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"How much do you know about your customers right now, at this moment?" asks John Kembel in an article at MarketingProfs. You can't depend solely on the static nature of composite profiles, he argues, when the current downturn has put needs and attitudes in a state of flux. "[Y]ou need ... more
"Lately," says Ken Magill in a post at DIRECT, "I regularly get messages from frustrated email managers whose bosses are trying to prod them into doing something self-destructive." It seems they're dealing with upper management who believe that doubling frequency will double profits, and that anything is fine as long ... more
"I predicted back in January that 2009 would be the year of the email marketer," says Stephanie Miller in a post at the Daily Fix blog. "Times got rough mid-last year, and executives were scrambling to maintain revenue and keep customers happy." As a result, she thought, the low investment ... more
One reason social media sites have caught on like wildfire among users is that, by and large, they operate on basic principles of social decency. Now, be honest: Do your social-media skills match the subtle standards set at sites like Twitter and YouTube? Not sure? Well, here are a few site-inspired rules ... more
Surefire lead nurturing may well be the Holy Grail of B2B marketing. Marketers remain in constant pursuit of the golden tactics that will consistently convert prospects into paying customers. Well, sound the trumpets! A recent whitepaper from DemandGen Report and Marketo, "Calculating the Real ROI from Lead Nurturing," may help ... more
In an article at MarketingProfs, Josh Nason suggests you might be letting valuable customer data go to waste. "In every campaign that you send out," he says, "you should have direct links to specific pages on your website, helping you gauge and track what's moving the meter in your emails ... more
B2B buying has changed: Customers have more control than ever over what information they see—and choose to dismiss. They're also using social media to learn about technology and solution providers. In an interview posted on the Modern B2B Marketing blog, Kristin Zhivago offers insights to help marketing and sales organizations ... more
"Email programs tend to start with slow and cautious frequency, produce easy ROI, and become stars," says Karen Talavera in an article at MarketingProfs. The problems start, though, when management decides that more email would be even better. "[A]s with all good things," she notes, "increased consumption eventually leads to ... more
Does your website feel like a wallflower these days—left out of the online marketing party? Are you seeking in vain those "rich anchor text" links from other websites or blogs that might boost your site into the ranks of the Internet in-crowd? Gaining those much-prized inbound links is an important way to ... more
You've probably heard the term emotionally unsubscribed to describe those who never seem to open your email messages, but continue to receive your campaigns because they never ask to be taken off your list. In a post at the UK DMA Email Marketing blog, however, Dela Quist argues for an alternative ... more
"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers," Voltaire wrote over 200 years ago. So true, especially early in the sales process, as you and your prospect get to know one another. That's when asking one important question can expand your discussion as well as uncover and deepen ... more
YouTube recently launched a call-to-action overlay ad, which is exactly what it sounds like: a semi-transparent ad that appears over videos, and—get this—enables advertisers to send users to any website they wish. Now, that's a sweet ride! You might be, like, "Didn't that feature already exist?" But the crazy thing ... more
"Years ago, a successful sales rep knew how to optimize their time by 'reading' their prospects," says Maria Pergolino in a recent post at the Modern B2B Marketing blog. "A day would be spent golfing with a good bet." But everything changed when prospects began researching their options online, thus ... more
"Building your own opt-in email marketing list is an accomplishment," says Steve Adams in an article at MarketingProfs, "but don't stop there. Once you start reaching out to your list with great content, you can then improve the targeting and relevance of your email marketing campaigns by using segmentation." The ... more
"Yes marketers," says Christina Kerley (aka CK), "you absolutely want people talking up (or, buzzing over) your brands. And you really want them saying great things. But you want the buzz you've worked so hard for to lead somewhere." Too often, she argues at her blog, we consider buzz-generation to ... more
In today's challenging economic environment, marketers are seeking better ways to maximize ROI. One way is to leverage insights from both SEM and email to drive greater success across channels. In a recent article at Inside CRM, Ram Krishnamurthy and Brad Neelan offer up five strategies for using such a twin ... more
Heads-up, all of you out there who market to moms: Food mogul Nestlé is using Twitter to promote Juicy Juice—the super-popular, and now vintage, juice-box brand that caters to kids. Expect to see the pea-green pieces on mom-targeted sites like CafeMom and BabyCenter.com. Questions like "How do you stimulate your child's ... more
You might wonder whether the stories you tell in email marketing campaigns should be long or short. In a pair of posts from Chad White at the Retail Email Blog, you'll discover that it, well, depends. He offers two examples. According to White, Neiman-Marcus has been incorporating brief quotes from designers in ... more
There's something in the air. There are small and (dare we say) consistent signs that that the economic crisis has begun to level off. Many companies, while still implementing cost-cutting measures, are beginning to plan for growth. Phillip Lay, of TCG Advisors, writes in Under the Buzz: "Executive teams are ... more
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