Slides from the presentation that I gave at the IDM B2B conference on 18th May 2011 at the Commonwealth Club. http://www.theidm.com/marketing-events/b2b-conference/

1. The 8th IDM B2B Marketing
Conference:
Understanding and Engaging
Customer 2.0
Marketing metrics:
How measurement can increase
accountability and acquisition
Alastair Douglas
Head of Marketing & Analysis

2. Simply Business is the UK’s largest online business insurance broker
Over 170,000 businesses are currently insured with us

3. We acquire all our customers online through our website

4. We acquire all our customers online through our website

5. Segmentation as a customer understanding & targeting tool
c. 1,000 20 customer
classifications of segments
business
Key target
170,000 customers segments

6. Use data to begin understanding: then layer in qualitative feedback

7. Net promoter score verbatims
I have never had any problems and (the process) has always
been straight forward and no hassle
I have regularly recommended you. I purchased it on the
internet. I found that the prices were very competitive.The cover
was about the same throughout
I got no feedback from you.You didn't provide any special offers.
You took the money for the year and then you just stayed quiet.
I didn't even realise my policy had lapsed

8. Paid search: The data and measurement arms race
Revenue
Sales
Actions
Engaged visitors
Visits
Clicks
Impressions

9. Why optimising for cost/quote and not revenue can be problematic
Ad Group CTR Click to quote Quote to sale Cost/quote ROI
Brand 21% 13% 61% £3.54 £12.06
Cleaners 18% 37% 16% £6.85 £0.65
Health & Beauty 8% 31% 7% £10.40 £0.17
Education 3% 25% 11% £11.12 £0.19
Entertainment 9% 21% 14% £11.52 £0.26
Professionals 7% 32% 18% £17.77 £0.73
Recruitment 1% 25% 0% £21.45 £0.00
Tradesmen 7% 30% 24% £22.13 £0.78
Public liability 11% 35% 20% £24.22 £0.56
Generic insurance 6% 26% 19% £25.20 £0.78
Construction 6% 24% 15% £28.32 £0.90
Contractors 6% 35% 38% £29.11 £0.98
Advertising/Design 2% 18% 33% £29.76 £0.68

10. Why optimising for cost/quote and not revenue can be problematic
Ad Group CTR Click to quote Quote to sale Cost/quote ROI
Brand 21% 13% 61% £3.54 £12.06
Cleaners 18% 37% 16% £6.85 £0.65
Health & Beauty 8% 31% 7% £10.40 £0.17
Education 3% 25% 11% £11.12 £0.19
Entertainment 9% 21% 14% £11.52 £0.26
Professionals 7% 32% 18% £17.77 £0.73
Recruitment 1% 25% 0% £21.45 £0.00
Tradesmen 7% 30% 24% £22.13 £0.78
Public liability 11% 35% 20% £24.22 £0.56
Generic insurance 6% 26% 19% £25.20 £0.78
Construction 6% 24% 15% £28.32 £0.90
Contractors 6% 35% 38% £29.11 £0.98
Advertising/Design 2% 18% 33% £29.76 £0.68

11. Why optimising for cost/quote and not revenue can be problematic
Ad Group CTR Click to quote Quote to sale Cost/quote ROI
Brand 21% 13% 61% £3.54 £12.06
Cleaners 18% 37% 16% £6.85 £0.65
Health & Beauty 8% 31% 7% £10.40 £0.17
Education 3% 25% 11% £11.12 £0.19
Entertainment 9% 21% 14% £11.52 £0.26
Professionals 7% 32% 18% £17.77 £0.73
Recruitment 1% 25% 0% £21.45 £0.00
Tradesmen 7% 30% 24% £22.13 £0.78
Public liability 11% 35% 20% £24.22 £0.56
Generic insurance 6% 26% 19% £25.20 £0.78
Construction 6% 24% 15% £28.32 £0.90
Contractors 6% 35% 38% £29.11 £0.98
Advertising/Design 2% 18% 33% £29.76 £0.68

12. Measure to a higher level of granularity than your competitors
One bad creative or keyword can ruin the whole
ad group or campaign
CTR 14.4%
CTR 5.3%
CTR 9.8%

13. Measure to a higher level of granularity than your competitors
One bad creative or keyword can ruin the whole
ad group or campaign
CTR 14.4%
CTR 5.3%
CTR 9.8%

14. Social media: Start by building an audience
• Content of interest to start-ups
and small businesses who use
Twitter
• Don’t try to sell too much
• Try different things
• Monitor what works and what
doesn’t work using free tools
such as Klout, Topsy and
Tweetdeck
• Metrics: True reach, number of
total shares, amount of inbound
traffic

15. Incorporate engagement on Twitter into your customer services team
• Tools like Radian 6 can make this process more efficient and thorough
• This is a core function and should be kept in house

16. Be open and engage with customer feedback authentically
• Amplify customer testimonials

17. Customer service - more transparent and more efficient
• Engage with feedback - good or bad

18. Social media key points
• Be very specific about what you want to achieve - we have had success with
engagement and customer service but not with acquisition
• It is a very powerful tool for advocacy
• Set metrics - but understand that social measures of influence are just that.
• Use channels such as Get Satisfaction and Twitter to reduce your cost of
customer service and understand your customers better

19. Affiliate marketing - you can control your own cost per acquisition

20. Use affiliate platforms as a way of testing your most effective message

21. Use affiliate platforms as a way of testing your most effective message
15% more quotes

22. User testing: A platform for new ideas to solve customer problems

23. Actions from a user testing day

24. Prioritised actions

25. Summary
• Your database is full of insight about your customers and can be used to help you
understand them better
• You can use data and measurement to gain a competitive advantage
• Choose your measures carefully in social media - but be rigorous
• Make sure you have a creative and testing platform: if you can’t test new ideas then the
measurements will not be actionable

26. Questions?
• Simply Business on Twitter: @simplybusiness
• Get involved in the Simply Business community: www.simplybusiness.co.uk/social
• I am @alastairdouglas on Twitter