Category number: 15. Category name: Best lead nurturing. Campaign name: O2 Reduced Cost and Complexity. Agency: The Marketing Practice.

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1 Category number: 15 Category name: Best lead nurturing Campaign name: O2 Reduced Cost and Complexity Agency: The Marketing Practice Client: O2 Word count: 1,181

2 Summary The Reduced Cost and Complexity (RCC) campaign was designed to establish O2 as a leader in joined up communications. In anticipation of its planned joint venture with 2e2, O2 wanted to further establish its credentials as a partner who could integrate customers communications with complex IT and deliver joined up communications. After analysis of both market and customer data that helped identify the biggest potential opportunities, solidify the key messages and develop an approach that reflected the audiences buying cycle, a maturity model approach was chosen as the most effective way to engage the target audience. This research-based interactive model would give the audience opportunity to assess their communication maturity through a series of short questions and receive a personalised report outlining key recommendations of how to improve from their current situation. Further communications were built around the model, using s, direct mails and phone contact to create new levels of engagement and secure sales opportunities with O2. Over four months of campaigning, 57 leads have been generated, with a pipeline value of between 27.5m and 33m [Figures confidential and not for public domain]. Word count of 7

3 Client Bought in 2006 by Telefonica, O2 is well-known as a mobile provider to both consumers and businesses. O2 s Enterprise division targets organisations with 2,000 plus employees offering everything required to keep a business connected from a fixed, mobile, voice, data and technology perspective. Following the recent joint venture with 2e2, O2 s customers are now able to outsource their IT and communication needs to a single provider, helping to join up communications and reduce costs by up to 30%. Strategy O2 wants to establish itself as the integrated communications supplier of choice for business and the public sector, to significantly increase its market share. Reducing cost and complexity are key priorities for senior decision makers, and supplier consolidation is seen as one of the best ways to address these issues. However, in a competitive market, developing marketing messages on these themes and making them distinct and compelling was a challenge. It was important to form a dual strategy for customers and prospects, which recognised the specific requirements of organisations looking for a solution immediately and those where renewal dates and budgets were further down the line and just needed useful content and to understand where they should be heading. The first stage of the campaign was to develop and segment the data to help O2 pinpoint where to focus sales and marketing effort. A matrix was created comparing each industry by its potential spend (the size of the opportunity in real terms) versus the industries fit with O2, in terms of both brand and propositions. Further work was then done by The Marketing Practice (TMP) to identify contract end dates to identify more immediate opportunities and those organisations that would benefit from a longer term nurturing approach. This allowed a tiered approach to the campaigning with each audience getting treatments in line with the size and fit of the potential opportunity. Given the audience would be at varying points in a long-sales cycle, Reduced Cost and Complexity was designed as a long-term, lead nurturing campaign. All elements of the campaign were geared to education and to driving a close relationship, constantly underlining O2 s authority, understanding and willingness to help and share information. Objectives The key objectives from O2 were to create an ongoing pipeline of leads and appointments that would amount to 167 leads over 12 months. 3 of 7

4 Target audience All communications decision makers, particularly IT Directors, Telecoms and Network Managers. Media, timescales and budgets TMP s approach was to create a communications maturity model, which would help O2 discuss organisations communications needs with real authority, fulfil the brand reputation for helpfulness, and provide prospects with information and tools they could really use. A survey of over 300 businesses was commissioned, from which a simple-to-use website was created; this site enabled visitors to produce a personalised report into their own communications along with suggested next steps, and handles key objections to joined-up communications transition. Personalised report Microsite 4 of 7

5 This was only the beginning: the campaign integrated elements from research and data through to telemarketing and ongoing collaboration with O2 sales teams. Because it was planned from the beginning as a complete entity, the campaign functions smoothly from initial contact to telemarketing follow-up. The integrated and tiered nature of the campaign ensures that there is no wasted effort and every contact is developed in the best way. As the campaign evolves, the different elements combine to make a complete business case for change, meaning leads are nurtured and qualified more effectively and only the best contacts are driven through the last stages of the lead funnel. The ongoing nurture calling is designed to support long-term sales engagement and qualify in depth before handing a sales-ready opportunity to O2. TMP also manages integration with O2 s salesforce.com platform and constantly enhances the data and contact intelligence. To ensure continuous improvement, weekly calls with the sales team take place with TMP and O2 where lead intelligence and lead quality are discussed. Sales pipeline can also be tracked through this process to ensure the ongoing return on investment of every programme. This is an integrated, end-to-end campaign (it includes everything from DM, and telemarketing to social media). It is helping to position O2 as the communications supplier that works hardest to tackle its customers pressing business challenges. Both lead generation and lead nurturing are creating a significant sales pipeline to improve O2 s market share, and giving sales teams the material to ensure that pipeline turns into new revenue. 5 of 7

6 Timescales and budgets The RCC campaign began in November 2010 and is set to run until December This award submission focused on activity and deliverables between the qualified period of November 2010 and April The overall cost of the campaign is estimated to be 95,000. Results [Confidential: Not for public domain] At writing, the campaign is on schedule in terms of leads created and TMP has also been able to demonstrate a significant contribution to O2 s pipeline: 6 of 7

7 57 leads have been delivered over 4 months of campaigning Average lead size is 500, ,000 Meaning a potential sales pipeline of between 27.5 and 33 million Plus 90 nurtures (suspects who have expressed positive interest but who remain with TMP for nurturing before handover to O2 sales teams) Customer click through average 23.34% Prospect click-through average 15.76% (Initial achieved 36% click through) Client testimonial Thanks to The Marketing Practice s sales-savvy approach, we re re-positioning O2 in the market as a joined-up-communications provider. TMP s understanding of the sales cycle, plus a hands-on approach to delivery has already shown results on the Reduced Cost and Complexity campaign and will continue to help make our vision for sales-aligned marketing a reality. Zoe Frost, head of Enterprise marketing execution, Telefonica UK Quotes from sales people captured as part of sales feedback process: This was a fantastic lead well done! Sukhi Gill (Public Sector) I was very impressed with the amount of information and the value of the opportunity Rebecca Tully (Manufacturing) A very good lead well done TMP and more please! Peter Jeffry (Financial Services) Word count of 7