3-Piece Suit: Scoring, Scripting, Personalization
Note: This article is expands on a previous post. Read that content here to find out more about setting up a personalization scoring model.
You have a bucket of highly engaged prospects. How do you get them over the finish line? If you're using a personalization scoring model in tandem with velocity scripting, you can create highly engaging relevant interactions using dynamic content.
What’s personalization scoring?
It’s a scoring program based on your product/service categories. Prospects increase their scores through their interactions with your business. The program should also leverage the data you collect from internal modeling and/or any 3rd party data. This helps to fuel your scoring program in a more complete way.
What's velocity scripting?
Velocity scripting is a language built on java. You're able to use velocity to create complex segments for your audience. Within your velocity script, these segments determine how a person qualifies for certain versions of copy/creative/CTAs within your content.
These criteria can be based on a variety of profile attributes and can be changed quickly and easily. Velocity also allows you to access information housed in custom objects, and format data that may not exist in a friendly format. To find more information about velocity scripting visit the Marketo developer documents. Or search for "Marketo Velocity".
What's dynamic content?
Dynamic content is a mechanism used to change something based on some criteria. Let's say we know Jeff likes giraffes, Malik likes manatees, and Surabhi likes sea turtles.
With dynamic content we can send a single email to all three. Each can have different imagery, copy, and CTAs based on things we know about each person.
You can create dynamic content within Marketo by using dynamic content blocks on your asset, or by using velocity script tokens. Standard dynamic content blocks run based on segmentations set up in your database module. Dynamic content blocks based on velocity script utilize script tokens that are created within your program and nested within the asset.
Why not just use standard segmentations?
I'm glad you asked. Using segmentations within Marketo for dynamic content is a great option for basic use cases. However there are several drawbacks:
Can't use custom object data without some very cumbersome processes to manage static lists that can be used in your segmentations.
You can't do score comparisons, so you must have development work done to analyze and process scoring data to give you a read on the product category most interesting to the lead.
The lag between the calculations being computed, and then made available for your use, could be an issue.
You have a finite number of segmentations in your instance and creating very niche and specific segmentations for particular campaigns can be problematic for organizations with a high volume of activity in Marketo.
Putting it together.
With a personalized scoring model you can leverage velocity scripting to deliver dynamic content, creative, and CTA elements tailored to each person's profile attributes.
Use a single email/page to deliver fundamentally different experiences to your Mid funnel CIO interested in Cybersecurity, and your bottom funnel VP of Operations interested in manufacturing efficiency.
How do you pull it off?
Scoring programs tied to service/product categories.
Use your scoring programs to identify the products/services most relevant to individuals. Some scoring can be done easily with smart campaigns. Other scoring events may require additional technical work.
2. A) Development work to pull the scoring data for comparison to determine a leading category.
AND/OR
2. B) Scripting methodology in your email assets to leverage the scoring model
Use your existing skills, upskill, or leverage the help of a more technical resource to write and test your scripts.
Scripting may eliminate the need for the development work for score comparisons.
3. Strategy for deploying segmentations or scripts for your various assets.
4. Record keeping to analyze trends and adjust.
This is another crucial piece of the process. Log your results to help understand how your scoring methodology is working and where there could be areas to improve.
The overall setup for this is not terribly complicated, but it takes time and coordination depending on the path you take (2A or 2B) and your resources/skills.
Want to take it up another notch? Combine personalization scoring with things like personalized nurture cadence, and dynamic content to help create a cohesive flow of marcom that is laser-focused on the interests of your audience.