Case Study - Learning.com
Learning.com is a leading
provider of online technology-oriented curriculum for K-12 students.
In the fall of 2002, the company was interested in generating a
greater number of qualified leads for the sales force and to effectively
track them through the sales process. The emailROI, Inc. team was
asked to help create a comprehensive email marketing program.
Program Objectives
- Increase number of trial registrations
- Generate qualified customers from available prospect lists
- Start a dialogue with our target audience
- Increase marketing database
- Reduce the cost per lead
- Increase conversion rates and reduce sales cycle
Target Audience
- Technology decision makers and influencers within schools and
districts
Challenges
- Permission or access to target audience often controlled by schools
and districts
- Target contacts inside schools are generally not responsive to
promotional emails
Strategies
Due to the sensitive nature of educators, an email outreach program
was carefully crafted and executed. emailROI, Inc. and Learning.com
jointly developed a three-phased approach designed to foster relationship
with prospects via email: introduction, permission and offer.
The
first phase involved detailed testing of subject lines, format and
offers. Once the optimal combination of elements was determined,
emails were sent to the balance of the list introducing them to
Learning.com and offering them an opportunity to opt into their
email newsletter, download a white paper or register for a free
trial.
While the short-term goal was to get prospects to register for a
free trial, the long-term goal was to capture their email for future
communications. Once the recipient registered for a trial, leads
were qualified based on a several criteria before they would be
handed off to sales for follow up and conversion.
Results
Overall, the campaign was a success. Expectations (and goals) were
met or exceeded across the board. The email to qualified recipients
generated an 8.5 percent click-through rate and a 9.7 percent opt-in
rate for the newsletter. Over the course of the campaign, the opt-in
email newsletter list grew rapidly. Due in part to the success of
the email newsletter, qualified sales leads have reached record
levels. Learning.com is now a big fan of email marketing.
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