Data Plan and Channel Strategy

Final Project for the Digital Marketing Specialization. A data plan to support content and channel strategy.

Transcript

1. Grainger-Bosch Data Plan and Channel Strategy Digital Marketing Capstone Prepared by David McIver

2. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Problem Statement 3 Areas of Growth Potential 3 Consumer Decision Journey 4 Scenario 1: Brand Awareness in Initial Consideration 5 CDJ Analysis and Buyer Intent/Needs 5 Collecting Data, Actionable Analysis: Sources, Plan, and Metrics 5 Metrics and Benchmarks 5 Analytical Biases 6 Recommendations 6 Recommendation 1 6 Recommendation 2 6 Recommendation 3 6 Scenario 2: Positioning the Brand in Active Evaluation 7 CDJ Analysis and Buyer Intent/Needs 7 Collecting Data, Actionable Analysis: Sources, Plan, and Metrics 7 Metrics and Benchmarks 7 Analytical Biases 8 Recommendations 8 Recommendation 1 8 Recommendation 2 8 Recommendation 3 8 Scenario 3: Trigger to Purchase 9 CDJ Analysis and Buyer Intent/Needs 9 Collecting Data, Actionable Analysis: Sources, Plan, and Metrics 9 Metrics and Benchmarks 9 Analytical Biases 9 Recommendations 9 Recommendation 1 9 Recommendation 2 9 Channel Strategy 10 Display Campaigns 10
3. Content 10 Recommendations 11 Recommendation 1 11 Recommendation 2 11 Recommendation 3 11 Email Campaigns 12 Content 13 Recommendations 13 Recommendation 1 13 Recommendation 2 13 Recommendation 3 13 Measurement Plan for Campaign Effectiveness 14 Objective 1: Email Campaign Effectiveness 14 Objective 2: Ad Effectiveness - Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 15 Objective 3: User Experience - Conversion Optimization 16 Sources Cited 17
4. Executive Summary Grainger seeks to increase sales of Bosch tools in three segments We analyze Grainger’s i) Brand Awareness, ii) Brand Positioning, and iii) Promotions Effectiveness. These analyses use these data: clickstream, VOC, keyword use and trends, conversion rates, internal search terms, and landing page bounce rates on Grainger. We emphasize Display and Email campaigns because they offer growth for Grainger. Our content strategy leverages Grainger’s Excellent Customer Service, its wide Bosch offerings, and strategic use of promotions. Our recommendations are as follows: Scenario 1 Recommendation 1 Analyze clickstream data for Bosch visitors to Grainger. Recommendation 2 Analyze Grainger’s keyword performance for search terms involving Bosch using Google Trends, Google keyword Planner, and SEO Majestic. Recommendation 3 Monitor social media for Grainger and Bosch. Use text analysis to gauge brand sentiment. Scenario 2 Recommendation 1 Consider analyzing internal clickstream to identify power tool brands Grainger visitors look at. Recommendation 2 Consider analyzing terms visitors use in internal search. Recommendation 3 Consider using pop-up surveys to understand if Grainger is meeting Buyer needs. Also consider implementing a Net Promoter Score upon visitor exit from Grainger. Scenario 3 Recommendation 1 Consider tracking conversion rates for Bosch tools. Recommendation 2 Consider measuring the Click through Rate on Bosch promotions buttons/elements on Grainger. Display Campaigns Recommendation 1 We recommend that Display campaigns should use contextual targeting or placement in premium inventory. 1
5. Recommendation 2 We recommend that Ads have continuity with the landing pages and have a consistent storyline, feel, and look. Recommendation 3 We recommend that discounts are offered in Scenarios 2 and 3 but not in Scenario 1. Email Campaigns Recommendation 1 We recommend that content must be personalized by visitor and purchase intent. Recommendation 2 Tie content directly to a perceived benefit, and include advance notices of promotions. Text is short and crisp, easy to scan with a clear CTA for mobile recipients. Recommendation 3 We recommend that discounts are offered in Scenarios 2 and 3 but not in Scenario 1.
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6. Problem Statement Grainger is seeking to increase sales of Bosch tools in three segments: Scenario 1: Buyers who consider Bosch but do not necessarily have Grainger Top of Mind. Here a Buyer visits Bosch’s website but not Grainger. Scenario 2: Buyers who have both Bosch and Grainger Top of Mind. Here a Buyer visits Bosch, then visits and logs-in to Grainger, and looks at power tools. Scenario 3: Buyers who have both Bosch and Grainger Top of Mind. Here a Buyer visits Bosch, then visits and logs-in to Grainger.com. But the Buyer looks at another category, like plumbing. source: grainger.com on SimilarWeb.com Areas of Growth Potential Grainger does not rank in the first 5 pages of SERP for “Buy Bosch power tools online US.” Grainger must rank on the first SERP when new customers google Bosch tools online. Searchers never look past first SERP. (Searchengine watch) Low search visibility directly impacts Grainger sales by missing opportunities with new buyers. Clickstream analysis (Chart 1) shows that display and email channels show room for improvement in driving traffic to Grainger’s website. 3 Chart 1: Sources of Traffic to grainger.com Organic Search Direct Referrals Paid Search email Display Social % of all traffic 0 20 40 60 1 1 2 10 11 23 53
7. Consumer Decision Journey CDJ Phase/ Business Objective Customer concerns/ Key Questions CDJ Analysis Types of Data/ Data Source Scenario 1 • Phase: Initial Consideration set • Business Objective: i)Build Awareness ii)Influence consideration • Customer: Finding right product to satisfy need • Grainger Key Q: Aware of Brand? • Brand awareness study • Web Traffic/Google Analytics • Search Term Analysis/ Google Trends • Text analysis/ AnalyzeWords, Twitter API Scenario 2 • Phase: Active Evaluation • Business Objective: Reposition Brand • Customer: Finding best retailer on price and service • Grainger Key Q: Satisfy need? • Brand Position Study • VOC Survey Data/ iPerceptions • Conversion rates by brand/Google Analytics • Internal Clickstream Analysis/Google Analytics Scenario 3 Phase: Trigger Business Objective: Influence Consideration • Customer: What do I need to accomplish my task? • Grainger Key Q: How to persuade buyer to look at Bosch tools? • Promotions effectiveness • VOC Survey Data/ iPerceptions • Conversion rates by brand/Google Analytics • Internal Clickstream Traffic/Google Analytics • Ad Effectiveness/Google Analytics 4
8. Scenario 1: Brand Awareness in Initial Consideration CDJ Analysis and Buyer Intent/Needs The Buyer has responded to a trigger and has demonstrated interest in a power tool by visiting Bosch, but does not visit Grainger. The buyer is exploring top of mind power tool brands. They are concerned with finding a product and a retailer that will satisfy their need. The main analytics question is whether the Buyer is aware of Grainger? The business objectives is to i) make the Buyer aware of Grainger, and ii) influence their consideration set so that Grainger is top of mind. Collecting Data, Actionable Analysis: Sources, Plan, and Metrics Clickstream Analysis, Search Term Analysis, and Social Media Analysis are the primary methods for understanding Grainger’s brand awareness in its target market. Clickstream traffic: Consider analyzing web traffic leaving Bosch power tools and see where visitors go afterwards. Analyze the proportion of organic search as part of all traffic Using SimilarWeb. Organic search and ad clicks are the main drivers of traffic to the web Search Term Analysis: Consider monitoring how well Grainger ranks in search engine listings for “buy Bosch online” and other Bosch search terms. It is critical that Grainger ranks high in Google search results pages for search terms in solving Bosch, otherwise buyers who are not aware of Grainger will likely go to a big box retailer like Amazon first. Increased use of search terms containing Bosch and Grainger will show rising brand awareness. Google Trends shows indexes a specific search term over a period. Adwords keyword Planner estimates search term use by month and refines search term analysis. Social media analysis: Consider analyzing social media posts about Grainger and Bosch from Grainger. Using AnalyzeWords for Grainger Brand sentiment involves matching positive words with Grainger in a post. The medium term trend is what to look for. Should be tracked weekly and compared to previous periods. Monitor for a dip in sentiment about the Grainger brand Metrics and Benchmarks Scenario 1 Data Type Data Source KPI Benchmarks Searches for Bosch on Grainger • Google Trends • Adwords keyword Planner • Search term use increase • Rank in Search Engine results Monthly usage increases of key terms to 100-1000 searches per month Organic Search Traffic to Grainger • SimilarWeb • % of All Search Traffic Increase organic searches by 10% of total Traffic over 6 months Social Media Analysis • Social media posts via Twitter API and AnalyzeWords • Increase in positive mentions Positive mentions greater than neutrals or negatives 5
9. Analytical Biases Search Traffic: Visitors often clear their browser cache, so cookies identifying them as a returning customer are deleted. Is the searcher discovering Bosch on Grainger for the first time, or did they just Google Grainger’s address? Only if they log-in can Grainger be certain of whether they are a returning customer. This uncertainty makes the growth of brand awareness harder to track. Tracking Internal clickstream traffic on Grainger helps minimize the bias. Google Searches: Google Trends and Google Adwords bias to aggregate figures and lose granularity. To compensate, compare these data with clickstream traffic to see if trends between traffic and search terms are evolving in synchronicity. Bias results from searchers using many different, hard-to-predict search terms to find information online. Thorough keyword research will minimize the bias. Brand Sentiment: Positive words and Grainger in the same post does not always mean a positive comment. Manually analyzing a sample of these posts would give data for an adjustment factor to minimize the bias. Recommendations For data on Brand Awareness for Grainger, we recommend that: Recommendation 1 Track and analyze clickstream data with SimilarWeb and Google Analytics leaving Bosch to see what percent goes to Grainger. Also analyze which other competitors Bosch visitors go to. Do they visit another power tools company like Makita? Use Bosch Google Analytics data and Grainger SimilarWeb data. Recommendation 2 Perform a search term analysis and an analysis of Grainger’s keyword performance for search terms involving Bosch using Google Trends, Google keyword Planner, and SEO Majestic. Recommendation 3 Monitor social media post involving Grainger and Bosch and Grainger. Use text analysis with AnalyzeWords to gauge brand sentiment. Which retailers do people mention when they talk about Bosch. Does Grainger’s name come up? The Twitter API can pull this unstructured data. Positive posts should increase steadily over time and outweigh Neutral and Negatives. 6
10. Scenario 2: Positioning the Brand in Active Evaluation CDJ Analysis and Buyer Intent/Needs The Buyer has shown interest in power tools and has logged-in to Grainger. The Buyer is in Active Evaluation and is likely comparing power tool brands. Business objective: Position Bosch and Grainger as the Brands that best meet Buyer needs. Two core questions: Is Bosch a top choice in the Buyer’s evaluation set? Also, does Grainger best satisfy their needs? The Buyer may be comparing retailers by comparing prices, shipping costs, return policies, and customer service. The Buyer is also implicitly comparing the user experience on each retailer’s website. The Buyer is forming preferences and is most open to persuasion at this stage. Collecting Data, Actionable Analysis: Sources, Plan, and Metrics Internal clickstream analysis: Consider analyzing power tool brands Buyers consider on Grainger. Use Google Analytics. Analyze Bosch Pageviews per Visit and Time on Page (ToP) for Bosch tools. Pageviews should over two Bosch pages. ToP should be over 30 seconds. Less than 30 seconds indicates a lack of interest. Internal Search: Search terms Bosch visitors use on Grainger’s fro understand their needs. Using server data or Google Analytics with Google Tag Manager implementation, look for terms that include Bosch. Infer Buyer needs and to develop new keywords for PPC ads with results. Pop up VOC surveys: Survey the Buyer at ZMOT with iPerceptions. Ask if Grainger meets their expectations. Include a Net Promoter Score question (NPS 0-10) upon exit. Response categories should be formatted on a Likert scale from “not at all satisfied” to “very satisfied”. The KPIs here is “very satisfied” as the most frequent response and an NPS score over 8. Metrics and Benchmarks Scenario 2 Data Type Data Source KPI Benchmarks Internal Clickstream Google Analytics Bosch Pageviews and Time on Page • Two pageviews • Time on Page more than 30 seconds Internal Search • Server data • Google Analytic/ Google Tag Manager Search for terms including “Bosch” Term “Bosch” increases by 5% over six months VOC iPerceptions popup survey • Number of “very satisfieds” on Grainger • Average NPS • Increase “very satisifieds” by 10% over 3 months • Increase NPS to 8/10 or better over 3 months 7
11. Analytical Biases VOC Survey: Extremity bias occurs ranged response categories because respondents may select the extremes rather than the true value. Focus on the average response. Recommendations Recommendation 1 Consider analyzing internal clickstream to identify power tool brands Grainger visitors look at. Use Google Analytics to determine Buyer interest by measuring Pageviews and Time on Page for Bosch items. ToP should be over 30 seconds, and Pageviews should be higher for new customers. Recommendation 2 Consider analyzing internal search terms with server data or Google Analytics with Google Tag Manager implementation. Look for terms relating to Bosch and other power tool brands. These terms provide insight into new keywords for PPC ads. Recommendation 3 Consider using pop-up surveys with iPerceptions when visitors land in the power tools category to understand if Grainger is meeting their needs. Also consider implementing a Net Promoter Score survey upon visitor exit from Grainger.
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12. Scenario 3: Trigger to Purchase CDJ Analysis and Buyer Intent/Needs Buyer has shown interest in Bosch tools, and has visited Grainger and logged-in. The Buyer visits plumbing, not power tools, so Intent here is unclear. Grainger must trigger a need to pull the Buyer toward Bosch tools. Two core questions: Does the visitor need a power tool? How to persuade the visitor to look at Bosch tools? The business objective is to trigger interest and then a purchase. Collecting Data, Actionable Analysis: Sources, Plan, and Metrics Overall Conversion rates for Bosch tools with visitors who look at another category before power tools. Use Google Analytics to track Bosch conversions. Conversion Rates on promotions for Bosch tools for visitors who look at another category before power tools. Again Use Google Analytics. Conversions are the percentage of unique visits to power tools or to the Bosch landing page. Grainger should aim for 2% in the first quarter of this plan and try to increase it by 0.25% in subsequent quarters. Click Through Rate (CTR) on Grainger promotion buttons/elements leading to Bosch promotions to measure promotion effectiveness. A CTR of 1% would benefit Grainger. Use Google Analytics with Google Tag Manager implementation. Metrics and Benchmarks Analytical Biases No significant biases here as the visitor has logged-in. Recommendations Recommendation 1 Consider tracking conversion rates for Bosch tools for visitors from Bosch’s website or for visitors who look at general categories like plumbing. Using Google Analytics, Grainger should work to increase conversions to 2% of visits to those categories. Recommendation 2 Consider measuring the Click through Rate on Bosch promotions buttons/elements on Grainger. Using Google Analytics with Google Tag Manager implementation, Grainger should work to a CTR of 1%.
 Scenario 3 Data Type Data Source KPI Benchmarks Overall Conversion Rate Google Analytics Bosch Conversion Rate as % visits to power tools category increase conversion to 2% over six months Bosch promotions Conversion rate Google Analytics Bosch Conversions as % of visits to Bosch promotions pages increase conversion to 2% over six months Bosch Promotions CTR Google Analytics CTR as % of visits Increase CTR to 1% over six months 9
13. Channel Strategy Display Campaigns Display campaigns remind visitors by retargeting them after they leave Grainger’s site. They also attract new Buyers. The goal is to make visitors aware that Grainger sells Bosch tools and that Grainger is the best place to buy them. Two be effective, ads must i) attract attention, ii) generate interest, and iii) ask for the click (CTA). (Blue, 2013) The campaign should use contextual targeting or placement in premium inventory. (Digital Marketing Institute, 2016). Placement is critical because only 2.8% of web visitors think ads are relevant and click-though-rates for ads are about 0.06%. (Stec, 2015) Ads must have continuity with the landing pages. (Blue, 2013). Converged media must have a consistent storyline, feel, and look. (Brito, 2013) Content Scenario 1: This is a brand awareness campaign, so it is prospecting rather than a retargeting visitors. (Conway, 2015) The ad drives visitors to Grainger’s Bosch landing page. It retargets them with programmatic ad placement on websites following their Bosch visit. Scenario 2: This is an active evaluation campaign, so the goal is to offer the visitor the tool they looked at on Bosch’s site using Bosch data. (Grainger, About Grainger Ads) The campaign drives Bosch visitors to Grainger’s Bosch item specific landing page. A discount is offered in the ad and on the landing page. 10
14. Scenario 3: This is a ZMOT campaign, so while visitors browse plumbing supplies, pop-ups for plumbing-related Bosch tools offer a discount. Bosch has shared with Grainger which tools this visitor looked at on the Bosch site, so the promotion drives the visitor to the landing page for the Bosch item with a discount. The campaign continues with retargeting email offers on plumbing-related Bosch tools. Recommendations Recommendation 1 We recommend that Display campaigns should use contextual targeting or placement in premium inventory. Recommendation 2 We recommend that Ads must have continuity with the landing pages and have a consistent storyline, feel, and look. Recommendation 3 We recommend that discounts are offered in Scenarios 2 and 3. No discount is offered in Scenario 1.
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15. Email Campaigns This campaign focuses on visitors who have signed up for email on Grainger or current Grainger customers. Grainger uses Buyer purchase history to cross-sell them on Bosch tools. The campaign has an initial and a follow-up email. The landing page for the initial email is Grainger’s Bosch landing page. Content must be personalized by visitor (their name) and purchase intent. (Heller, 2010) This means segmenting by purchase history or the Bosch pages the visitor browsed. (Grainger, About Grainger Ads). It drives recipients to monthly promotions and discounts. (Heller, 2010) The follow-up email personalizes as above and offers recommended Bosch tools. Grainger identifies tools that are often bought together or tools for plumbing. This will determine the item specific landing page that the second email will drive the Buyer to. Retargeting emails should never drive the Buyer to a tool they have already purchased. Frequency depends on the scenario: Scenario 1: No campaign here as the visitor has not logged-in. We do not know who they are. Scenario 2: An email with a promotion for the specific Bosch tool they were looking at should be sent within a day of visiting Grainger’s website. A follow-up should be sent 5 days after. These should include Bosch tools they looked at on the Bosch or Grainger’s websites. Include promotions or discounts for the tools the visitor has looked at if applicable. Never be more than two emails in a single week. Scenario 3: An email with a promotion for the specific Bosch tool they were looking at on Bosch’s website or for plumbing-related Bosch tools should be sent within 24 hours after visiting Grainger’s website. A follow-up should be sent 5 days after. 12
16. Content For new customers: Messaging emphasizes Grainger’s wide selection of Bosch tools promotions. For returning customers: Content emphasizes promotions and reminds the customer of Grainger’s excellent service quality. Content must tie directly to a perceived benefit. Perceived benefit test: 1) Does the ad have appeal? 2) Does the offer have exclusivity? 3) Are the ad claims credible? 4) Does the ad have clarity? (Blue, 2013) Emails should include advance notices of upcoming promotions or discounts. They also remind recipients that Bosch tools are best in market, a long lasting investment. Emails close off by highlighting Grainger customer service. Text has to be short and crisp. Grainger customers often access email on mobile devices, so content has to be easy to scan and have a clear CTA. Scenario 1: No campaign here as we do not know who they are. Scenario 2: A follow-up email offers a discount for that specific tool. Valid for 72 hours. Scenario 3: An email follows the visit offering a discount on Bosch tools that are useful in plumbing jobs. The offer is valid for 72 hours to a week. Recommendations Recommendation 1 Content must be personalized by visitor (their name) and purchase intent. (Heller, 2010) This means segmenting by purchase history or the Bosch pages the visitor browsed. Recommendation 2 Content must tie directly to a perceived benefit, and include advance notices of upcoming promotions or discounts. Text has to be short and crisp, easy to scan with a clear CTA for mobile recipients. Recommendation 3 We recommend that discounts are offered in Scenarios 2 and 3. No discount is offered in Scenario 1.
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17. Measurement Plan for Campaign Effectiveness • Email: Measure email campaign effective with open rates and conversion rates by email campaign. • Display: Tracking SEM effectiveness contains ad campaigns costs and measures Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). • Conversion: UX testing helps remove friction points in Grainger’s purchase process. Objective 1: Email Campaign Effectiveness Goals Many of Grainger’s customers regularly check email on mobile devices. Campaign goals include increasing email open rates and increasing conversion rates. Tools Email Service Providers will collect data for their clients and provide campaign analysis. Metrics Success: email open rates increase by 10% over three months and conversion rates increase to 2%. Goal Tool Metric Email • Improve email open and conversion rates • Data Analysis tool by ESP • open rates increase by 10% • Conversion rates by campaign increase to 2% Display • Improve CTR • Reduce Bounce • Google Analytics • CP CPC Ad Testing Tool • AdAlysis • Bring CTR and Bounce to Industry Average Conversion • Improve conversions of % total visits • Optimizely • Bring conversion rate to industry average 14
18. Objective 2: Ad Effectiveness - Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Goals Display advertising is costly and it should be monitored to adjust campaigns that do not perform to expectations. Click Through Rates (CTR) and Bounce rates measure campaign success. Tools Adwords Keyword Planner and the Adwords Ad Preview Tool check ad quality before publication. Google Analytics provides campaign performance data on a per ad basis. Cardinal Path PPC Ad Testing Tool takes Adword data and provides statical significance on the difference between the averages for the two ads. AdAlysis split test two versions of the ad online and measure each ad version’s performance. It also provides keyword and landing page analysis. Test group AdAlysis and the CP PPC Ad Testing Tool require two different ad versions to be shown each to a different group. The sample size of each group can be upwards of 100 visitors. Larger samples results in higher confidence levels in the results. Metrics • Grainger’s current ROAS is $5.08 for the power tools category. (Grainger display ad data) • Average CTR for B2B display ads is 0.22%. (Moz KPI benchmarks) Grainger’s current CTR is between 0.04% and 0.06% (Grainger display ad data) • Average online bounce rates is about 35%. (Moz KPI benchmarks) Grainger’s bounce is about 43%. (Grainger on Similarweb) Success: Increase ROAS by 10% over six months. Increase each ad’s CTR to industry average over three months (0.22%). Bring bounce rate on the ads’ landing pages to industry average (35%) over three months. 15
19. Objective 3: User Experience - Conversion Optimization User experience testing for conversion optimization ensures that website design does not create friction on the customer’s purchase path, resulting in lost sales. On average, e- commerce websites have a conversion rate of 1.35%. (Wolfgang study) The average conversion rate for display in B2B in the US is about 0.96% of visits. (Google Adwords Industry Benchmarks) Goals Assess Grainger’s web design on critical pages such as Bosch Product pages, the Grainger cart, and the Grainger checkout process. Identify and improve on friction points that turn buyers away. Tools Optimizely tests webpage design and processes by comparing two versions of the webpages. It then tests the significance of the difference of the means between the two groups. Google Analytics provides information on website performance during conversion. Mitigating Measures and Test Group For testing different variations of the website with Optimizely, 20% of customers on the purchase path will be directed to the test pages. Metrics The goal is to identify three friction points in the purchase path and correct them. Success: New versions of these pages aim to increase the conversion rate to industry averages over three months. (3973 words) 16
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