Campaign Management Tools: A Primer

New software can put the edge on your marketing strategy

What are campaign management tools? What do they do, and who needs them?

Campaign management consists of planning, executing, tracking and analyzing marketing programs. In the broadest sense, these tools – marketing software of various types – can be applied to all advertising and marketing efforts, both inbound and outbound. Mostly, however, they’re used for tracking outbound direct marketing campaigns.

Some examples of these products include Exchange Applications’ Valex client/server software, which automates campaign planning, among other functions; Siebel Systems Inc./Paragren Technologies’ One-by-One integrated software suite, which helps marketers execute targeted customer acquisition and retention strategies; and Prime Response Inc.’s Prime @Vantage.com, a Web-based marketing automation suite.

These tools generally provide the following functions:

– Query and analysis, to define groups of customers or distinct audiences based on specific criteria. Campaign software packages vary greatly in terms of the functions they provide. All allow for simple queries to define campaign audiences. Beyond this, many of these tools rely on third-party online analytical processing software for audience definition and data exploration.

– Planning capabilities, to define campaigns using historical performance, anticipated costs and revenue, forecasted profitability and other elements. These campaigns can range from simple direct mail efforts to intricate multichannel, multistep, event-driven initiatives.

– Records selection, to help choose customer records for the campaign. Random sampling and the ability to specify the exact data quantities desired are two examples of what these tools can do. Most of these packages offer records selection using projected sales or response data. They also allow a campaign planner to schedule multistage initiatives on a regular basis, or to choose an effort that’s triggered by dates, customer behavior or any combination of factors.

– Campaign tracking and analysis, to measure an effort’s performance by such key elements as test and control groups or customer segments.

Some may say that these software features and functions have always been necessary for campaign management, and that they always were available. This is only true, however, if your company has had access to a custom-developed marketing database or a proprietary outsourced marketing database.

Distinguishing Features

The new campaign management tools are distinguished by:

– An open systems architecture that’s compliant with Microsoft’s Open Database Connectivity programming interface. (ODBC provides a common language for Windows applications to access databases on a network.) Such campaign management packages generally work with a standard relational database that runs independently of the software.

– Sophisticated functions. These software packages have introduced automation to multistep campaigns and trigger-based marketing programs, and they have helped refine campaign planning methods.

For one or both of these reasons, campaign management tools may represent a better option for many.

But Who Needs Them?

Still, these packages aren’t for everyone. Licensing costs tend to be high compared with those for traditional marketing software. Ask yourself these questions to help determine your needs:

– What are the frequency and volume of your marketing programs? How much of an improvement will need to be made in these programs to justify the expense?

– How complex are these promotions? Would they ever involve multiple contacts or trigger-based events?

– How many groups will be implementing these marketing programs? How many users need access to this system?

– Do you have an open systems marketing database that will have to be accessed by the campaign management application? If so, what kind of shape is this system in? If not – or if your system is in questionable condition – are you willing to upgrade it so the campaign software can function properly?

Other Options

If your organization doesn’t have the activity or resources to justify the expense of such a tool, there are other options available. Remember, campaign management is required of any database marketing activity. If you’re lacking an adequate solution, you may consider:

– Outsourcing to a service bureau that has the appropriate marketing software. Some offer proprietary applications; through partnerships with developers of campaign management tools, others provide the same features and functions at prices that can cut start-up costs.

– Developing campaign management features and functions in-house. It’s likely you’d have only a portion of what the commercial tools offer, but that may be all you need.

– Continuing to rely on information technology specialists for the actual selection functions, but developing your own PC-based budgeting, planning and tracking capability. This can be something as simple as linked spreadsheets, although a tool such as Microsoft Access will enable you to design a front end with a graphical user interface and also more readily create import/export routines for interacting with your operating systems. Both experienced and inexperienced marketing organizations rely on and advocate each of these approaches.

The bottom line is that there’s no “right” answer for campaign management. These tools are a fairly new alternative that have moved the marketing, planning, tracking and analysis process to new heights.