How Wonder Hooks New Users with Customer Journey Builder

Published: March 8, 2022

Even before COVID-19 caused a boom in remote work and online meetings, the founders of Wonder had a feeling: Digital events could and should be better.

As an alternative to the stiff, awkward video calls they’d grown weary of, the team aspired to create an online event-hosting platform that promotes real connection.

“We wanted to find ways to introduce the things we love about in-person gatherings into an online environment,” says Michael Paul, Head of Customer Experience at Wonder. “So we built a platform that’s based on those principles: movement, choice, freedom, and a little bit of structure for hosts.”

How Wonder works

Using Wonder, you can create online events that are as dynamic as a conference, as intimate as a team happy hour, and everything in between.

Hosts set up events in Wonder much like they would if they were in a physical location, except they create a digital environment called a “space.” For some events, like a virtual cocktail party, a space may be all that a host needs. But for more complex occasions, like a networking event, hosts can create “areas” within the space.

Attendees move through the event with an avatar, which they can use to join activities, start a conversation, or see a presentation. “You have this ability to choose where you want to go, who you want to talk to, your purpose for being in this space,” Michael says.

The challenge: Reach potential hosts with content that inspires them to create an event

For Wonder, real success begins when users host their first event. The challenge is to supply new users with all the information—and inspiration—they need to do so.

Knowing that the platform is suitable for all kinds of events, the Wonder team created email content to guide hosts as they planned their gatherings, whether networking receptions, online classes, or digital festivals.

With all this content prepared and ready to go, the challenge was to anticipate what each host needed at which moment and deliver that information automatically.

The tool: Mailchimp’s Customer Journey Builder

When people create an account in Wonder, they’re prompted to answer questions about the events they plan to host. Those answers then translate to customer tags in Wonder’s Mailchimp account. With Customer Journey Builder, once the tag is applied, an automated email can deliver relevant content to users based on the type of event and where they are in the process of planning and executing it.

This means that Wonder users automatically receive targeted content at critical moments—when they sign up for an account, plan an event, and host it. They even receive a little nudge from the Wonder team if they sign up for an account but don’t host an event within 2 weeks.

“The terrain of online events is constantly changing, and we’re here to equip the hosts with inspiration, relevant industry information, and techniques to make the best gatherings possible,” Michael says.

The result: A 38% increase in events hosted

Michael used Customer Journey Builder to maintain a personal touch, even as the number of Wonder users increased exponentially. The strategy quickly made an impact. “As we targeted new users through our customer journey, we saw a 38% increase in events hosted,” he says.

The number of events hosted is a key performance indicator for Wonder, and this boost is meaningful for a company that’s growing as quickly as they are. It indicates that even as they rapidly onboard new users, they’re providing the targeted content those users need to get the most out of the platform.

It also means less work and greater results: With the time and resources freed up by automations, Michael can turn his attention to the needs of Wonder’s growing user base. “While tech resources are focused on product development, the marketing team still needs to be able to react and keep up the momentum of the growth,” he says. “Mailchimp was perfect for this.”