By Bonny Georgia
Whether you're campaigning online or off, marketing efforts fall into two major categories - strategies that build brand awareness and tactics that drive potential customers to take action, like registering for a service, using a coupon, or purchasing a product.
Performics is an ASP-based online marketing service focused on customer lead generation and acquisition. While the majority of online campaign services place banner ads or send e-mail messages to customers and charge fees based on the number of people clicking on them (whether people respond or not), Performics operates on a pay-for-performance model. A sophisticated back-end monitoring system called ConnectCommerce tracks the post-click activity of each message recipient, ensuring that you pay only for those ad impressions that get the results you want.
Three separate services can be used independently or combined to reach customers with your marketing campaign. The first is iConnect, which places specially tagged banner ads, text message pop-ups, and loyalty marketing promotions on high traffic Web sites that match the offer you're making. For example, a coupon for 20 percent off fly-fishing gear might be placed as a banner ad on a site for fishing enthusiasts. With a network of over 40,000 partner sites to place advertising with, chances are you'll find several that are a good fit, and because Performics makes high volume ad buys, discounts are passed along to you. Fees are based on the cost of the ad placement with the partner site, plus a cost per transaction - the more involved or valuable the customer response, the higher the fee. Typical transaction fees range from $1 to $40. Nothing is charged if customers click ads without following through to the activity level you've negotiated with Performics, or if recipients ignore the message altogether.
The second piece of the Performics suite is iDirect, a direct mail tool that allows e-mail prospecting of over 100 million people who've opted in to receive special online offers. As with iConnect, Performics matches your offer to the opt-in customers most likely to respond and mails your specially coded promotion only to them. You pay the cost of renting the mailing list names plus any associated cost-per-performance fees for successful leads.
The third marketing tool is iSearch. This service combines search engine submission optimization with paid premium link placement in major online directories. Performics automates the upload, bidding for, and updating of keywords on directories like Overture. Marketing consultants also help tweak your site's copy and assist with developing keyword strategies that keep your pages listed at the top of the most highly trafficked search engines. Again, fees are based on the cost of the premium link placement plus transaction costs.
Whether you use one service or all three, one of Performics' experienced account management executives manages your day to day media buys so you don't have to. These consultants also ensure that campaigns are successful by assisting with copywriting, ad design, and offer development. When appropriate, account managers can even negotiate new affiliate and partner relationships on your behalf.
Once your campaigns are launched, monitoring the success of different ads is done through a convenient Web browser interface. From any Web browser you can run up to the minute campaign reports, track the response rates for different advertisements, and determine ROI on the fly.
Who's Using It:
Bose, Gevalia, Eddie Bauer, Hammacher-Schlemmer
Fees, Costs, Etc.
$5,000 to $10,000 to set up the service plus negotiated performance based fees for the services you choose. Alternatively, Performics offers a revenue sharing model, which charges between four and 10 percent of the revenue generated by each transaction resulting from a Performics marketing effort.
Overall:
An integrated, ASP-based campaign management solution, Performics gives you the power to reach out to Internet savvy customers with targeted banner ads and e-mail promotions, in an affordable pay-for-performance format. Real time reporting tools and access to experienced online marketing consultants keep your campaigns on track and customers coming back for more.
Pros: Total outsourcing and automation of your e-marketing efforts that doesn't cost a fortune.
Cons: Setup fees are a bit steep for smaller businesses.
| At-a-Glance Features |
| Product/Company |
Performics |
| Rating (Out of five) |
 |
| URL |
http://www.performics.com |
| Fees |
$5000 to $10000 setup, plus performance-based transaction fees ranging from a few cents to several dollars per lead. |
| System Requirements |
Web browser |
| Platforms |
N/A |
| Review Summary |
An integrated, ASP-based campaign management solution, Performics gives you the power to reach Internet savvy customers with targeted banner ads and e-mail promotions, in an affordable pay-for-performance format. Real time reporting tools and the assistance of experienced online marketing consultants keep your campaigns on track and customers in your sights. |
Reprinted from eCRM Guide.
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