Making a Database Marketing Sandwich

I hope you’re not hungry when you read this blog…sorry in advance for the food analogy.

Predictive modeling and segmentation are the peanut butter and jelly of the database marketing sandwich. Sure, you could eat a sandwich with just peanut butter or just jelly, but for the best-in-class database marketing lunch, you really want to have them both as part of your analytics picnic.

Predictive Modeling

Predictive modeling (aka peanut butter) is a practice commonly misunderstood by marketers…some may even say they are allergic to it! It’s often confused with segmentation because it is also a targeting tool. Like segmentation, predictive modeling can help you determine the best way to use your marketing dollars and ensure they are hitting the best prospects possible.

What is predictive modeling really? It is a technique that uses attributes and past behaviors for a group of responders to find prospects who are likely to similarly respond/purchase/activate. Analysts look at hundreds, even thousands, of different attributes and purchaser histories to determine which factors correlate with purchasing. This logic is then applied to a list of prospects to determine who would be a good match to this profile. Typically the process would assign a score based on their attribute matches or behaviors and those would be ranked for potential future response.

Now you have your peanut butter…you know the people you want to market to based on their potential response score. Perfect!

Segmentation

Now let’s talk segmentation (aka jelly). Once you have the peanut butter spread on your campaign sandwich, you really should consider adding something sweet (that’s the jelly). You know who you want to market to, but segmentation can help you determine how you market to them. For instance, can you segment your group of potential responders geographically or demographically to be able to speak more directly to them? If you were selling winter coats, the coat you describe to someone in Alaska may be different than the “winter coat” for someone in California. Segmentation in this example is really about customization of messaging and again adding more effectiveness and efficiency to your marketing campaign.

So, there you have it – the perfect database marketing sandwich, complete with some predictive analytics and segmentation. Use the modeling to determine who you will market to and use the segmentation to determine what you will say to them. Use them individually if you wish, but they make a really nice pair and can have great impacts on your lunch’s deliciousness.

To learn more about the recipe for the perfect database marketing sandwich, reach out to us at B2E!

Cheers,

Keith