This session detailed how snowmobile and ATV manufacturer Polaris increased revenue through more effective online lead maturation and offline conversion. Kuelbs described how the company successfully shifted away from heavy offline marketing to primarily online promotion. In addition to re-engineering its lead-to-conversion flow, Polaris put technologies in place to drive their desired solution, including a variety of Webtrends technologies. Ad Director generates motivated customers to visit the Polaris site, while Analytics measures web site behaviors. Marketing Warehouse tracks individual visitor behavior, Score quantifies onsite visitor behavior and Visitor Intelligence analyzes the visitor behavior and provides Polaris detailed segments. Polaris also uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution and a variety of solutions to funnel online leads to their dealer channel.

Kuelbs said Polaris can now precisely measure the impact of online marketing and offer interactive experiences on its web site that engage visitors in its products. In exchange, visitors provide demographic and contact information, which local dealerships use to target motivated buyers in their area. In addition to increasing revenue, Kuelbs said Polaris has reduced cost per registered visitor, increased the volume of registered visitors and increased units sold (with web influence).

Kuelbs also stressed the importance of planning and governance when making a change such as this. He said organizations must get key stakeholders to participate and invest in these lead generation/maturation programs. While vision is important, organizations must execute on specific pieces that will have the most impact on their business, Kuelbs added. He also encouraged attendees to evaluate the criteria they use to categorize leads and funnel online leads to their offline channels.

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