Targeting best practices
Targeting is a critical stage in building a campaign: the slightest error can have a direct impact on the turnover generated by the operation.
Beyond understanding the targeting engine, a successful targeting means mastering three principles: defining the contacts to reach, the impact of the communication channels used, and the desired commercial pressure.
Recommended steps
Whether your operation involves one or several campaigns, on one or several channels, in parallel or staggered, you must always clearly know who will receive what and when:
- Define the contacts to reach for your operation.
- Define the communication channel(s) for each group of contacts.
- Determine the send time for each communication.
Your best friends for this exercise are a pen and a sheet of paper (or a Word document).
Who? Define the contacts to reach
Express in a single sentence the group(s) of contacts to reach, then describe their characteristics (common criteria and distinguishing criteria), regardless of the communication channel.
Be sure to consider all exclusions — for example, customers who made a purchase the day before, or those who already received another email communication the day before.
Example. I want to communicate with French customers, members of my loyalty program, linked to 8 stores in France.
| Criterion | Value |
|---|---|
| Contact status | Customer |
| Nationality | French |
| Country of the stores the contacts are linked to | France |
| Stores the contact is linked to | List of the 8 stores |
| Loyalty program status | Member |
How? Define the communication channels
Determine the channel(s) to use. This choice often depends on the data available in your database (email, mobile number, postal address), how complete it is, and even the contact's consent for that channel (opt-in / subscription).
Example. The operation will use two channels: email and SMS.
| Operation breakdown | Channel used |
|---|---|
| Contacts with only an email | |
| Contacts with only a mobile number | SMS |
| Contacts with both a mobile number and an email | SMS |
Two takeaways: three sub-populations emerge, and the choice of channels brings out new distinguishing criteria (email opt-in, SMS opt-in, presence of an email, presence of a mobile number). So the choice of channels almost always surfaces new criteria.
| Criterion | Value |
|---|---|
| Contact status | Customer |
| Nationality | French |
| Country of the stores the contacts are linked to | France |
| Loyalty program status | Member |
| Distinguishing criteria | |
| Opt-in | Email / SMS / Both |
| Presence of the contact method | Email / SMS / Both |
To visualize the logical links, a Venn diagram is a good support.
Example. A = customers with an email; B = customers with a mobile number; C = customers with both an email AND a mobile number.
When? Determine the send time for each communication
Note the planned contact time for each group. The scheduling of campaigns very often impacts the targeting criteria to use.
Example. The communication is spread over two days depending on the channel, to match contacts' best opening and reading times.
Case 1
| Operation breakdown | Channel used | Contact time |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts with an email and no mobile number | 19 June 2017 at 6 PM | |
| Contacts with a mobile number and no email | SMS | 20 June 2017 at 9 AM |
| Contacts with both a mobile number and an email | SMS | 20 June 2017 at 9 AM |
Your targeting will then take the following into account:
- Email targeting: email is known and SMS is unknown.
- SMS targeting: SMS is known.
Case 2
| Operation breakdown | Channel used | Contact time |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts with an email and no mobile number | 19 June 2017 at 6 PM | |
| Contacts with both a mobile number and an email | 19 June 2017 at 6 PM | |
| Contacts with a mobile number and no email | SMS | 20 June 2017 at 9 AM |
Your targeting will then take the following into account:
- Email targeting: email is known.
- SMS targeting: SMS is known and email is unknown.