http://www.mediapost.com/publications/ The inside line on Performance Marketing. en-us Copyright 2010 MediaPost Communications http://www.mediapost.com/rss Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:12:29 EST Have you ever heard a B2B marketing person make the following case: "If you just get a single sale out of this campaign, then it will have paid for itself." To be frank, I am guilty of having thought along those lines at times. That perspective, while plausible, doesn't actually pay the bills. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123266Andrew Wetzler <>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:00:07 ESTGetting involved in social media can offer value to sales professionals, without requiring hours of time. In fact, there are a number of benefits to be gained by spending only minutes a week on popular social media sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter. Take advantage of these six guidelines for engaging in social media as a sales tool. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=122779Angela Hribar <>Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:13:54 ESTAs a sector, online lead generation activities accounted for an estimated $2 billion last year. It's big business, and a difficult one to get right, given that a large number of those buying media to drive these form fills do so by taking principal risk. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=122335Jay Weintraub <>Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:00:07 ESTLast year, you couldn't open a marketing industry email or attend an industry conference without hearing about social media, Twitter and Facebook. This year, data will become a huge focus: how to get it, what to collect, who to share it with and what to do with it once you have it. Recently, I attended two distinct events, an investment banker conference and a marketing conference, yet all of the talk was about data. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121862Jere Doyle <>Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:15:06 ESTThe use of predictive modeling to score online consumer sales leads has been embraced by interactive marketers across a wide range of product and service categories, from education, insurance and financial services to telecom and automotive. Real-time sales lead quality scoring has fundamentally changed the dynamics of lead pricing, budget allocations and conversion ROI for advertisers and lead providers alike. So what are the secrets behind these algorithms, and what makes them effective for lead scoring? http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121511David Dowhan <>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:15:25 ESTIf the old saying (usually credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson) about inventors and mousetraps were updated for online advertising in 2010, it would read something like this: "Build the right mousetrap, and only the highest-quality customers will beat a path to your door." In the early days of the Internet, advertising was about eyeballs, and advertisers were imitating the mass-market tactics used by their broadcast and print forebears. But breakthroughs in analytics have shed light on the quality of online traffic, changing the focus from lead quantity to lead quality. After all, what good are impressions if they're seen by the wrong people? http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=120817Alex Rampell <>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:45:09 ESTHave you read "Free"? That's Chris Anderson's current business bestseller, following "The Long Tail." Anderson makes a strong case for giving away value in the digital environment in order to get greater value in return (over time). Very compelling. Many versions of the Free model have already worked to some degree -- from news to air travel. But how does Free link to performance? It's all about the offer. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=118958Gary Kreissman <>Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:30:04 ESTOne tip: Email is a great way to gauge interest and generate leads. Use it to showcase your products and services to a relevant audience. Even if you don't have new products or services to promote, you may consider sharing new or interesting applications for your existing products. Make sure that you are including calls-to-action. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=118099Angela Hribar <>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:00:10 ESTWhen advertisers come in to purchase any type of advertising they are excited and motivated, as they should be -- and it is these feelings that can make them delusional about a realistic ROI. It is our job as publishers, networks, and affiliates to explain rationally what the ROI will actually (should) be. If we are not upfront and honest about these things, we will be setting ourselves up for failure, because we are allowing advertisers to retain their delusional thoughts. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116932John Hayes <>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:45:39 ESTMy last Performance Insider column raised the issue of whether to view lead gen via social media as closer to PR or DR (Direct Response). You provided a lot of valuable feedback. So it's clear how many marketers are really engaged in this topic -- there's a thirst for more discussion on the overlaps of social and performance marketing. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116440Gary Kreissman <>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:00:07 EST