What to Know About Data Segmentation and Activation in Salesforce Data Cloud for Direct Response

In my last blog, I mentioned how excited Cloud for Good is about Salesforce Data Cloud for Direct Response and the functionalities it offers that can enable organizations to develop and execute impactful direct mail marketing programs. Today, Cloud for Good Director of Direct Response Stephen Earheart and I will share key highlights that direct response customers should know about data segmentation, analytics, and activation within Data Cloud for Direct Response and how to leverage them to create effective direct mail campaigns.

Data Harmonization and Unification

The quality of data that comes into Data Cloud is critical to how successful a direct response campaign will be. The more holistic and comprehensive the data is, the more valuable it will be for powering data segmentation and data analytics that can inform direct mail campaigns, and the first three steps of Data Cloud’s five core processes help facilitate this.

First, data is ingested, or connected, when it comes into Data Cloud. That data can come from a variety of external sources within an organization, be it a CRM, an event management tool, or a finance tool. Once the data is ingested, it is harmonized via data modelling. Data Cloud has a user interface and a data model that is normalized so that users can take external data sources and then map them to a canonical data model in Data Cloud. After data is mapped and harmonized to the data model, unifying contact profiles comes next. This is valuable for contacts in an organization whose information (such as email addresses or phone numbers) differs across multiple platforms. Data Cloud takes all that information and creates a unified profile for that contact, allowing users to see a holistic view of that contact and how they appear in all of the different systems within an organization—without getting rid of any information or deduping.

Sophisticated Data Segmentation and Functionality

Once profiles are unified, users can then use them for data analysis, prediction, and data segmentation. Before Data Cloud for Direct Response, sophisticated data segmentation was not functionality that Salesforce users have been able to use with out-of-the-box reports. However, Data Cloud for Direct Response offers the ability to create and leverage more sophisticated segmentation features, which can be an exciting differentiator for direct response and direct mail customers. Some of the enhanced features of Data Cloud for Direct Response’s segmentation functionality include:

Include and Exclude Criteria
Include criteria is set using attributes from objects in Data Cloud, such as gift transaction details. Setting Exclude criteria ensures that certain donors are not included in the segment, such as those who have opted out of mail or email.
Base Segments
These segments are created by defining include and exclude criteria based on various attributes. For example, a base segment can be created to include donors who have given a gift in the past three years as part of an active and recently lapsed pool but exclude those who have a gift in the last 30 days and any donors with a no appeal preference.
Segment Refining
Base segments can be further refined to create even more specific segments In Data Cloud for Direct Response. For instance, donors can be refined by the amount they gave, the recency of the gift or the frequency of giving.
Calculated Insights
In Data Cloud for Direct Response, Calculated Insights can be used to summarize giving data for each donor, such as their largest gift, lifetime giving amount, last gift, and first gift. These insights are automatically recomputed in Data Cloud whenever the base data changes, ensuring real-time information.
Waterfall Segments
Data Cloud for Direct Response users can create and use waterfall segments to ensure that a donor appears in more than one segment. This works by prioritizing donors based on criteria; once they fall into a segment, they are not included in subsequent segments—hence the name “waterfall segments”.

Enhanced Data Activation and Applications

The final step in Data Cloud is to activate, or act on, data, data segments, or analytics. However, in Data Cloud for Direct Response, users can now access and leverage more enhanced data activation functionality, which opens more opportunities to deliver impactful and effective direct response campaigns. For most direct response jobs, these include:

Advanced Omnichannel Marketing
In Data Cloud, users can activate their data by taking actions such as downloading a file, using data segments for different types of campaigns, or sending a file to a mail processing vendor, e-commerce site, or marketing tool like Marketing Cloud. Now, with Data Cloud for Direct Response, users can do these actions all at the same time, which unlocks the possibility to perform more advanced omnichannel marketing.
Automatic Refresh
In Data Cloud for Direct Response, when a segment is refreshed, the associated activation is automatically refreshed as well. This ensures that the latest data is always used for activations.
Activation Targets (i.e. Output Files)
Data activation creates output files (e.g., CSV files) that can be used by production services providers to create and mail acknowledgments. For digital platforms in a direct response program, campaign member records are created in Marketing Cloud for use in acknowledgment journeys.
Activation History
Data Cloud for Direct Response’s Activation History feature shows when a user’s last full refresh was completed, which ensures transparency and tracking within their organization or team.
Data Cloud Integration
For Nonprofit Cloud users, Data Cloud can push updates to Nonprofit Cloud to populate acknowledgment fields on gift transaction objects. This is done using Data Cloud-triggered Salesforce flows, ensuring that all acknowledgments are recorded accurately and the ability to build custom apex solutions for more complex tasks.

Empowering Successful Direct Response Programs

Overall, Data Cloud for Direct Response’s data segmentation and activation functionalities will empower more effective and efficient direct marketing programs for nonprofits and educational institutions, and Cloud for Good can help your organization’s direct response program create value from technology. If your organization seeks to improve its direct response program performance, drive successful fundraising efforts, and grow database lists, consider partnering with Cloud for Good as your direct response partner, and we’ll help you take advantage of what Data Cloud for Direct Response can offer you.