Closing the Loop Between Online and Offline Conversions

1

Closing the Loop Between Online and Offline
Conversions
2
Company Background

• Assurant (AIZ) -- 25 billion in assets 7
  billion in annual revenue 12,000 employees
• Assurant Health
• In Business since 1892
• Individual Medical
• Small Group
• Short Term Medical
• Student Medical Insurance
• HSAs
• Sold via
• 200,000 local agents
• National Accounts
• Direct to Consumer Channel

3
Situational Background

• Short Term Medical Insurance
• Sold Online and via Phone Customer Advisors
• The Issue Determining the Allowable
• The Debate Paid Search generates phone activity
  but difficult to quantify -- until

4
Cross-Conversions From Anecdotal to Proof

• Test Scenario
• Sept. 2004
• Launch Test -- Direct Marketing of Individual
  Medical Insurance
• Issue
• Overlapping keyword phrases STM vs. IM
• Plan
• Pause overlapping STM Paid Search campaign for
  1-Month -- 85 of anticipated online sales

5
Cross-Conversions The Proof

• Results
• As expected -- STM Online sales declined
• Less expected -- STM calls dropped approx. 60
• Action Taken
• Planned 30 day pause in STM Paid Search campaign
  cancelled after 10 days

6
Implications for Current Initiatives

• Individual Medical Paid Search Campaign
• Previously
• Optimization done on limited data set online
  apps only
• CPA calculated using an attribution of all
  phone-based apps
• Solution Keyword Level Phone Tracking
• Created 207 Unique Marketing Event IDs/target
  urls/phone numbers 80 of Paid Search Volume
• Whether the sale occurs online or via phone
  unique event ID attributes the app to a specific
  marketing event
• Results
• More comprehensive CPA and ROI tracking
• Enhanced campaign optimization

7
TIPS

• Start Somewhere You Dont Need the Complete
  Solution
• Make tracking/buy-management as granular as you
  can
• Specific Ideas in Declining Order of Impact
• Assign unique 800s to top performing keywords,
  by engine, and code your site to maintain this
  throughout all user sessions or try one of the
  new call tracking solutions caution, these
  wont fit everyone
• Create Buckets -- Assign unique 800s to keyword
  groups within each engine
• Track by Engine -- Setup unique landing pages
  corresponding to unique 800s per engine

8
Final Advice

• Adopt Testing as a Way of Life
• Test Call Tracking via internal setup, or via
  call track vendors
• Test Pay Per Call Advertising
• Media is Evolving Evolve with it or Be Left
  Behind