Real-Time Marketing
 By David Rosendahl, co-founder/executive vice president of client services, MindFireInc.

How much does a quick turnaround on leads really impact ROI? A comprehensive lead response management survey from MIT and InsideSales.com tells us that the odds are 21 times greater of qualifying a Web-based lead if it’s responded to in five minutes vs. 30 minutes.

But it’s not just about quickly getting a prospective customer to pick up the phone while his or her interest is piqued. You also have to engage the individual in a meaningful and relevant discussion within moments of browsing your Web site, landing pages, or microsites.

Thanks to the latest real-time data software, the information you need to do just that is at your fingertips. Every generated lead can include additional details about the individual’s interest, the pages they’ve previously viewed, and the marketing that drove them online, such as a direct mail piece with a personalized URL.

The ability to provide a fast and meaningful response is only one benefit of the new technology. Monitoring data in real time also allows you to test, track, and tweak performance as it unfolds. Rather than waiting until the end of the campaign, you can spot trouble areas and make improvements on the fly.

As an added bonus — because some elements of a real-time, cross-media campaign can be modified as they unfold — things don’t have to be “perfect” in order to launch a campaign. This lets marketing managers create campaigns that become more streamlined, and increasingly more effective, as time goes on.

Real-time data helped us convert prospects to customers at a recent event. We held a gathering for our user community, friends, and the press at the PRINT 09 trade show in Chicago. Two hours before it began, our marketing team reviewed the latest RSVP figures — pulled in real time from the campaign dashboard. Noting the frantic nature of the show, we decided to send a text message to all who had responded, reminding them of the event, location, and time.

This approach worked extremely well for us, as the event yielded more new clients than any previous year. In this economic environment, taking advantage of real-time data proved instrumental in maximizing our ROI, and it can do the same for you.

---Source: Deliver^® Magazine March 2010 issue (www.delivermagazine.com). Deliver Magazine is copyrighted by the USPS®. David Rosendahl is co-founder and executive vice president of client services for MindFireInc. (mindfireinc.com).