Student Loan Case Study

Situation

Our client was a “fintech” startup refinancing student loans —and were dependent on buying leads from affiliate websites. Unfortunately, competitors could buy those very same leads, limiting our client’s growth prospects.

Strategy

Develop a proprietary targeting model walled off from the competition and using both online and offline lead sources:

• Online: use a profession-specific SEO strategy — e.g. “Refinance Med School Loans” driving more traffic directly to our site and reducing dependence on affiliates.

• Offline: create one of the first direct mail campaigns for student loan refinancing using a credit bureau pre-screen model to target borrowers with specific debt levels and credit scores.

Results

Our acquisition methods drove $4 billion in loan originations, catapulting our client into one of the top grad school loan refinancers. Specifically, the Customer Growth acquisition program:

• Despite being new to market, we got our client into the top half of the first page of Google results for most of the desired keywords targeting doctors, lawyers, dentists and MBAs.

• Transformed an inactive social media program into a profitable acquisition by developing new profession-specific targeting modesl and creative tactics.

• Developed and grew credit pre-screen direct mail into our client’s largest acquisition source, driving faster growth vs. an online-only strategy.

Wealth Management Case Study

Situation

A successful regional wealth management firm expands nationwide into new locales where the brand is not yet established. Lead response rates lagged in these expansion markets.

Strategy

Develop robust new lead generation offers, offering content on topics of special interest to affluent couples planning retirement. These offers include:

• A series of 10 financial advice guides — available by digital download or in print — covering topics such as retirement income planning, diversification, Social Security and elder care.

• Software-based analyses designed to be administered in person, to promote a face-to-face meeting between advisors and prospective clients.

Results

Our programs help the firm sustain a very high growth rate, more than doubling in assets under management over the past two years alone, putting it among the fastest growing wealth managers in the nation.

• The firm attributes about $2 billion of the asset gain over the past two years to organic growth, including new business development, the area in which our content is used

Energy Case Study

Situation: Address two business challenges: 1) One of the last big purchase categories, totaling over $200 billion, not yet penetrated by credit cards. 2) Historically low response rates to offers for switching electric and natural gas suppliers.

Strategy: Develop a pilot program partnering American Express, one of the largest credit card issuers, and Constellation/Exelon, a leading competitive retailer of electric and gas supply, to:

• Promote American Express cardmembers to switch to Constellation, enjoying low fixed rates, Membership Rewards points and the convenience of automatic credit card billing.

• Cross sell energy management solutions — especially to business owners — enabling customers to save costs and reduce the environmental impact of their energy use.

Results:

• Despite an enormous contractural negotiation process, we got both partners on board to launch the program within 9 months.

• Response was promising, especially for small to midsized businesses eager to pay their suppliers by credit card to accumulate reward points.

• This was an early stage pilot, as full energy supplier choice is still limited to 12 states plus D.C., 19 states offer limited choice and the remaining 19 do not permit any energy choice.