The Company
ElitePartner, label of EliteMedianet GmbH, is one of Germany's leading online dating agencies, with more than 3 million members. The company was founded in 2004 and is based in Hamburg, Germany.

The Challenge
In the competitive online dating industry, it‘s important to reach your target consumer and keep them enthusuastic about your services throughout the dating process. This means engaging them from the first moment of contact into the registration process and throughout the varied time frames when customers are trying to find their perfect mate. 

ElitePartner understood the value of lifecycle marketing--essentially creating a personalized experience for each consumer based upon his or her demographics, the results of a scientific personality test and where the customer is in the purchase cycle--but was constrained by its email service provider in terms of the ability to set up a complex campaign with advanced data segmentation and without IT involvement. This prompted it to look for a new provider to help it take its program to the next level.

The Solution
After a competitive selection process, EliteMedianet GmbH chose Silverpop Engage due to the strength of its features and Silverpop's credibility in the email service provider space. Today, ElitePartner has set up a complex email program that includes promotional emails and a popular newsletter that provides specific information about dating.

Since implementing Silverpop Engage, ElitePartner has built many automated campaigns relative to where each customer is in his or her lifecycle and relevant to their interests. ElitePartner has also set up numerous customer retention campaigns, which are always changing as ElitePartner is regularly optimizing its offers to customers 

In its communications, ElitePartner is focused on providing a unique customer experience. To achieve this, ElitePartner utilizes Silverpop's Dynamic Content functionality for the majority of its messages to help tailor its message to each recipient's interest.

The Results
With Silverpop Engage, ElitePartner has been able to implement a sophisticated lifecycle marketing program without any IT involvement. By tailoring its communications to customer interest, Elite Partner has been able drive significant increases in sales growth.

Compared to the previous year, ElitePartner has seen a 35 percent increase in volume using automation, which has contributed to a 9 percent increase in volume of sales. In addition, following its email redesign during 2011, ElitePartner has seen an increase in open and click rates for its newsletter and promotion mailings, which has also contributed to a lift in sales.

"At ElitePartner, we're continually optimizing our communications to clients," says Katja Zaroba, Head of CRM, EliteMedianet GmbH. "We can now segment our customers with easy-to-use querying capabilities. In addition, Silverpop's reporting allows us to understand where improvements need to be made to improve our program. With Silverpop Engage, the opportunities are endless."  

----

Download the PDF to learn how ElitePartner used advanced segmentation and automation to increase sales.