veryone in online marketing can't stop talking about Google's likely acquisition of Groupon. Are they paying too much? Or is it a discount deal? What makes Groupon so special? Is it the poster child for social media? Do they really hire out-of-work comedians to write their copy? And of course -- why didn't I think of that?» 0 Comments
A world divided into brand and bulk advertising? After the hype and novelty of Internet advertising died down (at least according to some), big name, blue-chip brands sought to advertise on highly visible branded sites, while smaller companies tried to figure out the performance formula for successfully targeting niche and vertical audiences. Superficially, today's online media landscape seems to be the result. A finite number of cash-rich brand advertisers dominate ad space on household brand media sites such as the New York Times, while all other advertising on the Web is network-run or text advertising: bought in bulk and cheap.» 0 Comments
Blogs are becoming an increasingly important part of the marketing mix for industrial companies. According to the recent GlobalSpec 2010 Marketing Trends Survey, 26% of marketers use company blogs and 35% plan to implement a blog this year. Blogs can help establish a thought leadership position, increase brand recognition, improve search engine rankings, foster good relationships with customers and prospects, and create opportunities for leads and sales. But many attempts at blogging start out healthy and end up withering. Whether your company is already blogging or planning to start, follow these tips to help ensure success.» 0 Comments
Marketers historically have paid close attention to site traffic, time on site and page view metrics. Success on today's Internet, the social Web, is not guaranteed by any of these numbers. The game has shifted, and most savvy marketers are waking up to the fact that new key performance indicators are more relevant:» 0 Comments
There is increasing pressure on marketers to deliver increased marketing ROI through improvements in marketing performance metrics and resultant reductions in acquisition costs. Too often, marketers take the easy path towards attaining that objective by increasing direct mail circulation to former customers and non-converters without making the effort to customize targeting, refine offers/incentives, or tailor messaging to them.» 0 Comments
As many have said, people were social long before there was social media. So when it comes to using social media for lead generation, let's not reinvent the wheel. Successful strategies remain effective. But, even the most successful strategies suffer from the inherent problem that lead generation is impersonal -- we just don't know who our prospective customers are, since we haven't met them yet. What's new is that social media platforms now allow us to become far more personal, sooner, in our customer recruitment efforts.» 0 Comments
Your potential BTB customers want access to content that helps educate them, improves their decision-making capabilities, and increases their confidence level in their final purchase decision. According to a recent survey GlobalSpec conducted on the "industrial buy cycle," 83% of buyers review up to three pieces of content before making decisions on purchases under $1,000, while 70% review four or more pieces of information on purchases greater than $10,000.» 0 Comments
Are there ever enough leads coming into your company? Probably not, since most companies have an insatiable appetite for revenue growth. Yet the most important aspect of lead generation is not the quantity of leads coming in, but the quality of those leads. Here are four ways to increase the number of qualified leads you generate for your sales team.» 0 Comments
As business marketers, we feel obligated to participate in social media. But beyond the basics of setting up a Facebook page and Twitter profile, marketers are still finding ways to measure results. While some believe the intangible benefits of having a voice for your brand engaged in various social media channels is reward enough, other marketing departments need to provide the CMO and CEO with a more quantifiable answer. The best way to accomplish this is by demonstrating the value social media brings to lead generation. Not just lead quantity (volume), but lead quality (scoring) and conversion rates. But tracking ...» 0 Comments
2009 will be remembered as the year that delivered an onslaught of challenges to CMOs. Financial uncertainty and changes in consumer buying habits combined with reduced marketing budgets led to demands for greater accountability and efficiency for every marketing dollar. These trends are driving an important new responsibility for CMOs in 2010: safeguarding their brands from online scams.» 0 Comments
