Presented by Sean Rusinko, SVP Strategy, Verndale

2. What does full-on personalization look like …
And how do I get there?
Sean Rusinko // Verndale
Jill Grozalsky // Verndale

3. AGENDA
1. Verndale Introduction and Company Overview
2. Market Trends: Users, Technology, & Personalization
3. Personalization Process: Best Practices & Methodology
4. So What Does Personalization Look Like?
3

4. PART ONE
WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE’RE HERE.
4

5. 5
WHO ARE THESE TWO?
• SVP of Strategy
• Sitecore MVP
• @seanrus
• Strategy Lead
• Sitecore Certified
Marketer
• @jgrozalsky
#personalizedUX

6. 6
ABOUT VERNDALE
• Award-Winning XT
Company
• Boston Headquarters, 6
global offices
• 130 FTEs; 65 Certified
Sitecore Developers
• Diverse Client Portfolio
• Sitecore Partner Since
2007: 5x Sitecore MVPs /
4 Sitecore Sites-of-the-
Year

7. OUR MARKET POSITION & EXECUTION APPROACH
Interaction, user-centered
design, prototyping, and
creative mastery
Measurement and
analytics
are essential for staying
on
the front edge of
marketing
evolution
Platforms, system health
analysis, testing, and deep
coding skills
Strategic
Planning, Digital
Marketing
Campaigns
(DMCs)
& CXM
Consulting
7

8. PART TWO
MARKET TRENDS: USERS, TECHNOLOGY, &
PERSONALIZATION
8

9. PERSONALIZATION PERSONALIZATION IS IS THE THE PRACTICE PRACTICE
OF
OF DYNAMICALLY DYNAMICALLY TAILORING TAILORING THE
YOUR
WEBSITE EXPERIENCE TO TO THE THE UNIQUE, UNIQUE,
IDENTIFIED
NEEDS IDENTIFIED AND NEEDS WANTS AND OF WANTS EACH
OF
INDIVIDUAL EACH INDIVIDUAL USER.
USER.

10. TYPES OF PERSONALIZATION
10
IMPLICIT
INFORMATION THAT IS REVEALED BY
A PROSPECT’S ONLINE BEHAVIOR
Examples include:
• User path
• Goal completions
• Visit recency/frequency
• Geo-IP
• Campaign
EXPLICIT
DATA THAT IS PROVIDED
INTENTIONALLY
Examples include:
• Website form
• Survey
• Email address/sign up/social login
• Native login
• CRM/Back-office identity systems

11. It Used to be so Simple
11
+ =

12. 12
Your Customer’s Modern-day Journey

13. Marketing + Technology = Happy Users
13
Users expect a seamless, integrated experience
that leading technology enables today.
USERS TECHNOLOGY
Today’s
User…
• Consumes
More
• Commits Less
• Demands
Efficiency
• Expects It
Across Devices
Today’s
Technology…
• Scales Easily
• Learns About
Users
• Integrates More
• Adapts to
Devices

14. Marketing + Technology = Happy Users
14
MARKETERS
USERS TECHNOLOGY

15. Marketing + Technology = Happy Users
15
MARKETERS
USERS TECHNOLOGY
• Produce More
• Progressively
Profile
• Personalize
Content
• Streamline the
Experience

16. 75% of users are
frustrated that content does
not recognize or adapt to
their interests.
1. *Janrain study

17. 75% User targeted of users calls-are
to-action
frustrated that content does
not recognize or adapt to
their interests
have a 42% higher
view-to-submission rate
than untargeted CTAs
Hubspot

18. Companies Raising the Bar
Because of big names such as Google, Uber, users are
expecting a more tailored, personalized experience even from
smaller companies.
18
Because of the tech giants, users are
expecting a more tailored, end-to-end
experience across the board.

19. Google
19
• Pioneered personalization
• Data monster: knows more
about you than the NSA
• Google Now
• Keep it simple design
• “Don’t be evil”

20. Amazon
20
• Customer-centric company
• Pioneered user reviews
• Personalization machine
• One-click buying

21. LinkedIn
21
• Leverage human
connections and
endorsements to build trust
• Pioneered progressive
profiling & profile
completion %
• Sophisticated marketing
automation

22. Uber
22
• Bridged personal offline
experience with online
experience
• Increased engagement
through personalized mobile
interaction
• Mass consumption of data to
improve business – constant
iteration

23. The Technology is Here!
23
“Today, the off-the-shelf technology exists,
which enables marketers to deliver customer
experiences that rival those of the tech giants.”
-Sean Rusinko

24. The Technology is Here!
24
“Five Years From Now, CMOs Will Spend
More on IT Than CIOs Do.”
Gartner, 2012

25. 25
JUST A FEW
DIGITAL
MARKETING
TECHNOLOGIES
TO CHOOSE
FROM…

26. What is Experience Management?
Experience Management Platforms tie together web content
management (CMS) with customer intelligence to drive real-time,
one-on-one engagement with users through various touchpoints and
channels.
CMS XM
Customer Experience Platform
26

27. 27
Your Customers

28. Your Customers
28

30. 30
Digital Marketing Maturity
85.4%
ATTRACT CONVERT ADVOCATE

31. PART THREE
PERSONALIZATION PROCESS: BEST PRACTICES &
METHODOLOGY
31

32. 32
Assess
Understand where
you are in order to
get where you
want to go.

33. 33
DMS Readiness
MMoobbileile
Strategic
Aligning business
objectives with a
DMS Strategy &
Roadmap
Technical
DMS-supported
code structure &
system
orchestration
Operational
Executing on the DMS
(resource planning,
monitoring, reporting &
optimization
CORE
REQUISITE

34. 34
Strategic Readiness: XM Planning Steps
Business Objectives
Workshops
Biz Objectives > DMS
Goals
How to Measure Value
User Segments
Audience Research
Personas > DMS
Profile Cards & Keys
Experience Design & Content
Content Strategy &
Scenario Mapping
Modular Design
Responsive
Roadmap
Long-term growth,
Short-term results
Agile Marketing
Measurement &
Optimization

35. Strategic Readiness: Business Objectives
Strategic Theme Generate Customer
Strategic Objective
Marketing Objective
Digital Goal
Value
Grow Market Share
Generate
Leads
?
Increase
Quality
Build Communities of
Engagement
Accurate
Personalization
?
Sticky
Engagement
?
35

36. 36
Strategic Readiness: Segment Your Users
Segment /
Persona
Demographics Psycho-graphics
Key Customer
Goals/Intent
Products / Services
Desired
Segment 1 • • •
Segment 2 • • • •
Segment 3 • • • •

37. 37
Strategic Readiness: XD Planning
• Understand the online and offline
user path
• What are the expectations?
• How does the user path
influence the navigation and
where you want to
personalize?
• Understand the Content
• Content is king
• Map it out!
DEFINE

38. 38
Strategic Readiness: Map Users, Phases & Content
Segment 1
Customer Journey Stages
Awareness Consideration Intent Purchase Advocate
Customer
Intent
CTAs / Goals
Persuasive
Content

39. 39
Strategic Readiness: Put Together a Roadmap
Where you want your digital marketing efforts to take you and how you can get there
ROADMAP
VISION

40. 40
Technology Process: SoE Planning
Other
Technology
Up-front system and data orchestration required in order execute against the experience &
campaign strategy.
PRESENTATION
ESL / BUSINESS
LOGIC
3RD PARTY &
BACK OFFICE
Sitecore
Customer Experience Management Platform
Content
Dig Marketing
Analytics
SERVICE LAYER
ERP CRM/Identity Data Warehouse Other LOB

41. 41
Operational Planning
Build a
team/
Assign roles
Set
expectations
Build a
timeline
Report and
Re-evaluate
Execute

42. Best Practices
1. Get Your Baseline in Check
2. Plan, Plan, Plan
3. Take Your Time: Marathon vs. Sprint
4. Understand and Optimize
5. Don’t Be Creepy
6. Don’t Think Small Scale
7. Design for Experience
8. Keep Creating Content
42

43. 43
Get Your Base in Check

44. 44

45. Plan for Technology: Understand Your Implementation
Issue Description
Recommended
Action Severity
Maturity Model
Implications
Site uses only one
template and two
sublayouts
There is limited structured
framework to leverage for
personalization, e.g.,
targeting users with
different features, callouts,
etc.
Build more structured
templates and sub layouts
based on personalization
and content strategy
requirements Medium
Nurture - may restrict
personalization
Low data sources due to
limited templates
Limited data source
templates requires heavy
reliance on content author
to choose presentation
(writing HTML)
Build more structured
templates that leverage
different data sources Medium
Nurture - may restrict
personalization
All user-generated content
(social media and reviews)
is IFRAMEed into the site
There is very limited DMS
functionality for all third-party
content
Social: TBD, Reviews:
Build review functionality in
a way that Sitecore can
consume/host the content Medium
Align/Optimize - may
restrict goal
tracking/analytics and
personalization across
modules
• Installation
• Performance
• Source Code
• Analytics
• Database
• Security
• Site Architecture
45

46. 46
Dream big, but plan realistically.
Digital marketing maturity is a
marathon, not a sprint.

47. 47
Understand and Optimize
• Don’t “set it and forget it”
• Set KPIs and baselines
• Monitor and schedule
periodic check ups
• Understand what’s working
and test it elsewhere
• Account for seasonality
• Update roadmap based on
findings

48. 48
Don’t Be Creepy
JWT Intelligence Survey
Nearly two-thirds of
consumers feel uneasy
about the information that
companies have on them.
• PLAN upfront to understand how to
best use data
• PINPOINT particular scenarios to
make sure efforts are subtle, yet
effective
• PRIORITIZE content and map it
appropriately for all scenarios

49. 49
Don’t Think Small Scale
• Think beyond your website
• Tie together all offline and
online marketing efforts
• Map out omni-channel
engagement plans
• Ensure consistency of
messaging at each touch point

50. Modular design is key to supporting
enhanced experiences through
dynamic content
50

51. 51
Keep Creating Content
GOING ON CRUISE
CONTROL
Automating content creates
efficiencies in the short-term
but hinders your long-term
marketing flexibility

52. PART FOUR
SO WHAT DOES PERSONALIZATION LOOK LIKE?
52

53. Rule #1: Full-on Personalization Looks at All Channels

54. Rule #2: Full-on Personalization Does Not Look
Completely Different

56. MMI: TARGET AND TRACK
MMI is the largest nonprofit, full-service credit counseling agency the US.
OVERVIEW
• Personalization of partner logo and phone number
• Drive more conversions through partner-tailored form for more accurate
data
• Tailor experience for partners
• Track performance of campaigns and partner programs through tagging
and performance of personalized content
56 COPYRIGHT 2014

57. 57
MMI
HIGHLIGHTS
• Fixing offline unbalanced call
load through personalization
based on referring URL
• Decreased bounce rate from
landing page
• Accurate tracking and
partnership evaluation

59. CARSON-DELLOSA
Carson-Dellosa is a publisher of parent and teacher supplies
including education materials, classroom decorations, common
core supplies and more.
OVERVIEW
• Replatforming site onto Sitecore
• Integrating Active Commerce for eCommerce
• Distinct parent and teacher persona groups with unique needs
• Goal: increase conversions across user groups through tailored, personalized
59 COPYRIGHT 2014
marketing

60. Carson-Dellosa: Process
Define
Business
objectives
User journey
Segments
through research
Understand
Engagement
value
identification
and scoring
Campaign
identification
Plan
Personalization
planning
Goal and
persona matrix
Campaign
tailoring
Map
Map content to
the user
journey
Tag site content
Engagement
plans
60

61. 61
Carson Dellosa: XD Process
Drivers for
Responsive:
• Similar user intent
across devices
• Base content &
feature set across
breakpoints
• One codebase for
development &
management

62. 62
Carson-Dellosa: User Segments Process
Personas XM Profile Cards & Radar Diagrams
MAPPING

63. 63
Carson-Dellosa: User Segments Process
Defining primary
audience groups
What are the stages in
the user journey?
Determining content types to
get a clear picture of visitor
interests
Use Parent personas
to match content

64. 64
Carson-Dellosa
HIGHLIGHTS
• Implementation of 20+ goals for
value per visit tracking
• Personalized enabled areas for
“You May Also Like” Content to
help increase total sales
• Campaign integration through
Silver Pop and PPC to serve
consistent content shown off site
• Engagement plans based on
personas (parent/teacher)
• Content categorization for buying
cycle, target groups, and parent
personas

65. 65
Carson-Dellosa
RESULTS
• 85% increase in cart-page views*
• Average 1.5 point increase in value
per visit in 1 month
• User segmentation based on click-throughs
• Presentation of dynamic content
based on identification of parent and
level of commitment (parent 1, parent
2, parent 3, in engagement plan)
*August 2014 vs August 2013

67. THE AVEDIS ZILDJIAN COMPANY
• Premier cymbal maker since 1623
• Extremely loyal fan base
• Fans from Europe to Asia
• Fans consist of orchestral percussionists,
students & educators, and your everyday
drummers
• Digital is the highest ROI channel
in their marketing mix

68. Business Issues Impacting Digital Marketing
De-centralized
Marketing
Digital
Marketing
Intelligence &
Execution
“Bad” User
Data
‘Blast’ Email
Marketing
Large % of
Inactive Site
Registrants
CMS, Email, CRM, and Analytics
managed in separated
location/platforms
My Account Registration not
collecting marketable user
data
Large portion of users who
haven't logged into My Account
in months
Email Marketing largely executed in blasts
resulting in non-personalized, non-targeted
messaging
68

69. Collaborative Process
FROM IDEA TO EXPERIENCE.
69

70. KPI Identification Process
Strategic
Themes
Business
Objective
Supporting
Marketing
Activity
DMS Goals
Re-engage
inactive
users
Improved
Forms
Form
completion
Product
Purchase
SoundLab
Cymbal
Demos
Awareness
Expand
Global
Reach
Tap Existing
Customers
70

71. 1
pts
5
pts
100 pts
71 COPYRIGHT 2014
50 pts

72. KPI Identification and Scoring

73. Form: Before & After
Updated Z-Club
Member form to reduce
the amount of
information users have
to provide in order to
register.
OLD FORM NEW FORM

74. Email: Before & After
More
manageable,
modular
template with
specific call-to-action.

75. Engagement Plan Strategy
1. Automate flows to reduce marketing
administration
2. Focus on “inactive users”
3. Place users into a drip campaign
focused on getting them to register
4. Personalize communication through
targeted lists and personalized
content modules

76. 76 COPYRIGHT 2014

77. 77 COPYRIGHT 2014
ZILDJIAN SOUND LAB
STATISTICS & CONVERSIONS
Highlights:
• 300% increase in Zclub registrations
• 47% increase in traffic
• Average time on site: 4 Minutes+
• Primary source of all conversions
• Bounce rates below 20%

78. ATTRACT CONVERT ADVOCATE
INITIATE
RADIATE
ALIGN OPTIMIZE
NURTURE ENGAGE
LIFETIME
CUSTOMERS
Technical
Readiness
DMS
Phase
One
SEO &
CRO
SoundLab
DMS
Phase Two
• Modularity
• Page Editor
• Systems
• EA
• Rules
Personalization
• Testing
• On-Page
Optimization
• New Form
Registration
• Interactive
Experience
• Increased
Engagement
• Implicit
Capture
• Automation &
Email
Zildjian’s Path to Lifelong Customers

79. 79
Personalization Next Steps
ASSESS: Determine your readiness – where you are and where you
want to go
DEFINE: Understand and document your goals, users, site,
opportunities, systems, etc.
ROADMAP: Define the short-term and long-term
BUILD: Build the Experience, Train Your Team (Co-development)
AUTOMATE: Automate with the DMS, Use data to optimize

80. THANK YOU!
Q & A
80