evenings and weekends), pay a rate for P&P which by far rivals the Post Office and provide a tracked and signed for parcel to the customer! 

In terms of change management, the organisational impact is minimal, the infrastructures for delivery and storage are already in place as Argos have been delivering their own products for years and as mentioned above, have the processes down to a T.

I look forward to hearing more about this exciting partnership!

Opt-in, Opt-out

Digital marketing, arguably, and especially in the B2C world- is one of the most effective methods of reaching your target audience. However, as more and more organisations jump on the digital bandwagon, the quantity of marketing noise from more and more brands which consumers are faced with has rapidly increased.

Take Facebook- personal profiles were hugely successful and once Facebook allowed brands to join the site and create corporate/ brand pages, they started popping up all over the place. From the biggest brands such as Cadburys, Starbucks and Tesco to the local pub, butchers and community centre all creating engaging content through online social media sources, utilising websites and sending out emails- they are all at it and I know my social media pages have started to become much less social and much more brand-focused!

With this ever looming presence that consumers feel they are being sold to, constantly marketed towards and annoyed by persistent messages- is email marketing still useful when reaching a consumer? Or will it go straight into the 'Junk' or 'Deleted' folder?

Usually when signing up to newsletters, entering competitions or buying products online, you usually have the choice of opting-in or opt-out of receiving emails from the brand. This allows the consumer to have full control over the marketing messages they receive.

This infographic from Marketing Week indicates how willing consumers are to sharing their data (such as email address, phone number or postal address) with companies for the purpose of marketing. It's really useful to understand how willing people are to let companies market/sell to them. The impression I have gathered from working in a B2B scenario is that people are far less likely to 'opt in' to receiving marketing messages unless:

a) they are being provided with something of value, whether that be content, information and help or a personalised message
b) there is an incentive to do so- discounts, a competition or another type of reward
c) it is a company they really trust, admire or like- this can make it harder for start-ups or less-established brands trying to reach new markets to utilise database marketing

Think about how much you click the unsubscribe button on the endless email messages you receive from brands, or how many times you 'Unlike' an organisation's Facebook page?

I believe the key to maintaining a consumer's interest in your marketing messages, whether that be email messages, social media posts or even post (who does direct mail any more seriously?!) is down to 3 things:

a) Consistency: you have to absolutely nail this one; don't post too much and don't post to infrequently. This is mainly down to experimentation of how the interaction with your posts differs depending on the frequency of them, for email this is click throughs, for social it could be shares, likes or comments etc.
b) Content: provide something of value or that email is going straight into the delete folder, or that post is getting hidden! Whether that be discount, free delivery for e-commerce, coupons or vouchers for in-store purchases, competitions, product launches or events.
c) Personalisation: this potentially may be the most important point in marketing messages- whether you are targeting a new customer, loyal customer or someone who hasn't made a purchase in a while, the marketing messages must be tailored, even if you offer them the same incentive! Make the customer feel as though they are unique, valued and not just another name on a spreadsheet and I believe you will nail email marketing!

Stephanie