Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Forrester Urges Refocus on Customer Needs

It's time to make some New Year's marketing resolutions. A recent Forrester Research report prompts one good goal for 2014: Put customer needs ahead of the latest "shiny object" technology or channel. Complexity, technology faddism, and a disconnected entrepreneurial culture are slowing marketers down, yielding bad data, duplicating integration costs, and ultimately creating a poor-quality experience for customers, researchers warn. Forrester urges marketers to adopt a clear strategy focused on customers’ needs, and suggests these steps to success: Select a target customer and focus on a customer life cycle stage; identify the fundamental customer need(s) to fulfill and what benefit(s) customers want next; explore how to deliver these benefits in a technology-agnostic manner; then select the desired delivery method to develop, commission, or license; and make sure to set key performance indicators (KPIs). Pretty basic, right? But some marketers, overwhelmed by emerging technologies and channels, and fearful of being trumped by competitors, are forgetting basics in the rush to embrace hot new marketing tactics. By failing to aim at the only target that counts--the customer--they risk costly marketing misses. See the MediaPost article on how to refocus on customers in the year ahead: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/211410/forrester-offers-seven-steps-to-better-marketing.html

Thursday, December 26, 2013

2013 in Review: Multi-Platform, Content Marketing Rule

A marketing review seems in order as 2013 closes, and MarketingProfs shares a convenient Uberflip infographic of some key trends. One takeaway: Content marketing definitely dominates, with 90% of B2C and 93% of B2B marketers using content marketing this year, which is up from 85% in 2012. Marketers are using an average of 12 content tactics -- such as social media, webinars and newsletters -- but watch for videos to blossom further in 2014, since 59% of brands say they would like to share more videos in the next 12 months. Meanwhile, 2013 marked a turning point in terms of multi-platform digital: Now 54% of American consumers use more than one content platform (desktop, smartphone and tablet), up from 10% in 2012. Mobile is clearly a key driver; compare the mobile commerce of $4.7 million in the second quarter of 2013 with the mere $0.6 million in the second quarter of 2010. For more on 2013 marketing landmarks, see
http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2013/12346/marketing-trends-stats-and-events-that-made-the-news-in-2013-infographic

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Study Shows Outbound Marketing's Continuing Power

Outbound marketing is still a potent lead generator despite today's focus on inbound strategies like social media and SEO. A recent MarketingProfs article highlighted a new survey by DiscoverOrg of 1,000 IT executives at a variety of firms, from Fortune-ranked companies to small and medium-sized businesses. The results may surprise: 60% of the top IT executives said outbound calls or e-mails have led to an IT vendor being evaluated, and 75% said they decided to attend an event or take an appointment after receiving a cold call or e-mail. The article goes on to provide advice on outbound campaigning, including basics such as scripts, incentive offers, and call-to-action landing pages. Outbound touches are inherently personal, so campaigns can rev the impact with pitch personalization, using targeted lists and social media research to turn up personal details. Of course, timing is everything, so cold calls should be placed when they will garner attention without annoying: Morning calls between 8 AM and 9 AM catch folks before they get caught up in the work of the day, while 4 PM to 5 PM calls present your case as the workday is winding down. And don't forget to invest in tracking and database management to measure results for both outbound and inbound efforts! For more, see the article at http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11994/outbound-marketing-strategies-are-still-effective

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Over Half of Mobile E-mail Sales Come From iPads

E-mail marketers' mobile campaigns rely on iPad owners for success. More than half of mobile online sales originating from an e-mail take place on an iPad, according to Infogroup's Yesmail Interactive. More precisely, 56% of mobile online sales originating from an e-mail take place on a tablet, and 99% of those tablet sales take place on an iPad. Overall, 82% of all e-mail opens and clicks occurred on Apple devices, per the Yesmail report, which was based on data from more than 5 billion marketing e-mails sent by Yesmail in the third quarter of 2013. Only 0.3% of e-mail subscribers made purchases on Android tablets, though 41% of smartphone purchases were made on an Android device. See the btobonline report at http://www.btobonline.com/article/20131112/EMAIL13/311129996/more-than-half-of-mobile-email-sales-made-on-ipad

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Celebrity Endorsements Don't Win Fans for Brands

Think a famous name touting your product or service will impress customers? Think again. Brand endorsements by celebrities and athletes are trusted less than all other methods of brand promotion, including digital ads, traditional ads and company-sponsored social media, according to a new global study by The Boston Consulting Group. Consumers put the most store in what family and friends say offline about a brand, followed by product reviews, expert opinions, and information from Google and other search engines. One reason trust matters: Brands that show their customers that they can be trusted are able to gather at least five to 10 times more information about customers to fill the Big Data marketing mill. Still, marketers must tread carefully because consumers are choosy about what info they entrust to companies, and financial and health data definitely rank higher on the privacy scale than brand preferences, age and gender. Millennials, despite a social sharing addiction, are about as concerned with data privacy as their elders. As a result, the data practices of financial institutions, social media, search-engine companies, and government arms garner more than twice the consumer concern than do branded manufacturers, airlines, hotels, cable providers or retailers offering loyalty cards. For more, see MediaPost's Marketing Daily story at http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/212917/endorsements-dont-earn-trust-for-marketers.html

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Digital Marketer Survey: Social Ads Underperform

Social media advertising underperforms other digital marketing channels in terms of providing business value to companies, according to a recent report by Forrester Research. In an August online survey of 395 marketers, Forrester found that on-site ratings and reviews were rated No. 1 in providing the greatest business value to companies. Next in the rankings came search; e-mail; branded communities and blogs; and online display advertising. Out of 13 channels, LinkedIn was rated No. 8, and YouTube was No. 10, followed by Google+, Twitter and, in last place, Facebook. Forrester's research shows that less than 15% of Facebook ads leverage social data to target relevant audiences and that Facebook's static-image ad units offer marketers less impact per impression than ads on other websites. See the btobonline.com report: http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131101/SOCIAL06/311019998/1723/rss01

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Marketers Wrestle Robocall, Texting Consent Rules

Telemarketers opened a troublesome gift from regulators going into the holiday season. Marketers using prerecorded or auto-dialed calls, as well as mobile texts, to reach consumers now must meet the Federal Communications Commission's stricter consent rules. Updating of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which went into effect Oct. 16, requires marketers to get prior written consent from consumers before delivering auto-dialed or prerecorded calls, or mobile texts. Unfortunately, this means that many companies' current opt-in databases do not comply with the new consent rules. Companies also can't claim an exemption due to a prior business relationship with a consumer, as they could in the past. In the consent agreement, companies must ask consumers to agree to receive automated or prerecorded messages and must make clear that a purchase is not a condition of the agreement. This creates a wording quandary for companies delivering a coupon or announcing a sweepstakes since no purchase is involved. It is also unclear whether a company can seek written agreement by asking a consumer to text back using a short code to receive a confirmation message that will ask for a "yes" reply to consent language. In a comment to Adweek magazine, Marc Roth, a partner in the advertising, marketing and media practice of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, concluded that the courts will likely end up deciding how much latitude companies have in seeking consumer consent: "No one is concerned about the FCC, because they do little enforcement. The big fear is class actions. It's going to be the courts that decide what is necessary and what is not in terms of consent." For more discussion in the Adweek article, see http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/are-marketers-ready-new-telemarketing-rules-153079

Thursday, December 5, 2013

USPS Unveils 2014 Direct Mail Promotions

The U.S. Postal Service has announced seven direct mail promotions for 2014, including incentives to increase advertiser use of first-class mail and mobile technology. Among the first-class mail promotions is a 15% discount on presorted and automated marketing letters, beginning April 1, which will be available to high-volume mailers of standard mail. Other incentives to encourage direct mailers: an earned-value reply mail promotion that offers a discount of up to 3 cents per piece on first-class business reply mail and courtesy reply mail; 2% off direct mail that contains personalized recipient information; and a 2% discount for mail pieces using barcodes or near-field communications technology for interactive use by mobile devices. To learn about all seven promotions, including eligibility and dates for the registration and promotion periods, check out the USPS summary guide at https://ribbs.usps.gov/mobilebarcode/documents/tech_guides/2014MailPromotionsSummary.pdf

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Direct Mail Spurs More Instant Action Than E-mail

Direct mail retains potent marketing clout per new research from the Direct Marketing Association in Europe. Four-fifths (79%) of consumers will act on direct mail immediately, compared to only 45% who say they deal with e-mail right away, according to the DMA's first attitudinal print tracking report, produced in conjunction with fast.MAP and sponsored by HP. The study also discovered that direct mail is the preferred channel for receiving marketing from local shops (51%) and banks (48%), although email is preferred for events and competitions (50% each). Some content strategies help boost direct mail impact: Personalization was mentioned as important by 74% of those surveyed; 31% said acknowledgement of previous dealings with the company is important; and 23% like communications to be tailored to their gender. A quote from Rachel Aldighieri, director of communications and insight at the European DMA, summed up: "Many people today easily could choose to conduct their lives entirely online, but they don’t. For brands to market effectively in a truly connected world, they must fully recognize the role that print comms play and will continue to play for many years to come.” For an infographic with more research data, go to http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/10/23/infographic-consumers-more-likely-deal-direct-mail-immediately-compared-email

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Digital Sales Ride in on Paper Catalogs

Old-fashioned paper page views will be ringing up sales along with digital page views this holiday season. According to a new survey by Kurt Salmon, a global retail consultancy, 86% of survey respondents bought an item after first seeing it in a printed catalog. More than half of online shoppers said they browse catalogs, and almost a third who make an Internet purchase have a catalog on hand when they click “buy,” per the survey. And the catalog impact isn't limited by age group: Shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 are as likely to use one as those between 45 and 54. In a recent article in Business Week magazine, Artemis Berry, vice president at Shop.org, the digital group of the National Retail Foundation, points out that printed catalogs retain a key role in retail marketing in part because of more efficient mailing list targeting and distribution. Today's improved data use ensures that a Victoria’s Secret catalog is not mailing to the homes of single men, for example. For more on catalog trends, see http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-11-07/why-the-analog-catalog-still-drives-digital-sales

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Fundraisers Face New HIPAA Opt-out Obligations

Health care fundraisers face important new obligations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), including opt-out provisions. A new Omnibus Rule, which went into effect Sept. 23, did not take away the ability of a hospital or health care organization, or its institutionally related foundation or fundraising vendor, to contact patients for fundraising purposes, but it did make important changes in the type of patient information that can be used or disclosed, and it provides for greater patient control--notably new opt-out obligations for fundraisers. Fundraising efforts now must include an opt-out provision, written or oral, with each fundraising communication or material delivered to former patients, including telephone solicitations. In describing how the former patient can discontinue receiving fundraising materials and solicitations, the opt-out statement must be a clear and conspicuous part of the materials sent to the patient; must be written in clear, plain language; and must describe a simple, not unduly burdensome means to opt-out from receiving any further fundraising materials or communications. For details on changes to what patient information can be used for fundraising without prior authorization, the required notice of privacy practices, fundraising opt-out rules, and Business Associate Agreements covering fundraising vendors, go to http://www.ahp.org/advocacy/us/HIPAA/Analysis/Pages/default.aspx.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Marketing Execs Are Upbeat---and Spending

Marketers are heading into the holidays full of cheer over their markets and marketing budgets. Per a quarterly report by Forbes Insights and ad agency Gyro, 88% of senior marketing executives plan to increase or maintain their spending. Specifically, 39% of execs surveyed say they plan to ramp up ad spend, and another 49% are sticking with existing budgets. In other words, only 12% plan to slash marketing funds. As reported by Adweek in late October, the survey found 45% of execs reporting that marketing conditions had improved compared to months ago, and 46% feeling as positive about the future as they are about current conditions. That optimism isn't generating a lot of risk-taking and innovation, however; 55% of the 875 survey participants say they are spending most of their time growing existing markets, and 58% are focused on growing current product lines and services. A smaller portion, 29%, say they intend to enter new markets, and only 16% aim to grow in new markets, according to the survey. Quoted by Adweek, Christoph Becker, Gyro's CEO and chief creative officer, described the news about marketing exec mood this way: "The good news is they feel energized and positive. There has never been a better time for a brand to find the most humanly relevant way to engage with the world than today." Well, AccuList USA certainly has some "humanly relevant" marketing suggestions for energetic marketing execs. For the story, with more infograph statistics, go to http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/88-marketing-execs-are-either-maintaining-or-increasing-ad-budgets-153342

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Survey Finds Top Tactics to Get E-mail Subscribers

Digital marketers recently shared both the most popular and the most effective ways they use to acquire e-mail subscribers in a survey by ExactTarget. Unfortunately, some of the most common tactics are not also the most effective. A general e-mail sign-up form on the website was the most common e-mail gathering tactic, for example, used by 74% of the 395 digital marketers surveyed. But those website sign-up forms were rated as effective by only 42%. Conversely, some tactics rated as very effective in capturing e-mail addresses are not widely used. Effective but underused tactics included paid search ads driving to landing pages with opt-ins (50% rating as effective but only 27% using); opt-in options with mobile app content (59% rating as effective but only 12% implementing); and requiring an e-mail address to register a mobile app (seen as effective by 55% but in use by just 13%). Business type and facilities led to low usage of some other highly rated tools: Capturing e-mail during inbound sales calls (71% rated effective), inbound customer service calls (63% rated effective), and in-store loyalty program registrations (67% rated effective) were limited to the survey's marketers with brick-and-mortar locations and call centers. For more on e-mail acquisition tactics and trends, see the MarketingProfs report on the ExactTarget survey at http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/12044/the-most-effective-tactics-for-acquiring-email-subscribers

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

How to Pick Words That Sell Your Social Media

Social media marketing relies on word economy, so the challenge is to pick the few words that will best deliver response for your tweet, Facebook post or blog info. A post on Target Marketing's blog recently summarized research on the subject, promising "38 marketing words that sell in social media." It should come as no surprise that studies generally support the basics of marketing copy: Keep verbiage short and simple; use more verbs and adverbs than nouns and adjectives; make a specific offer; and include a call to action. A review of the most "retweetable" messages came up with 20 words/phrases for success, including "you" (personalizing), "please retweet" (call to action), and offer words such as "free" and "how to." Facebook posts follow the same short-and-sweet rule to an extent, with posts of 80 characters or less getting 66% more engagement. But words aren't enough for Facebook fans. You really need a photo or video to juice response. The article cites KISSmetrics' findings that adding a photo to a Facebook post boosts "likes" by 53%, comments by 104% and clicks by 84%. For blog posts, research supports another traditional direct marketing copy lesson: Negative words are powerful--such as fear, kill and dark--and win viewers. The promise of learning also gives a viral boost, especially with novelty or significance--hinted by words such as science, smart, surprising and big. But avoid obvious promotion--words such as announcing, wins and grows--which can dampen social media response. For the full article (all 38 words), go to http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/blog/38-marketing-words-that-sell-social-media#

Thursday, November 7, 2013

How Marketers Can Spur Social Content Sharing

Social sharing of your digital content not only boosts marketing ego, it boosts Google search ranking and expands brand audience, according to studies. So how do you spur more sharing? A recent article by Tom Mangan of Reputation Capital Media Services, an agency offering content marketing support, helpfully summarizes the simple advice of multiple experts. Tip No. 1: Make it easy to share by adding social sharing buttons to your blog, website, e-mail, etc. No. 2: Make it exciting to share by adding an image. Web experts agree that any image, but especially an interesting and original graphic, increases sharing. No. 3 is a standard for marketing: Write an attention-grabbing headline. For a basic rule of thumb, keep it short and include a motivator for response or sharing, such as fear, exclusivity, greed or peer approval. No. 4 is more technically challenging: Use content meta data tailored to sharing on the social platforms targeted, which should be the platforms most used by your target audience. Examples are OpenGraph tags for Facebook and LinkedIn, and Twitter Card tags for tweets. And No. 5: Time your posts to maximize sharing. To hone in on the right day and time, you can start by learning directly from your own audience through your online traffic analytics. To read Mangan's article with helpful links, go to http://repcapitalmedia.com/how-to-get-people-to-share-your-content/

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

How to Rev Up Your PPC Campaigns

If you're a typical small to mid-sized business, you're likely wasting 25% of your pay-per-click marketing budget, according to a MarketingProfs report on a study by search software provider WordStream. So where's your PPC effort leaking dollars? WordStream graded the PPC activity of 500 small to mid-sized businesses in terms of account activity, ad relevancy, keyword optimization, landing page quality and mobile search to come up with five fixes for more traffic, leads and sales. Some takeaways: 1) Make mobile PPC best practices a top priority and get ahead of the over 80% of AdWords accounts that fail to create mobile-preferred ads; 2) Create market-relevant, call-to-action landing pages with conversation tracking instead of relying on a generic home page or single landing page; 3) Improve text writing and relevancy for better click-through and Google quality scoring, and watch your cost per click drop by as much as 50% and your cost per action by up to 80%; 4) Optimize your keywords with strategies like lower-CPC long-tail keywords, modified broad match keywords, and negative keywords; 5) Increase your commitment to PPC by spending at least 20 minutes a week on optimizing your Adwords account. The gain in 2014 from such fixes? Just looking at markets that AccuList USA frequently serves -- multichannel retail, automotive, computer and electronics, education, B2B and insurance -- the study estimated optimized PPC to annually yield 569 more product sales, 273 more vehicle test drive appointments, 211 added enterprise software inquiries, 202 more student inquiries, a 157 gain in B2B supplier leads, and 126 additional insurance quotes. For a helpful infographic, go to http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2013/11993/five-ways-to-give-your-ppc-advertising-an-extreme-makeover-infographic

Thursday, October 31, 2013

B2C Content Marketers Give Top Marks to Events

B2C content marketing tactics of all kinds are on the rise, but B2C marketers rate in-person events as the most effective in growing numbers, per the recent "B2C Content Marketing: 2014 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends" study from CMI and MarketingProfs. A range of content marketing tactics A-to-Z, from blogging to infographics to videos, have been adopted by 90% of B2C marketers today, with 60% of those surveyed saying they plan to increase their content marketing budgets in the next 12 months. Not only are use and spending up from the prior year, more B2C marketers consider themselves effective at content marketing: 34% this year compared with 32% last year. But they also rate some tactics as more effective than others. In terms of usage alone, social media (other than blogs) is the most popular (88% use social platforms), but B2C confidence in tactical effectiveness puts in-person events at the top, with 74% believing events are effective, followed closely by e-newsletters (73%). This is the second year in a row that in-person events have received top effectiveness marks from B2C marketers, plus confidence in events has grown significantly; the 74% effectiveness vote is up from 62% last year. For more on the study, go to http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/11873/2014-b2c-content-marketing-benchmarks-budgets-and-trends

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Comparing B2B Social Marketers to Trick-or-Treaters

It's Halloween time, and we can't resist the chance to compare B2B social marketers to costumed trick-or-treaters. Our thanks to Dennis Shiao for his post on Social Media Today. Shiao created the Halloween analogies from findings in the recent "Social Insights Report" by Leadtail and DNN, which analyzed 113,039 tweets (from 500 North American B2B marketers) for the June-August period to reveal social networking and content trends. The report shows, Shiao points out, where B2B marketers, like veteran trick-or-treaters, go for the sweetest results on social networks: 35% share content on LinkedIn, compared with just 3% on Facebook. They choose familiar sources for sharing of safer treats, which is why industry media make up 62% of the 100 most popular content sources. But B2B marketers know the value of creative costumes, so the most shared social sources are also visually oriented: The top five most shared are YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, SlideShare, and Facebook. Like the house with the spookiest decor on the block, if you want to lure a crowd, you'll need to offer an overall standout experience, observes Shiao, so check out the top-rated vendors mentioned by B2B marketers to see what they are doing right with their sweet content, including HubSpot, marketo, salesforce, ShareThis and Eloqua. For more treats from the article and a link to the report, see http://socialmediatoday.com/dshiao/1861616/how-halloween-reminds-me-b2b-marketers

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Retailers Can Use 'Big Data' for Bigger Holiday Sales

OK, retailers, if you've been gathering reams of online and offline data about your prospects and customers, it's time to use it to wrap up a holiday sales gift to yourselves. How? A recent MarketingProfs article suggests three tips for using "big data" to deliver a merrier holiday season to e-commerce and brick-and-mortar merchants. No. 1: Combine customer profiles and buying/shopping histories with real-time situational data (location, time/seasonality, limited-time offers, remaining inventory, etc.) and apply that data across devices and channels for more targeted, personalized and relevant promotions in real time (in-store mobile ads, for example). No. 2: Retarget site abandoners with video ads, which drive more engagement than display ads and e-mails--and use data to make sure videos are relevant and timed to the customers' buying cycle. No. 3: Don't stop with customer acquisition. Deliver multi-channel welcoming experiences to new customers for retention, cross-sell and upsell to keep sales flowing into the New Year. For specific implementation ideas, see the article at http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11924/how-to-harness-big-data-for-better-holiday-shopping-experiences

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Will Political Turmoil Scuttle Holiday Fundraising?

Since our politicians "solved" impasses over the federal government shutdown and debt ceiling by kicking the can down the road to early next year, some nonprofit fundraisers, not to mention retailers, express worry about the potential drag on holiday spending. A recent post by Angie Moore in Fundraising Success magazine's blog, urged nonprofits to exercise both watchfulness and calm. Yes, fundraisers did report a drop in giving as measured by immediate channels, such as Internet and phone, during the actual shutdown, and market researchers confirmed the negative impact on consumer behavior: 40% of consumers cut spending as a result of the shutdown, with 32% of consumers making $100,000 and up cutting back and 37% of consumer earning $75,000-$100,000 tightening their belts. Since those income brackets represent the donor targets of many fundraising campaigns, it's not unreasonable to worry that donors might stay conservative with their wallets over the holidays. But what's a reasonable marketing response? We like Moore's advice to 1) first avoid panicked, potentially unproductive changes in campaign strategy and budget; 2) but keep a close eye on metrics (such as open rates, online giving, call volume, pledge and donation amounts); and 3) if you see a reason for concern confirmed by data from vendors and fellow fundraisers, tweak the tactics with quickly measurable results (online, social, and telemarketing, for example). For the full article, see http://www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/blog/angie-moore-fundraising-government-shutdown

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Augmented Reality Challenges QR in Print-to-Mobile

With print-to-mobile marketing growing, the scale and engagement of "augmented reality" image recognition is wooing some publishers and advertisers away from QR codes and tags. Augmented reality certainly has a fan in publisher Meredith Corp. A recent Mobile Marketer story quoted Doug Crichton, director of mobile engagement at Meredith: “Digital watermarks unduly complicated our editorial production processes, and QR codes/Microsoft Tags weren't moving the needle. So far, augmented reality is driving more reader engagement than QRs/Tags did.” Earlier this year, Meredith rolled out a branded augmented reality application for editorial and advertising in its four parents network titles: Parents, American Baby, FamilyFun and Ser Padres. Meanwhile, Time Inc.’s lifestyle group is using digital watermarks in several publications, including watermarketing a MyRecipes cook book so consumers can save recipe info for grocery shopping. Similar to augmented reality, the draw of the digital watermarks is that they do not cover up the images on pages, which suited Time's reliance on big pictures in recipes. That's not to say that QR codes have fallen by the wayside, especially when the goal is to drive traffic. QR codes immediately signal consumers that there is a mobile component to a printed piece for quick lead generation. As a result, many marketers are balancing the advantages of print-to-mobile options by using different forms of technology at the same time, the Mobile Marketer story notes. P&G’s CoverGirl recently used a combination of QR codes and augmented reality on pages within Condé Nast’s September issues of Allure and Vogue, for example. See the complete story at http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/software-technology/16338.html

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Holiday Mobile E-mail: Don't Miss Millennials

Courting millennials will be pivotal to the success of many mobile e-mail campaigns this holiday season, according to a ClickZ story on research by Campaigner, an e-mail marketing provider. With eMarketer projecting U.S. holiday e-commerce to reach $61.8 billion this year, up 15% from last year, and mobile transactions expected to hit 16% of the total, mobile messaging is clearly crucial to holiday marketing--and millennials are a key component of mobile shoppers. The survey by Campaigner found a whopping 67% of the millennials, aged 18 to 34, use e-mail on their mobile devices. Of those, 10% have made transactions directly from mobile e-mail, which is more than any other age group. Yet catching the attention of millennials will not be easy, the Campaigner survey also shows. The space is competitive: 48% said marketing messages make up over half their e-mail. And the millennial targets are hard to engage: Half of those surveyed said they aren't sure about the impact of holiday marketing e-mails, and one in four said they ignore holiday marketing e-mail. The three major challenges this holiday season, Campaigner advises, will be to persuade millennials to open e-mails, to then engage them, and finally to get them to share via social media, which two-thirds said they are reluctant to do. Investing in mobile-optimized e-mail design is an obvious first step. Ease the open and engagement challenges by e-mailing those who've already shown interest: abandoned cart shoppers. Better make the content engaging while you're at it: 25% of survey respondents said they are irritated by irrelevant content. And check out your competition before launching; since you'll be elbowing each other in the tight mobile space, make sure you stand out. See the ClickZ article: http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/2298008/tips-for-targeting-millennials-with-mobile-email-marketing-for-the-holidays

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Don't Let Simple Mistakes Sink Your Social Marketing

You've added social media to your marketing mix to capture the interest of customers. But are you wasting resources, or, worse, actually turning off prospects and customers? Check to see if you are making some of the 10 critical social media errors outlined in a helpful post on SmartBlogs. Among them is jumping on more social platforms than you can effectively manage, especially if you are including ones that don't reach many customers. Another no-no is to pump out aggressive sales pitches instead of two-way conversations. If you are posting rarely or erratically, you aren't gong to cut through the social chatter. And if what you say is cold and impersonal (people connect with people, ideas and opinions, not balance sheets), timid (dodging controversies and tough questions), unattractive (no colorful images to grab attention) and lacking allure (people need incentives to follow you, meaning good info and feedback as much as freebies), you're going to be the business at the social marketing party that folks ignore or avoid. For the full article on critical social marketing mistakes, go to http://smartblogs.com/social-media/2013/10/04/10-critical-social-media-mistakes-to-avoid/

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Brands Test Postagram's Social-Direct Mail Blend

Hyatt hotels and Coppertone are two well-known brands testing a Facebook-enhanced platform called Postagram that prints personalized postcards. Through mid-August, the hotelier encouraged guests to personalize up to two complimentary postcards via a Facebook app that's available on Postagram and Hyatt House social pages. In five steps, lodgers could add a photo and a 180-character message to the postcard before entering the name and address of a friend and putting postal service delivery in motion. The Hyatt brand promoted the test of the blend of digital and old school direct mail via social media channels and printed materials in the rooms of the Chicago-based chain. Meanwhile, Coppertone also employed the Postagram platform, including a mobile app available on iPhones, to push branded postcards. Adweek quotes Matt Brezina, CEO of Sincerely, which owns the 2-year-old Postagram: "Most direct mail is boring stuff," declares Brezina. "What we are doing is different because it's personalized. What's more, it's personalized by someone the recipient actually knows. It's not just from some company." Brezina's San Francisco-based Sincerely operation markets a handful of gifting-oriented mobile/web applications and claims 2.7 million mobile users for apps like Popbooth, Ink, Sesame and Ship API. For the Adweek story, go to http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/hyatt-hotels-combines-facebook-snail-mail-150791

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Mobile Text Donors Want to Give Even More

Most donors who give via text message would like to make larger gifts using their mobile phones, according to a new mobile donor survey reported in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Of the more than 20,000 text-message donors in a survey sponsored by the mGive Foundation, charitable arm of a mobile fundraising firm, 85% said they would be willing to give $25 to $50 via text. Mobile contributions are currently limited to $10 each. The generosity of the mobile-giving crowd can be tapped to a greater extent by other methods as well, the survey shows. For example, the survey found that people who make donations via text message also give using other methods at the same time, with online giving top-ranked as the preferred donation method, followed by special events and then text messages. Roughly 85% said that making a small gift via text message would not make them less likely to make a larger donation through another method, such as online or direct mail. For more details from the survey, see the article at http://philanthropy.com/article/Donors-Who-Give-by-Text-Want/140521/

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Catalogs, Direct Mail Attract More E-commerce Fans

E-commerce companies are embracing the marketing power of print catalogs and traditional direct mail in growing numbers these days, according to a recent post on The Huffington Post's business blog. The article by marketing agency execs reports that small, mid-size and premium digital brands are turning to high-impact direct-mail pieces--from full-size catalogs to postcards--as effective acquisition and retention tools. For example, a print catalog can deliver a potent one-two punch strategy via a high-response mail contact followed by cost-effective online order fulfillment, the post argues, which is why the brand roster of direct-mail converts now includes e-commerce heavy hitters like Amazon, eBay, Shutterfly, Zappos, Art.com, JustFab, Snapfish, One King's Lane, Modcloth and Minted. Building incremental sales with direct mail can be challenging in a multi-channel marketing and sales environment, forcing better analytics and systems for database targeting, response tracking and ROI allocation. But, for those e-commerce fans who aren't convinced it's worth the effort, the post shares the attractive math of a typical catalog test campaign in terms of ROI and costs. Check it out at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-ostroy/why-ecommerce-companies-a_b_3983952.html

Thursday, September 26, 2013

B2B and B2C Merchants Still Count on Print Catalogs

Print catalogs are still an important marketing tool in the direct-to-customer sector, according to results from Multichannel Merchant's Outlook 2013 survey. In fact, more than half of respondents said their companies market products directly to consumers and businesses through a print catalog. Even more interesting, nearly half of those merchants said they planned to increase print catalog circulation in 2013. Besides relying on catalogs to drive sales, business-to-business and business-to-consumer merchants also reported using catalogs as a prospecting tool and a web traffic driver. For a copy of the survey report, go to http://multichannelmerchant.com/mcm-outlook/mcm-outlook-2013-catalogs-still-have-staying-power-01072013/#_

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Pinterest Pins Outlive Twitter, Facebook Posts

A pin on Pinterest has a useful marketing life that’s thousands of times longer than that of a tweet or Facebook post, according to a new study by Piqora. The marketing response tail of a pin can last beyond 30 days, while Facebook posts can become obsolete in hours and the value of a Twitter tweet may expire in minutes. That's good news for a brand like Sephora, which says its Pinterest followers spend 15 times more than its Facebook fans. More marketers are figuring out how to put Pinterest to work for them as well. Piqora also found that Pinterest virality, the rate of "repinning," increased 42% from the fourth quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2013, which Piquora sees as an indicator that marketers are getting smarter in their pin usage. See the article at http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/17/why-the-half-life-of-a-pinterest-pin-is-thousands-of-times-longer-than-a-tweet-or-facebook-post/

Thursday, September 19, 2013

New Mobile Captcha Ad Network Delivers for Unilever

An 87% lift in purchase intent was Unilever's result from testing a newly expanded "type-in" mobile ad network for its Wish-Bone Italian salad dressing, reported the company, citing a total of 757 consumers surveyed by comScore. Wish-Bone's marketing team was the first to test Solve Media's expanded "type-in" mobile ad network that not only includes mobile Web publishers but also mobile apps. The type-in system works like a traditional captcha but replaces the randomly generated letters and numbers typically seen on digital devices with paid brand advertising. Wish-Bone ran full-screen interstitial ads involving a simple captcha call-to-action, such as "please enter: Sassy." After the mobile consumers typed in the message, they could see the publisher's content, and Unilever was charged a fee. The promos were placed with mostly female-focused news/content providers, including AOL properties, Bauer titles, Meredith sites, Internet Brands' online publications,Vertical Scope networks, and music service Songza. With Songza, Unilever offered 24 hours of ad-free music for engaging with the ad. For more detail, see the Adweek story: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/unilever-mobile-effort-garners-87-purchase-intent-lift-150514

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Remarketing Expands Impact of YouTube Video Ads

If you run a video ad campaign on YouTube, don't miss the opportunity to create a remarketing campaign! It can generate added exposure and engagement with your target audience. YouTube’s TrueView advertising program offers video remarketing tools, also known as remessaging or retargeting, that enable advertisers to build a prospect list and bring viewers back to a video marketing message. With remarketing, the advertiser has the opportunity to show text or display ads to promote a video based on the audience member's past interactions with the video. For a presentation on how to leverage your YouTube ad reach, see the Target Marketing magazine blog post by Gary Hennerberg at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/blog/video-advertising-remarketing-direct-marketers

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Online Gifts to Nonprofits Leap Upward

Online gifts to U.S. nonprofits are growing far faster than other types of donations, according to new studies reported by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Donations rose 14% in 2012 from the prior year, to $2.1-billion, according to a study of 115,000 nonprofits whose giving totals were tracked by online-fundraising processors Blackbaud, Network for Good, and PayPal. Contributions to the nation’s biggest charities also grew 14%, to $785 million, according to The Chronicle's own survey of 149 large nonprofits. That vigorous growth can be contrasted with the anemic 1.5% post-inflation rise in 2012 contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations as reported by Giving USA. Despite the robust growth of online giving, online gifts still account for a small portion of most charitable fundraising, with a median share of just 2.1% of all donations from private sources, per The Chronicle's survey of large nonprofits. Still the survey also found many groups bullish about online's potential. Nearly three-quarters of the groups surveyed said their goal is to have online donations account for more than 10% of overall fundraising efforts in the next few years. About one in five expect Internet gifts to reach up to 20% of their overall donations by then. For more detail on online giving trends, see The Chronicle of Philanthropy story at http://philanthropy.com/article/The-Big-Boom-in-Online-Giving/139965/

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

These Facebook Invites Came Courtesy of the USPS

It's assumed that, in today's digitally connected world, tech market leaders will snub old-fashioned snail mail. So Facebook generated a media buzz when it sent out invitations to a June media event courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service. Facebook, which holds frequent media events, doesn't normally send out its invitations via direct mail. Like others in the industry, Facebook typically uses e-mail for event invitations. The surprise use of mailed invites generated speculation that Facebook was working on some print-relevant project. Actually, Facebook unveiled the launch of 15-second videos via Instagram at the event. Here's an idea: Maybe Facebook used traditional direct mail because it gets a higher response than e-mail! See the Target Marketing magazine story at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/aggregatedcontent/facebook-sends-out-invitations-by-snail-mail

Thursday, September 5, 2013

E-mail Sees Jump in Average Order Value

The average order value from e-mail marketing jumped 14.4% in the first quarter to $182.92, up from $159.93 in the same quarter last year, according to Experian Marketing Services. The findings are based on all e-mails sent by Experian CheetahMail clients. The total volume of e-mail sent also increased 11.6% year over year in the first quarter, with multi-channel retailers and consumer products and goods companies leading the growth. Another sign of the growing power of mobile: Experian found that more than half of all e-mail opens in the first quarter took place on mobile devices. For more on the study, see the internetretailer.com report at http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/06/06/e-mail-average-order-values-increase-14-q1

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Psychographics Differ for iPad vs iPhone Users

When you invest in mobile marketing, your quandaries include whether to focus on apps for iOS devices (60% of the market) or Android, and then, within the iOS market, whether to develop iPad apps, iPhone apps, or both. The answers depend on the customer segments you want to reach, so take a look at a recent e-commerce blog post sharing Flurry mobile analytics on smartphone and tablet usage. Drawing from app usage by nearly 400 million iOS devices, the Flurry data shows why mobile apps and site features need to match different device usage patterns. For example, data shows that a store locator is a more important call-to-action for a smartphone user on the go, as opposed to a tablet user. The psychographic segmentation also differs between iPhone and iPad. If you are seeking "value shoppers" with mobile coupons or showrooms, you should skew toward iPhone apps. If you are targeting parenting and education activities, small business services, moms, or pet owners, iPad apps are more effective. Plus, Android users and iOS users have different psychographic profiles; for example, the "mommy market" is more likely to use an iOS device rather than an Android (77% vs. 23%). The data creates more interest in our lists of iPhone and Android users with demographic data. For more detail on mobile app customer segments, see the getelastic.com article at http://www.getelastic.com/iphone-vs-ipad-app-use-across-psychographic-segments/.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Social Media Lags Further As Online Sales Driver

Social media is lagging as a direct traffic source to e-commerce websites and as a driver of online retail purchases, despite despite brand investment, according to research by Monetate, an online customer experience engine. Monetate's data from online shoppers in the first quarter of 2013 found that social media represented just 1.55% of all e-commerce traffic, way behind search (31.43%) and trailing e-mail (2.82%). Even more disappointing for marketers, social media traffic numbers in the first quarter of 2013 were actually down from the same quarter of 2012, when they were at 2.36%. The data leads researchers to question brand retailers' approach to social marketing. "We know that social media plays an important role in influencing social purchases. To what degree brands are able to leverage social to build loyalty is the next big question," stated Blair Lyon, vice president of marketing for Monetate, in a PRNewswire release. For more research findings, see the Multichannel Merchant report at http://multichannelmerchant.com/crosschannel/social-media-declining-for-online-purchases-22052013/#_

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Mobile App Targets by Social Media Data, Location

Summer is when advertisers must catch folks on the move, so it's no surprise to see a surge in mobile app debuts. UberMedia , for one, unveiled its UberAds product that targets app users based on their social media data and location. “So if you follow Tom Cruise on Twitter and are near a theater, you could see an ad for movie tickets,” explained Bill Gross, UberMedia CEO, in an Adweek article. NBCUniversal tested the UberAds' mobile apps network to promote Tom Cruise's sci-fi movie Oblivion and earned a 4% click-through rate that was significantly higher than the industry average of 1%. Doug Neil, senior vice president of digital marketing at NBCUniversal, told Adweek that the Oblivion ads created 2 million mobile impressions while homing in on Cruise’s 3.9 million Twitter followers and other mobile app users. For more on summer mobile initiatives, see the story at http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/summer-could-be-breakthrough-mobile-advertising-149632

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Celebrating 30 Years As a List Professional

Today marks my 30th consecutive year as a list professional. I began my apprenticeship at Mike Wilson List Council, Inc. on August 22, 1983. Now, as CEO and president of AccuList, Inc., parent company of AccuList USA and Beyond Voter Lists, I can look back on a career that has grown with the direct marketing industry, expanding from traditional direct mail list and insert media brokerage and management to include e-mail marketing, online advertising, mobile marketing and social media. Today the Direct Marketing Association refers to me and a few others as "Data Innovators" or "List Leaders." My thanks to the thousands of clients and direct marketing industry colleagues who have made my 30-year journey so rewarding! For a synopsis of my career highlights, see my LinkedIn profile at http://www.linkedin.com/in/dkanter

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

2012 Study: Nonprofit Mobile Donations Up 205%

For 2012, donations to nonprofit organizations from mobile web sites increased 205%, according to fundraising technology and services provider Artez Interactive. Nonprofits that offer mobile web sites, apps or both for taking donations also generate up to 123% more individual donations per campaign than organizations that don’t, the company reported. In 2012, Artez tracked 16 nonprofit fundraising campaigns around the world, with those campaigns raising amounts ranging from $100,000 to $10 million. An example of the growing mobile impact is provided by The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), where mobile donations during its biggest campaign at the end of 2012 accounted for 4% of its overall fundraising, up from 1% a year earlier. For more detail, see the Internet Retailer report at http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/05/15/mobile-donations-triple-2012

Thursday, August 15, 2013

ATTN Mailers: USPS Mulls 2014 Postage With FSS Pricing

U.S. Postal Service support of its Flats Sequencing System (FSS) may lead to an overhaul of postal rates early next year to include “an FSS pricing structure” for the Standard and Periodicals classes (and perhaps First Class mail), according to an online Dead Tree Edition post. The story cites indications from postal officials that the plan will include significant incentives for mailers to create FSS-optimized bundles for ZIP codes served by the giant machines, while continuing to make traditional carrier-route and five-digit bundles for non-FSS areas. No details were released, but such a change would certainly impact catalogs, direct mail and printers, prompting Target Marketing magazine to pick up the story at http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/aggregatedcontent/fss-postage-pricing-will-affect-catalogs-magazines-printers 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Print Reading Audiences Post Growth in 2013

If you believe the Digital Age dooms print marketing, check out the latest print audience figures for this year. Print reading audiences are posting growth, according to spring 2013 data released by measurement firm GfK MRI. Of the 181 magazine titles surveyed, about 42%, or 76 titles, saw print audience size increase by 5% or more from spring 2012 to spring 2013. About 35 publications saw audiences grow from 5% to 10%. Another 41 magazines saw gains of 10% or more, with 11 of the 41 titles growing readership by more than 20% year-over-year. The big winner was Diabetes Forecast, with a whopping increase of 48.73%. Of course, some titles lost readership. About 15 publications reported losses between 5% and 10%, with 12 losing 10% or more. The biggest loser was Meredith’s FamilyFun magazine, which reported a drop of 23.28%. When the digital audience (excluding Web traffic) is added to print readership, even more publishers have reason to celebrate growth. With combined digital and print audience, 39 publications saw audience gains between 5% and 10%, and 42 magazine titles saw gains of 10% or more when comparing the spring 2012 to 2013. For more, see the Folio report at http://www.foliomag.com/2013/magazine-audience-sizes-flat-growing-gfk-mri-numbers#.UgpLy9KyByI

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Mobile Sites Attract More Shoppers Than Buyers

More consumers use mobile to research purchases than make purchases, according to the latest Forrester Research.  Only 13% of U.S. adults with a mobile phone report using it to purchase a product, although the purchase rate jumps to 30% for tablet users. As a result, the conversion rate on the average mobile site is only 1% compared with 2% to 3% for computer access. Marketers should still hone their mobile pitches, however, since 37% of U.S. online adult tablet owners and 14% of online adult mobile phone owners are using their devices to research products and prepare to make a purchase. U.S. online consumers are also using their devices to read customer product reviews (tablet 28%, mobile phone 10%), locate a store and check store hours (tablet 17%, mobile phone 16%), and check product availability online (tablet 16%, mobile phone 7%). If you want to get that mobile conversion rate up, make sure you aren't creating barriers to purchase. Forrester found the main stumbling blocks to more mobile purchasing were web sites not optimized for mobile, concerns over the security of mobile payments, and patchy wireless connections. For a more detailed portrait of mobile consumers, see the internetretailer.com story at http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/05/15/forrester-research-paints-vivid-picture-typical-mobile

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Summer's End Marks Launch of Holiday E-mail Plans

We're in the dog days of summer, but smart e-mail marketers are already planning for the year-end holidays. In August and September, e-mails can prime shoppers for their holiday shopping, with mobile app downloads or credit card offers, for example. In October, when the average amount of promotional e-mail from retailers starts to jump from 18 to 20 messages per subscriber, digital marketers can stand out by touting pre-holiday sales, pre-ordering of hot items, wish lists and layaways. By November, those who haven't planned ahead can get lost in the chatter as retailers send an average of 25 promotional e-mails to active subscribers. Because mobile can hook holiday shoppers even outside of stores or homes, many now map out a promotional drive of mobile-friendly e-mails throughout November, including early-in-the-month Fridays and Thanksgiving Day itself as well as the traditional Black Friday shopping kickoff  and Cyber Monday, the busiest e-mail marketing day of the year. For a useful holiday e-mail planning calendar courtesy of ExactTarget, see the infographic at http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2013/11270/the-email-marketing-holiday-calendar-infographic.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

For Millennial Donors, Give Them a Cause to Share

The latest nonprofit Millennial Impact Report, based on 2013 online research by Achieve and 14 partners, underscores the promise and challenge of appealing to millennials, those born between 1979 and 1994. How do nonprofits maximize millennial engagement? Per the report, charitable appeals need to tap millennial motives for involvement, with 79% of millennials saying it's about passion for the specific cause (not the institution), 56% citing opportunities for socializing and networking, and 45% seeking enhanced professional expertise. A hefty 72% were interested in joining a nonprofit young professional group, for example. To communicate their message to millennials, nonprofits also need to invest in mobile-friendly communications  (with 85% of millennial respondents owning a smartphone), social media (75% "like," retweet or share content on social media, especially if there are compelling photos), and updated websites catering to millennial usage (51% will go there to connect to social media, 46% will donate and another 46% will read a blog post). The good news is that 83% of millennial respondents reported making a financial gift to an organization, and 52% said they would be interested in monthly giving. So if nonprofits can get it right, they can cultivate a new generation of donors and volunteers. For the full report, go to http://www.themillennialimpact.com/2013research

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Cost-Effective Mini Catalogs Grow in Popularity

Direct marketers are embracing mini catalogs to cost-effectively supplement full-size catalog mailings, according to a recent story for multichannelmerchant.com. The 10-page mini catalog, which can mail at the cost of a standard automated letter without the hard-to-open wafer of a slim jim, is proving a cost-effective response earner. Success stories cited include Crestline, a custom promotional products firm, which went from mailing 68-page catalogs every other week to mailing full catalogs every third mailing with mini catalogs in between. The result was an increase in response rate of up to 10% in some customer segments, a 20% retention rise, and savings of one-third in postage and production, the article reports. Another new mini catalog fan is National Ropers Supply, retailing Western decor and lifestyle supplies, which switched from mailing five to six $1.50-each catalogs annually to mailing two full catalogs supplemented by mini catalogs with a cost of just $0.32 each -- for a cost-effective boost is both catalog and online sales. For more, see the story at http://multichannelmerchant.com/marketing/mini-catalogs-catching-on-as-economy-and-culture-change-24072013/

Thursday, July 25, 2013

You Can Use Data to Win Hearts As Well As Minds

You can use cool data to create warmer feelings, and hotter sales, for your brand. In a recent Forbes.com On Marketing post, marketing expert Sandra Zoratti argues for developing a higher "EQ," or emotional intelligence, score to increase marketing effectiveness. She points out that emotional connections can be a more potent force in marketing than intellectual persuasion. In fact, experiments by a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist found people will purchase a product they know is inferior or overpriced if they like and trust the seller. So how do you tap into customer emotions to get them to like and trust you? By using that hard data and analytics to win hearts as well as minds, answers Zoratti. She cites the example of Royal Canin Canada, a pet food company. Via a "PetFirst" e-mail program, the company gathered info about the names, birth dates, breeds and weights of customers' cats and dogs. Royal Canin then combined that info with veterinary data to create personalized pet-care plans. The company used the data to not only win over customer minds with pet-specific nutrition knowledge but to win hearts with programs like pet birthday greetings. For more, see http://www.forbes.com/sites/onmarketing/2013/07/09/marketers-heres-how-to-use-data-to-win-hearts-and-minds/

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

In Online Sales Arena, E-mail KOs Social

Do today's online retailers find more paying customers from e-mail or social media? It's no contest according to recent research from Custora, a marketing data firm. Over the past four years, online retailers have quadrupled the rate of customers acquired through e-mail to 7%, while Facebook and Twitter barely register, according to Custora data from 72 million customers shopping on 86 retailer sites. Of course, organic search remained the largest acquisition channel, followed by cost-per-click (Google). Meanwhile, e-mail also leads social when it comes to the lifetime value of customers acquired. E-mail customers are almost 11% more valuable than the average customer, while Facebook customers are about average in terms of shopping and spending. In contrast, Twitter customers were 23% less valuable than average. For more, see the recent article from wired.com at http://www.wired.com/business/2013/07/email-crushing-twitter-facebook/

Thursday, July 18, 2013

For E-mail Success, Focus on Content, Segmentation

Compelling content and list segmentation are rated by both B2B and B2C marketers as the most effective tactics for e-mail success, according to a June research report from Ascend 2 and Research Underwriters. Creating relevant and compelling content was ranked as key by most B2B (71%) and B2C marketers (65%). Segmenting the e-mail database was cited as an effective tactic by the second greatest percentage of B2B marketers. For B2C marketers, segmentation ranked as the No. 3 tactic for achieving e-mail marketing objectives, after testing and optimizing the e-mail campaign. But guess what? Creating relevant content and list segmentation are also listed as the most difficult to successfully execute by those same e-mail marketers, along with testing and optimizing messaging. Tactics that are the focus of many articles -- optimizing e-mail for smartphones and engaging with social media -- fell to the bottom of the list of successful e-mail tactics cited by B2B and B2C marketers. For more detail, see the emarketer.com report at http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Which-Tactics-Work-Best-Email-Marketers/1010020

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Make QR Codes More Visual to Boost Reponse

Why don't more people scan those increasingly ubiquitous QR codes? Mobile phone subscribers may be set to outnumber the Earth's population by next year, but many marketers are disappointed by their QR code usage. A recent MarketingProfs.com article by Uriel Peled points out some reasons. Most QR codes are not eye-catching or placed in a prominent location in the offline creative. They don't give the customer a reason to make even the minimal effort to scan. He provides some interesting examples of how to create better QR code engagement. Incorporating the QR code prominently in the design and as part of the call to action can boost scans by 25% in his experience. Also, you can combine your logo with the visual QR code to both empower the brand and create more engagement. You can also build a social media following through your offline community with QR codes; by adding QR capabilities to static Facebook and Twitter icons, Peled predicts you can increase social engagement by 25%, too. For visual examples, see the article at http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2013/11151/how-to-use-visual-qr-codes-to-increase-customer-engagement-25

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Wordy E-mails Work for Some Audiences

Brevity may be the rule for most successful e-mailers, but certain target audiences may respond to a wordier approach. Who's Mailing What, which tracks 220 e-mail categories, reported recently that while most companies send e-mails with a word count below 250, a few categories are markedly more verbose. Social action fundraising e-mails topped the chart in terms of word count, weighing in with an average of 647 words to persuade donors to open their checkbooks. The second most wordy category was seminars/conferences with a 619 word count to convince prospects of the value of high-cost attendance. Also above 350 words per email were religious magazines, political fundraising, special interest magazines, general newsletters and business/financial magazines. The other 212 categories had word counts of 300 or less. See the report at http://www.directmarketingiq.com/slideshow/email-marketing-word-count-trends-companies-including-fundraisers-magazines

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Tablets Deliver More Ad Clicks Than Smartphones

Tablets are star performers for mobile ad campaigns. Comparing the performance of ads on smartphones and tablets in December 2012, mobile ad-buying platform Adfonic found that tablet ads generally performed better across a range of metrics and industries. Branding campaigns, in particular, garnered 250% higher click-through rates on tablets compared with smartphones. Even direct-response campaigns performed better on average with tablets than smartphones, though the margin was not as high as with branding campaigns. Industries needing rich visual content -- such as fashion, lifestyle and health categories -- saw click-through rates double on tablets. Click-through rates for entertainment and media, and for the travel category, rose by 81% and 66%, respectively, when served to tablets. Not every industry did better with tablets. Legal and automotive ads got fewer clicks on tablets than on smartphones, and the worst performers on tablets were the fast-moving consumer goods and retail industry, along with the social and dating category. Technology, which is second only to entertainment and media in percentage of mobile dollars spent, performed about equally on tablets vs. smartphones. For more on the study, see the emarketer.com article at http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Ad-Clicks-Tablets-Outperform-Smartphones/1009772

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

B2B Survey: 43% See Longer Sales Cycle

More than 4 in 10 businesses say their business-to-business sales cycle has lengthened in the last three years, according to a survey developed by Crain's BtoB Magazine and business audience marketing company Bizo, with a focus on online marketing. Longer sales cycles create headaches for b-to-b marketers under the gun to boost brand awareness and to capture and nurture leads through a prolonged buying process. And that's just one of their b-to-b challenges. The study also found that only 40% of respondents said their online marketing mix is meeting the needs of the sales pipeline. At the same time, one-third of respondents reported their biggest online marketing challenge is accurately measuring and attributing online conversions to the correct marketing channels. And while 79% said differentiating on brand is a priority, 60% also admitted that they are not fully satisfied (neutral or dissatisfied) with their current efforts to differentiate on brand. For more on the study results, see the Marketingprofs.com story at http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2013/10556/b2bs-struggling-with-online-marketing-mix-sales-cycle-gets-longer

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

For Social Media Impact, Timing Matters

The social media world may be chattering 24/7, but businesses need to figure out when to post for maximum audience impact. So here's a link to a helpful infographic from socialcaffiene.com, combining research from multiple sources. For those who can't wait to know, the best time to post on Facebook is between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, while LinkedIn posts have their greatest reach before and after business hours, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and then again from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday. If you're a tweeter, Twitter users are most attentive between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On Fridays and weekends, your social media efforts can relax, unless you want to post to Pinterest. For Pinterest, set aside a Saturday morning. For more, go to http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/05/when-is-the-best-time-to-post-on-social-media-infographic.html

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Snail Mail Response Still Beats Digital Channels

Direct mail response is 10 to 30 times higher than that of e-mail, and other digital channels have similar low response rates, according to the latest survey by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). The DMA report explains that "for every 1,000 existing customers receiving a direct-mail piece, 34 will respond on average. For e-mail, the average response -- measured by taking the click-through rate and multiplying the conversion per click -- is 0.12%," or one in 1,000. And that is true even though direct mail response has declined over time, from 4.37% in 2003 to an average response rate of 3.40% today. When it comes to ROI, however, the survey found that e-mail and digital channels win out. The ROI for e-mail was $28.50 in sales generated for every $1 dollar of e-mail spending. The direct mail ROI is pretty much equivalent to e-mail when acquiring a new customer, but e-mail definitely has the edge when it comes to existing customers, with an ROI that's four times higher than direct mail. For more data, see the Advertising Age article at http://adage.com/article/media/dma-snail-mail-phone-beat-digital-response-rates/235364/

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

FTC Chair Calls for Better 'Do Not Track' Solution

New Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez shocked attendees at the American Advertising Federation’s annual advertising day on Capitol Hill by calling for a universal solution for Do Not Track (DNT), implying dissatisfaction with the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) self-regulatory program, reported a recent Adweek story. "Consumers await a functioning Do Not Track system, which is long overdue," Ramirez said. "We advocated for a persistent Do Not Track mechanism that allows consumers to stop control of data across all sites, and not just for targeting ads." The chairwoman poured salt in the wound by urging the advertising industry to work with the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) to develop a DNT standard that is browser-based, championing Microsoft's Do Not Track browser and Mozilla’s plan to block third-party cookies. The advertising industry has been at odds with Microsoft and Mozilla policies, and the DAA put out a policy statement last year that advertisers would not honor the Microsoft browser because its default setting did not give advertisers choice. Ad industry members thought their DAA program had responded to the FTC’s DNT call two years ago. For more comments, see the story at http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ftc-chair-stuns-advertisers-148644

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Catalog Retailers Lead in Online Conversion

Catalog and call-center retailers outperform retail chains, manufacturers and web-only retailers in one important e-commerce metric: conversion rate. That's according to data from the "2013 Internet Retailer Top 500" guide. As a group, catalog and call-center retailers had the highest average conversion rate of 5.1% in 2012, an improvement from 4.7% in 2011. In fact, they have consistently held the highest average conversion rate among the merchant types in the 10 years since Internet Retailer published its first guide to e-commerce. One reason for the higher conversion is that these retailers typically send catalogs focused on specific products, such as gifts or pet supplies, to consumers who buy those products and so intend to make a purchase when they visit the retailer’s e-commerce site. For more, see the Internet Retailer story at http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/04/29/catalogers-book-highest-conversion-rate-top-500

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Online Shoppers Need More Info to Trigger Buys

If you want online shoppers to purchase, you need to offer them a lot more information from a lot more channels than in the past. A recent Multichannel Merchant article from ExactTarget made that point with a quote from ExactTarget’s President of Convince & Convert Jay Baer: “According to research conducted by Google, in 2010, consumers needed 5.3 sources of information before making a purchase. In 2011, just one year later, they needed 10.4 sources. In just 12 months, the amount of information needed to pull the ‘buying trigger’ doubled. Why? Are we less decisive? More risk adverse? No. We need more information because we have more information.” The article suggests that one solution to the rising demand for information is "cross-channel marketing," meaning building marketing strategies that enable you to interact with consumers across the channels that consumers use most. Some ideas with informative/engagement impact include e-mailed in-store receipts, Facebook opt-in campaigns, digital alerts on new pricing, new models or low inventory. For more, see the article at http://multichannelmerchant.com/lists/how-to-spring-clean-with-customer-acquisition-23042013/

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Data-Driven Mailings Create Arts Marketing Success

If you need an example of direct mail power in arts and entertainment marketing, look at the Everyman Theater Company, a nonprofit Baltimore-based theater group. Last year, it incorporated data-driven strategies to optimize its direct mail marketing with impressive results. The total ROI for one campaign was an astounding 552%, with an 80% increase in ticket sales and revenue, for example. Prior to its data-driven mailings, Everyman's traditional marketing had relied mostly broadcast messages: postcards, radio spots, and e-blasts. Everyman's prior direct mail efforts usually equated to mailing to its entire list. Enter Marketing Director Jonathan Waller. He hired a database services firm to clean up the database (mainly removing duplicate names), to identify segments most likely to purchase tickets, and to build predictive models. After direct-mail testing of segments and messaging, both response rates and cost efficiency improved. For more detail, see the Direct Marketing News story at http://www.dmnews.com/data-driven-marketing-gets-dramatics-results/article/290791/

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Google Reveals Online Buying Processes by Industry

Online consumers who take at least two web “steps” before purchasing a product — say, a paid search ad or an e-mail marketing message — account for 66% of retail revenue, according to data from a new free tool that Google Inc. has made available online. “The Customer Journey to Online Purchase” is a website where users can toy around for free with information designed to show how online shoppers use web marketing in the aggregate. Findings are based on online marketing data from more than 36,000 Google clients and cover industries such as retail, automotive and consumer packaged goods, where the vast majority of purchases are relatively quick given that they usually require little research, according to Google. Data is also available on technology purchasing, a category in which product research takes more than 28 days but leads to purchases worth 3.5 times more than immediate transactions. Among data points that users can review are average order values by the days of research before buying. The site also shows how various online marketing methods impact sales. For more, see the Internet Retailer report at http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/04/26/google-launches-wide-view-tool-online-marketing

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Ebay May Soon Share User Data With Marketers

Ebay may soon follow in the footsteps of Amazon and start sharing its user data with marketers who want to target online ads to shoppers on non-Ebay sites, according to a recent story in Adweek, citing a report from an agency executive who had been pitched on the new Ebay program. Reportedly, Ebay has compiled browsing and purchase data for the auto, clothing, music and books segments. Questions remain about the untested platform. Will Ebay have enough detailed segmentation to interest advertisers? Will advertisers snub the bargain-hunting Ebay customer? See the Adweek story at http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ebay-plans-share-its-users-data-brands-149156

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Mobile Commerce Growth Stymied by Purchase Process

Yes, mobile commerce is growing, with 68% of smartphone and tablet owners attempting to make purchases with their devices. But note that they are only "attempting" to buy. Problems during the payment process force 66% to abandon their transaction, according to a new report from Jumio. Its “2013 Mobile Commerce Insights” study found that 47% said they had failed to complete a purchase because the checkout process took too long. Some 41% percent of consumers reported failure to complete a purchase because it was too difficult to enter credit card information, and 23% said they failed to complete a purchase because it would not go through. Finally, a majority of respondents – 51% – said they failed to complete an attempted purchase on a mobile device because they did not feel comfortable entering their credit card information for security reasons. The lesson for retailers: streamlined processes, mobile-friendly entry screens, and better communication about security. For more on the study, go to http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/66pc-abandon-mcommerce-purchases-because-of-issues-at-checkout

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Catalogs, Call-Center Retailers Cut Paid Search

Catalog and call-center retailers cut back on their paid search spending last year, according to the "2013 Internet Retailer Top 500" guide. In 2012, catalog and call-center retailers spent a monthly average of $126,156 per retailer, which is 4.7% below their 2011 average. In contrast, three other merchant groups tracked -- retail chains, consumer brand manufacturers and web-only retailers -- not only far outspent catalogers and call-center retailers but increased their paid search spending from 2011. For  example, retail chains in the Top 500 spent an average of $2.48 million monthly per merchant on paid search in 2012, a 64.2% increase from $1.51 million in 2011. Web-only retailers spent an average of $1.87 million, up 10.7% from 1.69 million in 2011. "Keep in mind that catalogers don’t have all the same opportunities to tap into search that a multi-channel retailer has," Josh Dreller, director of marketing research for digital marketing firm Kenshoo Ltd., told Internet Retailer. "While many retailers reinvest search savings by funding localized campaigns to support physical store locations, for example, catalogers tend to focus more strictly on driving e-commerce sales." For more on paid search spending, see the story at
http://www.internetretailer.com/2013/05/07/catalogers-cut-back-paid-search-spending-2012

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Film Marketing Gets Low Ratings in Study

Movie studios got poor ratings for their target marketing efficiency in a recent study by marketing professors at the University of Utah, University of Chicago and University of North Carolina. Looking at the performance of films from 2004 in 208 U.S. markets, the study looked at pre- and post-release blog impacts and advertising spends by studios. Despite spending for nationwide blanket marketing, the movie studios only released movies in 53% of the markets most responsive to advertising and 44% of the markets most responsive to blogs and social media. And the type of marketing was also inefficiently matched to likely market response. The larger markets as well as younger consumers, Asians and Hispanics responded more to blogs and social media than advertising efforts, for example. Paid advertising worked better with older Caucasians. The study did not look at more recent films to see if movie marketing or response had shifted, however. For more details on the study, go to http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/200002/film-marketing-fairly-inefficient.html#axzz2TsDrRchr

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Ads With Cute Animals Win More Facebook 'Likes'

If you're looking for a way to get more "likes" for your Facebook ad campaign, using a photo of a cute kitten or puppy can do the trick. But if you want long-term engagement with your brand, deliver ads with relevant product images. That's according to a study of 3,000 images used in "Like Ads" from 125 brands on Facebook. Those with "beguiling images of animals" had the highest response, reported a recent MediaPost article. The research was conducted by SocialCode, one of a dozen strategic partners in Facebook's Preferred Marketing Developer program. SocialCode focused on Like Ads appearing in the news feed or in a page's right-hand column. However, while the image of a puppy or teddy bear tended to get higher initial response, ads that featured relevant product images scored best for long-term engagement after the first "like" click. Like Ads that featured only a brand logo had the lowest engagement or interaction after the initial "like," and text-only ads had the lowest response rate in terms of "like" clicks. For more on gender and generational differences, see the research report at http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/199307/aww-facebook-ads-with-animal-images-get-most-lik.html#axzz2TsDrRchr

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Updated Child Online Privacy Rule Starts in July

Despite pleas for delay from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and 18 other trade associations, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has rejected any extension on implementation of the updated Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The updated rule goes into effect this July 1. The trade associations are concerned about compliance with changes, such as an expanded definition of "personal information," which they hold will require more time to overhaul products and services. The DMA also expressed concern over an amendment holding companies legally responsible for third-party data services providers' compliance failures. The FTC responded that the trade groups have been on notice since the beginning of the rule-making process more than three years ago and have had six months to implement changes since the final December 2012 COPPA amendments. Changes affect parental notice, obtaining parental consent, confidentiality of personal information, safe harbors, and expanded definitions of "personal information," "website or online service directed to children," and "operator" of children-directed sites or services. For more on the updated COPPA, go to http://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/x/239632/Data+Protection+Privacy/FTCs+Revised+COPPA+Rules+Go+Into+Effect+July+1+2013

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Survey: Most Small Businesses Use Mobile Marketing

Seven in 10 small businesses are using mobile in their marketing mix, according to a recent poll by Constant Contact, a provider of e-mail, event and social media marketing tools for small businesses. How were the small firms incorporating mobile in their admittedly tight marketing budgets? Over 70% reported using mobile with their social media marketing and e-mail marketing. Close to 45% included mobile in advertising via social platforms, and 34% had mobile-optimized websites. Much smaller shares, 18% each, said they used mobile- or tablet-based POS payments or mobile-app management of operators. Of those with mobile-optimized websites, 70% included social media enabling and a large portion included menu information (44%) and product listings (40%) for mobile users. If you are a small business and haven't taken advantage of reaching out to mobile customers, you are behind the curve. If your excuse is like that of the majority of non-mobile small businesses polled, who were ignoring mobile because they didn't think customers were interested, consider these facts: Mobile phones are projected to equal the world population by 2014, and 57% of U.S. consumers own a smartphone now. Mobile is becoming a preferred communication channel for too many consumers to risk ignoring its marketing potential. For more on the survey results, see the eMarketer report at http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Small-Businesses-Work-Blend-Mobile-Social/1009887

Thursday, May 9, 2013

FTC Keeps Data Brokers in Regulatory Crosshairs

Federal officials are keeping the data brokerage industry in their regulatory crosshairs, and another warning shot has been fired. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just issued formal letters to 10 companies, alerting them that they may be violating federal restrictions on the collection and sale of consumers' personal information, reported The Washington Post. The targeted data brokers ranged from firms that compile consumer lists for credit offers to a website helping parents screen potential nannies. The list also includes well-known names in the direct marketing business. The FTC letters follow a broader inquiry into 45 data brokers appearing to market information whose use is restricted by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which regulates how private companies can use personal information. Individuals are supposed to know when data reports affect their eligibility for insurance, credit or employment, and they are supposed to have the opportunity to correct errors. The FTC last year urged Congress to pass a law forcing the data brokerage industry to disclose its practices. The Post could not confirm whether any of the data brokers receiving letters face a full FTC investigation. Letter recipients were 4Nannies, Brokers Data, Case Breakers, ConsumerBase, Crimcheck.com, People Search Now, U.S. Information Search, US Data Corporation and USA People Search. The story did not name the tenth pending confirmation. For more, see the news story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/ftc-warns-data-brokers-on-privacy-rules/2013/05/07/2e152c16-b748-11e2-92f3-f291801936b8_story.html

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Study: Small Businesses Still Don't Embrace Digital

Big corporations may be rushing into digital marketing, but small businesses are dragging their feet and sticking with the tried-and-true, including direct mail, according to recent research by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As reported in Adweek, the consultancy surveyed 550 U.S. businesses with less than 100 employees and found only 3% of their total advertising dollars went to online channels. Compare that with big companies' commitment of up to 16% of the marketing pie to online efforts. The small businesses—including restaurants, hair salons and furniture stores—relied mainly on newspaper circulars and direct mail to lure customers, according to the study. Of course, most of the mom-and-pops had websites, but BCG did not count that as active digital marketing, seeing it as closer to a white-pages phone directory listing in today's digital era. So why the small-business aversion to digital? It isn't because small firms don't get lots of unsolicited digital advertising pitches20 or 40 a month, remarked John Rose, a senior partner at BCG. But small firms are rightly cautious about shifting dollars to untried promotional avenues, and they generally don't have a professional marketing staff to evaluate online opportunities, pointed out Rose. Instead they rely on peer advice, and too many small business peers apparently have been burned by digital forays. If digital marketers want smaller clients to come aboard, they are going to have to come up with a strategy to get "the right offers" to clients "in a way that allows them to figure out what’s right for them" is Rose's quoted conclusion. For the full article, go to http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/small-businesses-are-slow-digital-party-148029