how to personalize the online experience to increase ......control –no real-time messaging 533,925...

How to Personalize the Online Experience to Increase Engagement

Michael ZaneSenior Director Online MarketingPublishers Clearing House

Courtney EckerleManager of Editorial ContentMECLABS

Session speaker

Michael Zane

Senior Director Online Marketing

Publishers Clearing House

Michael Zane has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and online product management. As Senior Director of Online Marketing, Zane is responsible for PCH.com, the flagship site for Publishers Clearing House, which has experienced fast and steady growth over the past few years.

His team has added game mechanics and focused on an engaging customer experience anchored by chances to win as the site has evolved into a true destination site for an enthusiastic customer base.

@mpch

What is PCH.com?

The company calls attention to its products by providing site visitors with chances to win valuable sweepstakes and instant prizes.

• 5 million new registrants per year• More than 5.8 million UVS per

month• Database of more than 10 million

customers

How PCH.com works

Optimization goals

Convert more visitors to customers

Increase the engagement of players

Retention

What is real-time marketing?

Which of the following qualify as real-time marketing?

Personalizingcontent or creativein response tocustomer interactions

76% Respondingto customers inWeb interaction

74% Respondingto trends and specificcurrent events insocial media

68%

Triggered emails

54%Engaging withprospects + customerson social media withcontent and offers

49%Mobile appswith geofencing

42%Live website chat

66%

36% mobile communications such as SMS

5% other

Personalize experiences

1. Define the personas that visit your site

2. Identify visitor’s persona based on behavior

3. Determine challenge for personas

4. Engage visitor based on their persona and challenge

Defining PCH.com personas

Engaged visitor

Unengaged visitorCustomers who had visited two or more times, but had not yet played a game or entered a sweepstakes

Customers who had played one or more instant win or sweepstakes

Discovering how to reach our unengaged visitors

Experiment 1.1: Engaging with a top banner

Objective: To convert unengaged visitors into engaged customers.

Primary Research Question: Will a simple, but attention-grabbing, header convince unengaged visitors to play a game?

Test Design: A/B split test

Experiment Research Notes:

Test Design: Runs for 7 days

Unengaged repeat visitor

Message drops from top after 2-second delay

PCH.com: Control

Hey there, Speedy! Don’t leave yet! We have winners every day, MichaelB – Play now and you could be one of them!

Unengaged message variations

Hey there, Speedy! Don’t leave yet! We have winners every day, [username] – play now and you could be one of them!

FREE Money! Daily WINNERS Guaranteed! [username], how can you say no?

Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No, it’s [username] coming and going SO FAST! Slow down & play awhile – it could win you BIG CASH!

Money! Money! Money! We’re giving it away, [username] – Play Now!

We saw you left without playing last time, [username]. Don’t you want to win?

Don’t leave without playing our $2,500.00 Instant Win Scratch Cards, [username]! A BIG WIN could be just a few clicks away!

36% lift in engaged usersCompared to the control

Engaging the Unengaged: Results

Initial test shows strong results, but they are only valuable if it can be repeated.

Size % Engaged

Control – No real-time messaging 152,634 14%

Treatment – Real-time messaging with in-line banner 273,198 19%

Lift 36%

!

Experiment 1.2: Engaging with pop-up

Objective: To convert unengaged visitors into engaged customers using a different presentation of the messaging.

Primary Research Question: Can we improve on results of round 1 by using a pop-up instead of a banner?





Message pops up in the center after 2-second delay

-1.3% decrease in engaged usersCompared to the control

Experiment 1.2 Results

Experiment 1.2 wasn’t working, so it was stopped after four days.

Size % Engaged

Control – No real-time messaging 94,270 20.8%

Treatment – Real-time messaging with lightbox pop-up 118,977 20.5%

Lift -1.3%

!

Why did this test fail?

Objective: To convert unengaged visitors into engaged customers.

Primary Research Question: Can the results from the first test be repeated?

Test Design: A/B split test to validate the results of the first test





Message drops from top after 2-second delay

Hey there, Speedy! Don’t leave yet! We have winners every day, MichaelB – play now and you could be one of them!

Unengaged visitor message variations

Hey there, Speedy! Don’t leave yet! We have winners every day, [username] – play now and you could be one of them!

FREE Money! Daily WINNERS Guaranteed! [username], how can you say no?

Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No, it’s [username] coming and going SO FAST! Slow down & play awhile – it could win you BIG CASH!

Money! Money! Money! We’re giving it away, [username] – Play Now!

We saw you left without playing last time, [username]. Don’t you want to win?

Don’t leave without playing our $2,500.00 Instant Win Scratch Cards, [username]! A BIG WIN could be just a few clicks away!

15% lift in engaged usersCompared to the control


The header worked so well that we let it run for another 16 days.

Size % Engaged

Control – No real-time messaging 279,135 21%

Treatment – Real-time messaging with in-line banner 413,134 24%

Lift 15%

!

Keeping our visitors engaged

Objective: To increase engagement of current and engaged visitors.

Primary Research Question: Will a simple, but attention-grabbing, header convince current players to play more games?





Engaged repeat customer and game player

Message drops from the top after 2-second delay

As an active player, we know you want to win, MichaelB! Don’t forget to go for your $10,000 Bonus Today!

Engaged visitor message variations

As an active player, we know you want to win, [username]! Don’t forget to go for your $10,000.00 Bonus Today!

We’re glad to see you back again today, [username]! A smart player like you knows what it takes to WIN BIG – Keep it up!

Get your game on in a big way today, [username]! Go for big prizes with our Instant-Win Games and you could win a serious fortune!

Want to win big cash, [username]? Make sure you play ALL our Instant-Win Scratch-offs for your shot at $1,000.00 or even $2,500.00 right on the spot!

Did you know that we have winners every day, [username]? Keep playing like you do and you could be one of them!

That $10,000.00 Bonus could be yours today, [username]! Go for it now!

40% lift in games playedCompared to the control


Engaged visitors playing 40% more is game-changing. This experiment was extended from one week to one month.

Size Avg. Plays

Control – No real-time messaging 206,257 15.5 games

Treatment – Real-time messaging with in-line banner 517,579 22 games

Lift 41%

!

Objective: To increase engagement of already-engaged visitors.

Primary Research Question: Will a “bubble” message work as well as the top banner messaging to convince current players to play more games?

Test Design: A/B/C split test


Experiment 2.2: Engaging with real-time messaging


Messages pop up in the center after 2-second delay

Already-engaged visitor

Treatment 2: Real-time messaging with bubble pop-up

Treatment 1: Real-time messaging with in-line banner

Experiment 2.2: Engaging with real-time messaging

18% lift in games playedCompared to the control


Multiple messaging options to increase engagement from engaged users is crucial.

Size Avg. Plays

Control – No real-time messaging 533,925 19.4 games

Treatment 1 – Real-time messaging with in-line banner 913,561 23 games

Treatment 2 – Real-time messaging with bubble pop-up 928,338 23 games

Lift Versus Control 18%

!

43% Lift in Time on Site46% Lift in Total Engagement

Overall results of real-time optimization efforts

12% Lift in Revenue per 1,000 Visitors

Overall results of real-time optimization efforts

Key takeaways

Real-time marketing doesn’t have to be complex

Focus messaging to be customer-centric

Let personas drive your testing

Thank you

Michael Zane

Publishers Clearing House

www.pch.com

@mpch

Courtney Eckerle

MECLABS

@CourtneyEckerle

how to personalize the online experience to increase ......control –no real-time messaging 533,925...

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