Strategic Foundation
From the beginning of any engagement, our team works closely with clients to carefully plan each phase of the project. From planning into execution, the process remains both transparent and accountable to the client. Even before technology systems are deployed, we work with each client to frame a narrative for the massively parallel online conversation that is about to begin. After deployment, we gather feedback to begin refining both technology systems and messaging. We carefully analyze this feedback and plan improvements, thus creating a feedback loop of analysis-driven enhancements.
Planning and Execution
The earliest stages of Plus Three's involvement in planning begins with a sales document. In this document, our team outlines a proposed project and several high-level steps in the deployment process. Upon reaching agreement with this document, our client-services team immediately assigns a project manager to lead the planning team. The goal of this team (comprised of both Plus Three and client staff) is to identify as many dependencies, roadblocks, resources, tasks, people, and dates at the outset as possible, and to begin codifying these in Plus Three's tracking system.
Clients are granted full access to Plus Three's tracking systems, which include four key components: online request/bug tracking, a project calendar, a collaborative online whiteboard (called a "wiki"), and project-team mailing lists. These systems provide project status at a glance, and together with weekly or biweekly status meetings, keep our clients involved and updated constantly.
Strategic Marketing
Parallel to the planning and execution described above, members of our sales and marketing team will begin to develop a communications framework — a description of the conversation. This plan begins with high level messaging points, developed in close collaboration with the client. We operationalize these high level points into a messaging calendar (complete with all frequently updated or released content for both email and Web), an email messaging segmentation plan, online advertising placements, list enhancements, and coordination with allied organizations.
Deployment, Analysis, Extension
Deployment of a Plus Three technology solution coincides with the beginning of the online marketing campaign. The first several days will be spent carefully watching both efforts and making on-the-fly refinements where necessary. This includes: careful reading of user feedback; monitoring of all client and third-party systems for stability, scalability, and security; and gathering of initial data from logfiles that will be used in our statistical analysis.
Once we have gathered enough data for statistical significance, Plus Three will begin the next phase of analysis. Data from advertising, email, and website are combined to provide a complete record of online activity. We analyze this data for trends, gaps, and segments. Trends give us a holistic overview of the communication effort. Gaps typically point to either a technology or messaging failure, which we then move quickly to remedy. Segments are natural divisions into groups of users, which we will use for later segmentation.
Together, data and analysis help point to places where existing technology and messaging may be improved, and also toward future development.
