Summary
Codecademy gives goal-oriented learners the online training they need to develop fulfilling careers in technology. The company wanted to make it easier for key groups to access its platform, so it used SheerID’s Audience Network to give students an exclusive discount, then expanded the offer to military, educators, healthcare workers, first responders, and audiences qualifying for government assistance.
Optimizing how these groups used the platform was a challenge, until Codecademy started using SheerID’s DataConnectors to append the permissioned customer data it collected during the verification process to its CRM. Having that data available enabled Codecademy to improve user engagement throughout the customer journey, including email open rates exceeding 55%.
Challenge
Codecademy’s mission is to create a world where anyone can build something meaningful with technology. To achieve this, it provides learners of all ages extensive course offerings on artificial intelligence, prompt engineering, data science, cybersecurity, web development, and computer science. More than 60 million learners in more than 100 countries trust Codecademy to empower their learning.
The company wanted to uplift its key learners, so in 2020 it started using SheerID’s Audience Network to give students discounted Codecademy Pro plans. After initial success with the student program, it expanded targeted discounts to military, educators, healthcare workers, first responders, and audiences qualifying for government assistance. Verifying eligibility with the Audience Network protected these offers from abuse, but the company lacked a way to engage with these new audiences throughout their journey.
“Unless I went through a very manual and time-consuming process, there was no easy way for us to reach out to these people from a compliance and marketing consent perspective,” says Amy Yeh, Integrated Marketing Lead.
Then Amy learned that SheerID’s DataConnectors could append the verified, permissioned data it collected to 400+ marketing technology platforms in real time—including Codecademy’s CRM—giving her a clear path forward.
We’re using SheerID’s Audience Network to engage a wide range of people who may not have heard of Codecademy and might be interested in learning new skills.
Solution
Codecademy quickly started leveraging SheerID’s DataConnectors to build re-engagement programs for all verified learners, even if they hadn’t yet accessed the platform. With minimal internal engineering resources needed to implement DataConnectors, Codecademy easily created personalized customer journeys to keep the platform top of mind.
“While we hope customers complete their checkout right after getting verified and receiving a code, we know they may get distracted or need more time to think about an offer. SheerID’s DataConnectors allows us to store their email address in our CRM email so we can retarget them with reminders, even if they aren’t in our ecosystem yet,” Amy said.
SheerID enables us to provide a platform and service for these audiences to change their lives. It’s inspiring to see our global reach and how many people from different industries and walks of life have used Codecademy to pursue their passions and find a new role.
Results
DataConnectors was a game changer for Codecademy. This new approach significantly increased engagement, with open rates exceeding 55% by the fourth and final email, along with improvements in clicks and conversions throughout the customer journey.
“From a revenue perspective, our conversion rates are so high from the first email in the journey that we’ve been ROI positive for a while now,” Amy said.
Above all, Codecademy values how SheerID supports its mission to help audiences make an impact on the world around them. “We’re using SheerID’s Audience Network to engage a wide range of people who may not have heard of Codecademy and might be interested in learning new skills.” Amy Yeh, Integrated Marketing Lead
The SheerID team was incredibly helpful as we implemented DataConnectors. We had multiple calls to discuss the process and they were always available and happy to help anytime we had questions.