Pilbara is an Australian-based company that builds custom cost modeling tools used by higher education institutions for financial planning and decision support.

Survey as campaign centerpiece

A recent campaign we developed and deployed for client, Pilbara, was built around a survey concept with two objectives: extract critical business intelligence from current customers as well as prospects and generate demand. The approach is particularly effective because it is mutually beneficial for the client and the survey recipient.

An efficient approach that benefits client and prospect

Through the survey, the client is given direct access to the type of information usually obtained in the field during early face-to-face sales conversations. The benefits to the survey recipient are two-fold: the opportunity to self-assess internal strengths and gaps as well as access to the survey report (once available) which provides insights into their peers and industry at large—compelling lures for a campaign.

This approach is also efficient when you look at the closed-loop of the campaign. There are at least three “touches” already built in: an invitation to the survey, the survey itself, and finally the survey report. The survey is easily promoted across multiple inbound and outbound channels including client website, client social media, client-driven email programs, and relevant third-party publications/associations.

Designing the perfect survey

For Pilbara we collaborated to create the survey, mindful that it must be brief to increase participation, but then craft the questions intelligently to ensure we are reaping as much valuable data as possible for Pilbara and its participants. We determine the survey could be no longer than 10 questions, all of which much be followed by yes/no or multiple-choice answers. The survey itself was designed for ease-of-use.

Survey results and campaign success

Ultimately, the campaign proved successful on all fronts, meeting the objectives determined at the outset. Pilbara yielded vital information about its customers and prospects that fed back to its product roadmap, market message, and sales approach. Participants gained a robust report of survey results. Of those participants, those that were previously mere prospects were added to a sales pipeline for nurturing.

We recommend this approach to clients who want to obtain quick business intelligence while simultaneously generating leads.

Pilbara: Higher Education Cost Models