How Mature is Your Digital Experience?

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Quiz Questions

1.
Which option best describes your paid search marketing efforts?
- A.
  We do not currently engage in any paid search marketing.
- B.
  We engage in very limited paid search marketing.
- C.
  We engage in paid search marketing but do very little to adjust/optimize the campaign(s).
- D.
  We engage in paid search marketing and regularly make adjustments to optimize our campaign(s).
- E.
  We engage in paid search marketing and regularly make adjustments to optimize our campaign(s) including continuous testing of ad creative, targeting ad creative and bid strategies and beta SEM products.
2.
How would you describe your on-site/on-page search engine marketing (SEO) activities?
- A.
  We don’t engage in any SEO activities.
- B.
  We engage in limited SEO activities (e.g. ensuring each page has a title and a description).
- C.
  We engage in moderate SEO activities (e.g. ensuring each page has metadata, images have alt tags, headlines incorporate keywords, etc.)
- D.
  We engage in continuous SEO activities (e.g. keyword research, mapping keywords to pages, using a relevant directory structure, etc.)
- E.
  We engage in more advanced SEO activities (e.g. defining a content strategy that includes strategic SEO considerations, monitoring and improving page speed, minifying code, reducing the amount of JavaScript on pages, etc.)
3.
Do you currently engage in any experimentation on your website and landing pages?
- A.
  No, we do not do any A/B testing.
- B.
  Yes, we have done some A/B testing but not very much.
- C.
  Yes, we have a centralized experimentation program and consistently engage in A/B testing.
- D.
  Yes, we have a decentralized experimentation program with product management consistently running A/B tests and supported by a Center of Excellence.
4.
Do you currently engage in any personalization on your website and landing pages?
- A.
  No, we do not do any personalization.
- B.
  Yes, we have done some personalization but not very much.
- C.
  Yes, we consistently engage in personalization based on website behavior and other external data points.
- D.
  Yes, we consistently engage in personalization based on website behavior, other external data points, and leveraging internal data, such as from our CRM.
5.
Do you send emails to your existing database?
- A.
  No, we don’t have a database.
- B.
  No, we have a database but don’t send emails, at least not very often.
- C.
  Yes, we send emails to our prospective and past customers/clients on a regular basis.
- D.
  Yes, we send emails to our prospective and past customers/clients on a regular basis, including experimentation on multiple elements of the deployment and the email.
- E.
  Yes, we send emails to our prospective and past customers/clients on a regular basis - including experimentation on multiple elements of the deployment and the email - where the emails have dynamic elements tied to the subscriber’s preferences and/or behavior.
6.
Do you have any automated email campaigns?
- A.
  No, we do not have any automated emails (aside from confirmation emails)
- B.
  Yes, just some basic campaigns e.g. when people sign up for emails or 'abandon cart'.
- C.
  Yes, multiple campaigns based on site actions and site behavior.
- D.
  Yes, multiple campaigns based on site actions, site behavior, purchase history, etc. and with dynamic content based on site actions, site behavior, and/or CRM data.
7.
Which of the following options best describes your use of customer relationship management (CRM)?
- A.
  We do not currently do any CRM.
- B.
  We use a CRM platform but have not made any customizations for our business needs and goals.
- C.
  We use a CRM platform with a number of customizations for our business needs and goals.
- D.
  We use a CRM platform with a number of customizations for our business needs and goals, including integrations with other key systems (e.g. customer data platform, data warehouse, point of sale system, etc.)
8.
Which of the following options best describes your use of social media?
- A.
  We do not have any presence on any social media channel.
- B.
  We have a presence in social media but rarely post.
- C.
  We have a presence in social media and post on a regular basis.
- D.
  We have a presence in social media and post on a regular basis according to a defined strategy and/or calendar.
- E.
  We have a presence in social media post based on our defined strategy and calendar. In addition, we have predefined governance and allow prospective and past customers/clients to post, and we interact with them on a regular basis.
9.
Which of the following options best describes your current digital analytics configuration?
- A.
  We use a free analytics tool with no or very few custom configurations.
- B.
  We use a free analytics tool with a number of custom configurations, including the use of custom variables.
- C.
  We use an analytics tool (free and/or low-cost) with a number of custom configurations, including the use of custom variables and event tracking, leveraging a tag manager.
- D.
  We use an enterprise analytics tool which requires custom configuration and event tracking as part of the implementation process and leveraging a tag manager.
10.
Do you currently track your advertising and email campaigns in your primary web analytics tool(s) using a tracking convention (URL parameters)?
- A.
  No, we do not place tracking on our advertising and email links.
- B.
  No. We sometimes or often place tracking on our advertising and email links but there is no defined convention.
- C.
  Yes, we consistently place tracking on our advertising and email links following a predefined convention.
- D.
  Yes, we consistently place tracking on our advertising and email links following a predefined convention that is centrally managed (possibly with dynamically generated links).

Quiz Outcomes

1.
You have an Early Stage organization.
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What is this going to tell me? Your digital experience is how the vast majority of your customers perceive their journey with you. In its simplest form, that customer journey is a snapshot of the entire customer experience starting from the customer’s first interaction with your organization and brand and every interaction thereafter. How well are you doing in managing that journey? What does "Early Stage" mean? Based on your results, your business is lacking critical digital strategies and tactics and could be at serious risk of decreased revenue, increased cost, and a lack of customer loyalty. The customer journey must be catered to and nurtured vigilantly. This means a simultaneous focus on touchpoint optimization and the journey at large. And because customers, product offerings, and touchpoints change and evolve, this means you must continually update your understanding of how customers navigate across touchpoints and move through the journey. Today, your organization seems to lack the foundation to effectively link and measure these touchpoints. Without that foundation, you are not in a position to build a modern digital practice. This makes it nearly impossible to meaningfully drive results that meet your long-term business goals. This could lead to the following consequences: High costs of customer acquisition (or a lack of customer acquisition i.e. opportunity losses) Low online and/or offline conversion rates Low customer retention rates Low CSAT and NPS scores, from a lack of customer and business intelligence Reduced customer lifetime value, cash flow, and profit What should I do next? Your primary focus should be on building a foundation that allows you to target your potential customers and measure their activity, from acquisition to conversion and through to retention. Start with a process of discovery, diagnosis, and solution design to begin addressing your critical needs. To help get you started, download the free ebook: “A Guidebook for the Considered Purchase Journey”.
2.
You have a Developing Stage organization.
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What is this going to tell me? Your digital experience is how the vast majority of your customers perceive their journey with you. In its simplest form, that customer journey is a snapshot of the entire customer experience starting from the customer’s first interaction with your organization and brand and every interaction thereafter. How well are you doing in managing that journey? What does "Developing Stage" mean? Based on your results, your business is missing key digital strategies and tactics and could be at risk of decreased revenue, increased cost, and a lack of customer loyalty. The customer journey must be catered to and nurtured vigilantly. This means a simultaneous focus on touchpoint optimization and the journey at large. And because customers, product offerings, and touchpoints change and evolve, this means you must continually update your understanding of how customers navigate across touchpoints and move through the journey. Today, your organization seems to have a good foundation, but lacks a framework to effectively link and measure these touchpoints. Without that framework, you are not in a position to iterate. It is these necessary iterations that will lead you to an ever-evolving digital experience and, therefore, improved results in meeting your business goals. This could lead to the following consequences: Higher costs of customer acquisition Lower online and/or offline conversion rates Lower customer retention rates Lower CSAT and NPS scores, from a lack of customer and business intelligence Reduced customer lifetime value, cash flow, and profit What should I do next? Your primary focus should be on building a framework that allows you to target your potential customers and experiment with more effective efforts, from acquisition to conversion and through to retention. Start with a process of discovery, diagnosis, and solution design to begin addressing your critical needs. To help get you started, download the free ebook: “A Guidebook for the Considered Purchase Journey”.
3.
You have a Maturing Stage organization.
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What is this going to tell me? Your digital experience is how the vast majority of your customers perceive their journey with you. In its simplest form, that customer journey is a snapshot of the entire customer experience starting from the customer’s first interaction with your organization and brand and every interaction thereafter. How well are you doing in managing that journey? What does "Maturing Stage" mean? Based on your results, your business is lacking an enterprise-wide culture of learning and experimentation and, as a result, could be at risk of decreased revenue, increased cost, and a lack of customer loyalty. The customer journey must be catered to and nurtured vigilantly. This means a simultaneous focus on touchpoint optimization and the journey at large. And because customers, product offerings, and touchpoints change and evolve, this means you must continually update your understanding of how customers navigate across touchpoints and move through the journey. Today, your organization seems to have a good foundation and framework, but lacks an enterprise commitment to ensure every part of the organization is innovating. In Lean thinking, the goal is not just to learn, but to learn faster. It is not only the existence but also the speed of the build/measure/learn feedback loop that moves an organization from maturing to leading. This could lead to the following consequences: Suboptimal customer lifetime value Higher operating costs Reduced cash flow Lower profit margins What should I do next? Your primary focus should be on building a culture of experimentation in the organization. A digital team can be a great asset in leading this effort. Begin by getting buy-in by leadership, starting with an executive sponsor, perhaps yourself, to lead the charge. Resources like the Harvard Business Review article, “Building a Culture of Experimentation” by Professor Stefan Thomke of the Harvard Business School will help. If you don’t already have a subscription to HBR and aren’t interested in one (and you should get one), reach out to Smart Panda Labs at labtech@smartpandalabs.com and we will gift you a copy, no strings attached.
4.
You have a Leading Stage organization.
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What is this going to tell me? Your digital experience is how the vast majority of your customers perceive their journey with you. In its simplest form, that customer journey is a snapshot of the entire customer experience starting from the customer’s first interaction with your organization and brand and every interaction thereafter. How well are you doing in managing that journey? What does "Leading Stage" mean? Based on your results, the possible lack of investment in your people could put your business at risk of decreased revenue, increased cost, and a lack of customer loyalty. The customer journey must be catered to and nurtured vigilantly. This means a simultaneous focus on touchpoint optimization and the journey at large. And because customers, product offerings, and touchpoints change and evolve, this means you must continually update your understanding of how customers navigate across touchpoints and move through the journey. Today, your organization seems to have a great foundation and framework as well as an enterprise-wide commitment to drive experimentation and innovation. Now you must invest in the people that fuel and drive what has been built—or risk losing it. Do your teams feel valued? Do they feel you are consistently investing in them? And do you hold a high and uncompromising standard for new team members? Without that investment, your business could face the following consequences: Suboptimal customer lifetime value Higher operating costs Reduced cash flow Lower profit margins Compromised stock prices Lower business valuation What should I do next? You should focus on building an organization that people don’t want to leave and of which everyone wants to be a part of. That kind of organization attracts and keeps A players, who will fuel enterprise growth. Experts like Jim Collins have spent a lot of time studying these phenomena. We would suggest starting with his book Good to Great. If you don’t already have access to the book and aren’t interested in buying it, reach out to Smart Panda Labs at labtech@smartpandalabs.com and we will gift you a copy, no strings attached.