Patent Application
20090063269
The invention generally relates to marketing methods, more particularly, the invention relates to systems and methods for freemium based marketing.
With the rising cost of energy, the need for energy efficiency is greater than ever. To that end, the Department of Energy (“DOE”) and utility companies across the country are creating programs that promote energy efficiency. In many instances, government regulations require utility companies to develop such programs. These programs are designed to educate consumers about energy efficiency by providing them with information and literature. Additionally, many of the programs offer rebates, discounts, and other incentives for those consumers who are energy conscious and willing reduce their energy consumption.
As one can imagine, the costs associated with the above mentioned programs can be high. Additionally, some consumers may be wary of programs designed to lower energy costs because the very company that sells the energy sponsors the programs. Therefore, many utility companies need to develop creative, yet cost effective strategies and programs to promote energy efficiency to residential and industrial consumer, and meet the above mentioned requirements.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a method of freemium based marketing is used. The method includes providing a utility consumer with an offer for a freemium that requires the consumer to respond to the offer. When the consumer responds to the offer, the method collects consumer data. Based on the consumer data, the method may select a bundle of additional products including home service products, and offer the consumer an opportunity to purchase products from the selected bundle. The method then provides the user with the freemium, whether or not the user purchases products from the bundle. The freemium can be a number of products or services including, but not limited to, free access to a network of service technicians.
In some embodiments, the method may also integrate at least one utility program and at least one home service program. The integration of the utility program and the home service program creates a single platform, such as an energy efficiency platform. The home service programs can be programs such as administrative programs, customer service programs, service network programs, contract referral network programs, rebate programs, line protection programs, repair, replacement and/or maintenance programs, recycling programs, green energy programs, carbon credit programs, and installation service programs. The utility programs can be programs such as surge programs, load control programs, energy audit programs, thermostat programs, appliance upgrade programs, and energy efficiency information programs.
In other embodiments, the method bundles future products and services based on the consumer data and offers the future products and services to the consumer associated with the consumer data. The future products and services may include, but are not limited to, equipment purchase services, equipment upgrade services, equipment maintenance services, energy use monitoring products, and energy use monitoring services.
In still other embodiments, the method may increase the marketing credibility and/or increasing a value perception of the utility company prior to providing or offering the freemium. In such embodiments, increasing the marketing credibility of a utility company may include providing consumers with information on energy efficiency, providing consumers with tips regarding energy efficiency, and providing consumers with low cost products and services.
In accordance with other embodiments, a method of freemium-based marketing provides a utility consumer with an offer for a freemium that requires the consumer to respond to the offer. The freemium may be enrollment in a home service referral network. When the consumer responds, the method may collect consumer data, and offer the consumer an opportunity to purchase additional products and services based on the consumer data. The method may then provide the user with the freemium.
In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, a system may implement the freemium based marketing techniques described above. The system may include a series of interconnected modules and components. Specifically, the system may include a freemium offer module, an offer acceptance module, a data collection module, a product and service selection module, and a freemium provider module. The freemium offer module provides the utility consumer with the offer for the freemium. The data collection module collects the consumer data when the consumer responds to the offer. The product and service selection module selects the bundle of consumer products, including a home service product, based on the consumer data, and offers the consumer an opportunity to purchase products from the bundle. The freemium provider module provides the consumer with the freemium.
The system may also include a program integrator for integrating at least one utility program with at least one home service program. By doing so, the integrator creates a single platform for the at least one utility program and the at least one home service program. Further, the system may also include a database generator and a product and service bundler. The database generator generates a database including the consumer data. The product and service bundler bundles future products and services based on the consumer data contained within the database, and offers the future products and services to the consumer associated with the consumer data.
In accordance with other system embodiments, the freemium may be enrollment into a home service referral network, and the product and service selection module may select additional products and services based on the consumer data. The product and service selection module may then offer the consumer an opportunity to purchase the additional products and service.
The foregoing features of the invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Definitions. As used in this description and the accompanying claims, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated, unless the context otherwise requires:
Utility Industry: A company, municipality, cooperative or other organization that provides a public service, such as producing, transmitting, distributing, or otherwise supplying electricity, natural gas, propane gas, water, sewage disposal, telephone, cable, internet, wireless service, or any such combination, thereof, or any other similar works or systems necessary to the public interest.
Freemium: A free product or service offered to a consumer for the purpose of gathering data and/or offering additional products and/or services at a charge.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for using freemium based marketing in the utility industry. Specific embodiments offer a utility consumer a freemium that requires the consumer to respond to the offer. The method and system may then use the offer for a freemium to collect additional consumer information, offer or market additional products and services to the consumer, and, perhaps, develop a cost effective, integrated energy efficiency platform. Details of illustrative embodiments are discussed below.
As shown in
When the consumer 130 responds to the offer (e.g., when the consumer 130 calls the home service provider 120 or utility company 110, or fills out the on-line form), the entity receiving the response (e.g., the home service provider 120 or the utility company 110) collects data from the consumer prior to providing the user with the freemium (Step 220). Examples of the information collected include information relating to the consumer's home appliances (e.g., type, make, model, age etc.), the consumer's energy usage (e.g., amount of usage, peak usage times, etc.), and the consumer's energy beliefs (e.g., desire to be more energy efficient, feelings about utility provider, etc.).
Based on the collected consumer data, the method 200 selects additional products and services (Step 230) and offers these additional products and services to the consumer 130 (Step 240). These additional products and services are offered to the consumer 130 at an additional charge (e.g., they are not free to the consumer like the freemium). As mentioned above, the additional products and services offered at the time of activation are based on the gathered consumer data. Therefore, the method 200 can tailor the products and services to the individual consumer. For example, the products and services can be replacement parts or a service contract for the consumer's 130 specific appliances.
Additionally, in some embodiments, the method may bundle the additional products and services. The method may then offer the consumer an opportunity to purchase products from the bundle. The bundle of products and service can include, among other things, home service products and services. Once the method 200 offers the additional products and services (or the bundle of products and services) to the consumer 130, the method 200 provides the user with the freemium (Step 250). It is important to note that the method 200 activates the freemium whether or not the consumer 130 purchases the additional products and services.
Although
A number of techniques can be used to increase the marketing credibility of the utility company 110. For example, the utility company can include tips and materials regarding energy efficiency within the monthly billing statements or can provide low-cost products and services. Additionally, the utility company 110 can provide additional products and services that are popular with consumers and close to their core business or offer support with energy efficiency (e.g., the utility company can work with the consumer to help them become more energy efficient, provide free energy usage audits, etc.). During this time, the utility company 120 can collect additional consumer data (e.g., in addition to the data collected during Step 220).
In addition to increasing the marketing credibility of the utility company 110, the techniques described above may also increase the consumer's value perception of the utility company. In other words, the consumer 130 may begin to perceive the utility company 110 as providing a greater value than simply providing them with the utility.
Additionally, some embodiments of the method described above may generate a database (Step 320 in
As shown in
Although a few examples of the utility company and home service provider programs are mentioned above, these are provided for illustrative purposes only. Additional programs may be within the scope of this invention and can be integrated with the programs discussed above. For example, additional programs may include device based A/C, heating, water heater, and pool pump control, filter programs, in-home energy audits, rebate programs, and customer service programs, to name but a few.
As mentioned above, utility and home service programs can be integrated into a single platform.
Returning to
As mentioned above, the marketing system can generate a database that contains the consumer information collected during freemium activation. The home service provider 120 can provide the utility company 110 with access to the database (interaction 126) or the home service provider 120 can provide the utility company 110 with recommendations for future bundled products and services based on the information within the database (interaction 128). The utility company 110 can then offer the future and bundled products and services to the consumer 130 (interaction 114).
As mentioned above and as shown in
Based on the data collected by the data collection module 530, a product and service selection module 540 selects the additional products and services and offers these additional products and services to the consumer 130. Additionally or alternatively, the product and service selection module 540 may bundle the additional products and services, and offer the consumer 130 an opportunity to purchase products (including home service products) from the bundle. Once the consumer 130 either purchases or refuses the additional products and services, an freemium provider module 550 provides the consumer 130 with the freemium (e.g., provides the consumer 130 with access to the network of technicians).
A database generator 560 in communication with the data collection module 530 generates the database containing the collected consumer data described above. A product and service bundler 580 can then use the information contained within the database to select and bundle future services that the home service provider 120 or utility company 110 can offer to the consumer 130 at a later time. As mentioned above, because the bundled products and services are based on the consumer data within the database, the products and services may be targeted to the specific consumer. Lastly, the system 500 can include a program integrator 570 that integrates the home service programs and the utility company programs into a single platform, as shown in
Although the system described above with respect to
It is important to note that, although the above described embodiments are discussed with regard to the utility and home service industries, embodiments of the present invention may be used in other industries. For example, some embodiments of the methods and systems may be used in the mortgage servicing industry, the real estate industry, membership club and organization industry, the financial service industry, or the banking industry, to name but a few.
Although the above discussion discloses various exemplary embodiments of the invention, it should be apparent that those skilled in the art can make various modifications that will achieve some of the advantages of the invention without departing from the true scope of the invention.
