Multitrack, behavior-based marketing system

• US 20080033811A1
• Filed: 08/04/2006
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vtrenz, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vtrenz, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Robert E., Hendrickson, James D., Brown, Bryan R., Anderson, Andrea F.
• Application Number:
  US11/499,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033811A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for managing participants of a marketing campaign is disclosed. The method includes generating a marketing campaign with multiple tracks. Each track comprises one or more steps that indicate an activity executed on campaign participants. The method also includes generating segmentation conditions based on natural language statements. Each segmentation condition includes a rule and a time condition. Additionally, the method includes associating a campaign participant from a first track to a second track if behavior information satisfies a segmentation condition. The behavior information includes a response by the campaign participant to an activity indicated by a step in the first track.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing participants of a marketing campaign, the method comprising:

generating a marketing campaign with multiple tracks, wherein each track comprises one or more steps that indicate an activity executed on campaign participants;

generating segmentation conditions based on natural language statements, each segmentation condition comprising a rule and a time condition; and

associating a campaign participant from a first track to a second track if behavior information satisfies a segmentation condition, the behavior information comprising a response by the campaign participant to an activity indicated by a step in the first track.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using profile information for the campaign participant to determine whether to associate the campaign participant from the first track to the second track.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the profile information is selected from a group consisting of contact information, firmagraphic information, demographic information, marketing data collected by third parties, and previous campaign activity data associated with the campaign participant.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the profile information is updated based on an occurrence comprising the campaign participant purchasing a product, a change in company information associated with the campaign participant, or a change in a lifecycle status of the campaign participant.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing information associated with the campaign participant to an external destination if the behavior information or a profile associated with the campaign participant satisfies a rule of a second segmentation condition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the external destination comprises a customer resource management system, an electronic device, or a human contact manager.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity executed on the campaign participants is selected from a group consisting of removing or adding a campaign participant from the marketing campaign, transmitting a communication to a campaign participant, routing a campaign participant from one track to a different track, initiating an external process, and updating profile information associated with a campaign participant.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity executed on the campaign participants comprises a communication of a digital document with variable contents transmitted through a network to the campaign participant.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the natural language statements include conditions based on information selected from a group consisting of website activity by campaign participants, profile information for campaign participants, response behavior by campaign participants, and external marketing data to be used in campaign execution activities.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the behavior information or a profile associated with the campaign participant indicates that the campaign participant initiated a response to an electronic communication including email, a landing page, a web page, a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed, message received by a mobile device, an instant message, or telephone call.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the behavior information or a profile associated with the campaign participant indicates that the campaign participant responded to an online advertisement, a direct-response advertisement, a direct mailing, or participated in a telephone solicitation.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing campaign entry criteria to a profile or behavior information associated with a contact to determine whether the contact should become a participant of the marketing campaign.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving input from a user defining the campaign entry criteria.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the entry criteria comprises natural language statements of conditions to be satisfied.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the comparison is executed at date-based or fixed intervals after the marketing campaign begins.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the segmentation condition further comprises a description of a profile or behavior information for the campaign participants and a track or step to associate the campaign participants with if received profile or received behavior information for the campaign participants corresponds to the description.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the time condition comprises a period in which the response by the campaign participant to an activity should take place, wherein the time condition is relative to a previous step, a current step, a current track date, a campaign, or is relative to a fixed date.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing an exit condition to a profile associated with the campaign participant or the behavior information to determine whether the campaign participant should exit the marketing campaign by being associated with an ending track of the marketing campaign.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising manually inputting the response by the campaign participant to the activity into a database.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising securely transmitting profile or the behavior information associated with the campaign participant to a lead recipient if the profile or behavior information associated with the campaign participant satisfies a lead route condition predefined by a user.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the lead route condition comprises at least one natural language statement of a condition to be satisfied.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the information associated with the campaign participant is transmitted to the lead recipient using an electronic device comprising a facsimile machine, an email device, a cellular telephone, an RSS feed, a web page, or a mobile device.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the lead route condition is compared with the profile or behavior information associated with the campaign participant after the marketing campaign begins.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the lead route condition is compared with the profile or behavior information associated with the campaign participant at predefined time intervals.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein each step comprises a step rule having a rule condition to be satisfied before an associated activity is performed.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the step rule comprises at least one natural language statement of the rule condition to be satisfied.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising receiving from a user input that defines the at least one natural language statement of the rule condition.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising statistically analyzing the behavior information.

29. A system comprising:

a campaign tool for generating a marketing campaign comprising multiple tracks, wherein each track comprises a predefined series of one or more steps, which indicate an activity to be executed on a campaign participant of the marketing campaign;

a design manager for generating a marketing asset used in dynamic communications transmitted to a campaign participant; and

a list manager to generate one or more rules, wherein the rules specify one or more natural language conditions to be satisfied before an activity is executed to the campaign participant.

30. A computer program product tangibly embodied in an information carrier, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, perform operations comprising:

generating a marketing campaign with multiple tracks, wherein each track comprises a series of one or more steps that indicate an activity to be executed on a campaign participant;

associating a campaign participant with a first track;

receiving behavior information based on a response by the campaign participant to the activity indicated by a step in the first track; and

associating the campaign participant with a second track if the behavior information satisfies a routing rule comprising a routing condition and a time condition.