PROBLEM
The Challenge of Successfully Conducting a Major Research Program
Pitt CTSI is a key player in NIH's “All of Us” Research Program. The "All of Us" program invites one million people across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history. Researchers will use the data to learn how our biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health. CTSI is leading the "All of Us" program in Pennsylvania, with the goal of amassing 120,000 people across the state to participate.
Leading the charge at CTSI is Robert Morlino, executive director of marketing and communications, and Kirsten Carroll, communications manager. Together, they are heading up the "All of Us" Pennsylvania marketing efforts with the goal of speeding up health research and medical breakthroughs.
But how to go about successfully conducting such a major research program? Since it doesn’t use a CRM or MAP, CTSI had previously worked with two vendors to handle its direct mail. The team would have to, first, work with a printer. Once that was completed, they would have to send the mailers to a separate service for bar-coding, addressing for the United States Postal Service, etc.
SOLUTION
Optimizing DIrect Mail Channel Was Imperative
While direct mail had always been a channel CTSI used, Morlino was not thrilled with how it was working. He wanted to better optimize the direct mail channel in some way, which is what brought him and the team to PFL.
“We started really modeling the awareness zone up at the top of the funnel,” Morlino explained. “We also knew that an important aspect of this kind of marketing is meeting people where they are. Direct mail, obviously, does that very well. It ends up in the recipient’s mailbox along with other important things. And, often, it will sit on the kitchen counter or re-present itself in various ways around the home or office.”
In the beginning, CTSI was using very traditional creative for their postcards, something that was "safe" or "expected" from a healthcare organization. They soon realized that the designs and message just didn't stand out, so they experimented with more creative designs. Also, once the ball was rolling, Morlino and team decided to also start A/B testing different creative elements.
PFL aided CTSI in this A/B testing by sending two version of cards with totally different messages. They ran these against two different populations and QR codes to see how many times a piece of artwork might be scanned. This allowed PFL to determine the level of interest in each market.
At the end of the day, noted Morlino, “to get the results you're looking for, you must capture a reader's attention. The mail must stand out in your mailbox—be colorful, beautiful, catch the recipient’s attention.”
RESULTS
More Informed Decisions and Improved ROI
So how is all this working for Morlino and CTSI? Very well, it seems. “We're on track to meet our goal for the annual quota, which is just over 6,000,” Morlino said. “For our ‘lifetime participants’ goal, we're just over 40,000, looking for a total of 120,000.”
Concluded Morlino: “The top-level story is, with PFL, we spend a lot less time on all the process details, which is important. With PFL’s help, we're making more informed decisions and can prove ROI much better. The whole project has really turned around. In many of the businesses I’ve worked for previously, the mail operation was basically unchanged for 40 years. But with PFL, it feels as if we're using the most up-to-date, cutting-edge technology for our current work. And we are being a more environmentally and fiscally responsible in doing it.”
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Build the Journey Before You Start
Morlino, Carroll, and the rest of the CTSI team say they have learned a great deal from the experience:
- Focus on keeping the overall goal in mind and build the journey before you start and know where it's heading.
- Set KPIs that you're able to track, even if it means you must get creative, such as using QR codes, special codes, special phone numbers, things like that.
- Try direct mail formats and designs that will stand out in the mailbox, understand the problem in the recipient's mind, and then create content to overcome that problem.
- Segment your audience intelligently, then create empathetic content that matches their needs. And, of course, test and measure so you can continuously learn and optimize.
“We also knew that an important aspect of this kind of marketing is meeting people where they are. Direct mail, obviously, does that very well. It ends up in the recipient’s mailbox along with other important things.”
—Robert Morlino, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications
