Martech Starter Kit 

Visual IQ
Marketing Intelligence Platform

Visual IQ Marketing Intelligence Platform

What was Visual IQ’s motivation with its Marketing Intelligence Platform?

Data. Lots and lots of it. Because every customer has multiple devices, and every device is generating copious amounts of data. Marketers can use all of those facts and figures to trigger action on one or more channels. But managing those choices can be complicated and costly. “It’s forcing marketers to rethink how they reach consumers and how they measure success,” says Manu Mathew, Visual IQ’s CEO. “We decided to solve the challenge of people-based insights and multi-touch attribution in a single platform.”

What marketing problem does it help tackle?

Managing a complex media mix is not unique to the Internet age or even to the mobile-driven acceleration of content. What is different, however, is just how many channels are addressable and measurable. “There’s a person on the other side engaging with your brand on multiple devices, and there are complex journeys to 

reach them,” Mathew says. “Unless you have a unified view of your performance

that reveals how your channels and tactics are performing, you cannot effectively

manage your spending.”

What opportunities does it help marketers grasp?

Visual IQ is taking on two core challenges. The first is to remap the vast and expanding range of actionable marketing data into new, multidimensional customer funnels. Although the funnel is seen as a much less linear progression than it was in the past, marketers still want to know what actions are most likely to lead to conversions, and this solution helps tackle that problem.

The second is to build a better understanding of digital marketing performance for both marketers and publishers. The platform’s attribution models track performance and conversions and are designed to help marketers understand how well their messages are performing relative to other advertisers with similar inventory.

What size company is it primarily intended for?

On average, Visual IQ serves companies with between $20 million and $35 million in media spending. Visual IQ does serve clients with budgets as small as $2 million.

What does it take to add this product to a marketing organization’s existing tech stack?

Estimated implementation timeframe – Visual IQ recommends a phased implementation approach, typically beginning with paid media channels, moving to owned and earned, and finishing with broadcast. Implementation takes up to eight weeks. The optimization algorithm needs at least 30 days of live data.

Integrations – To obtain display and consumer action data Visual IQ integrates with major ad servers, or deploys its own tracking pixel. Marketers using the platform must provide conversion and sales data through an API, or as a periodic flat-file upload.

Dedicated administrator? – Yes, a dedicated administrator is recommended, particularly but not exclusively for organizations with multiple agencies. A program manager with marketing background is an ideal candidate.

Typically, who are the users? – Marketing leaders responsible for campaign planning, marketing analysts, and day-to-day marketing operations personnel.

Typical number of users – For smaller organizations, almost everyone in marketing should expect to use the system. In larger organizations that concentration may fall to as low as 35 percent of the department.

Amount of initial training for users – Visual IQ customizes its complimentary initial training around the major marketing problems a client is attempting to answer, such as finding more effective ways to spend incremental budget or increasing conversion rates in a particular market. 

Data sources – All available data from major ad servers and tracking pixels the client uses, plus conversion data the client provides.

Notable process changes – The platform provides a unified way to analyze complex, multichannel campaigns with a wide variety of media assets, so the way marketing organizations learn from results can be more collaborative and streamlined. Taking control of media performance analysis may also make marketing organizations less dependent on publishers for insights, allowing marketers to make more strategic and independent decisions.

Can you test the product before purchase?

No. It’s possible to negotiate a pilot program.

Does it come with any consulting or implementation services?

Visual IQ includes four to eight weeks of basic implementation services, depending on customer complexity. Additional consulting hours are available for cost.

Who “owns” it over time and where does it sit?

The marketing organization.

What’s the enterprise pricing model?

Pricing is based on volume of data and data adapters. There is no site license, and pricing does not vary based on number of users.

What’s the projected time to ROI?

Visual IQ does not provide blanket ROI calculations, saying that ROI depends on the particular objective of each organization. Some clients report achieving their goals within four months.

What’s the solution’s competitive advantage?

Comprehensive access to performance data across all publishing platforms and media types, strategic analysis of marketing spend in extremely complex campaigns, and a unified view of each member of the audience across all potential devices.

What’s the word from a beta customer?

“The actionable insights provided by Visual IQ not only enabled us to better allocate our media budget for a measureable impact on sales, but also gave us the confidence to allocate funds to new branding and marketing initiatives.” –Debbie Tarvin, Windstream Media Manager, in a published case study

What’s an analyst’s take?

Gartner named Visual IQ a Visionary in the 2016 Magic Quadrant for Digital Marketing Analytics, but the company does not appear in the 2017 edition.

Where can I find more information?

> Check out the Visual IQ Marketing Intelligence Platform splash page

> Read reviews about Visual IQ on G2Crowd

> Read about Visual IQ on Cabinet M

Visual IQ MI Platform.pdf

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About the Author

Ginger Conlon found freelance writer Jason Compton shoved in a desk drawer by her predecessor at CRM magazine. He has covered CRM and marketing topics extensively since 1999, largely in her service.

Find him at @jpcwrites and on LinkedIn.