Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Sunday, October 8, 2017
9 Digital Marketing Trends Coming In 2018
9 Digital Marketing Trends Coming In 2018
In the inbound marketing new world order, you'll be getting email, messaging from multiple channels including internal messaging (Slack and any number of product-specific messaging apps like SalesForce Chatter), external messaging (from Messenger, WhatsApp, iMessage), website chat, and social channels like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. People want to communicate anytime and anywhere they want, and those messages will have to be triaged, directed to the right people, and responded to.
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/9-digital-marketing-trends-coming-in-2018/506636/
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Content Marketing Gains Momentum in Finland
eMarketer reporting:
Overall, 80% of those polled said they produced content aimed at
existing or potential customers—somewhat below the levels recorded by
studies in the US (93%) and Great Britain (88%). But that gap looks set
to narrow within a year. Over half (54%) of respondents in Finland who
didn’t already create content planned to do so during the next 12
months.
For many marketers, content activities weren’t underpinned by a definite program. Less than one-quarter (23%) said they had a documented content strategy. Again this was a lower proportion than in the US (43%) and Great Britain (42%).
The main objectives of content marketing were clear: 72% of respondents said they wanted to grow sales, while 64% were looking to acquire new customers. A similar share aimed to increase brand awareness (63%) or boost the engagement of current customers (61%).
The metrics used to gauge success weren’t always closely aligned with those aims, however. The most commonly used measure, cited by 68% of those polled, was traffic to the company’s own website, while more than half mentioned sharing on social media (55%) and customer feedback (53%). Unambiguous measures of sales, such as cross-selling and direct sales, were cited by just 11% and 8%, respectively.
The content types judged most effective were digital newsletters, videos and blogs, all mentioned by about 80% of the sample. Facebook and YouTube were the favorite sites for distributing content, used by 62% and 59%, respectively.
- See more at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Content-Marketing-Gains-Momentum-Finland/1010912/2#sthash.iP0WW53C.dpuf
In 2014, Finland’s marketers—like so many in Western Europe—are
no strangers to the idea of content marketing, according to a report
from creative agency Kubo. The firm surveyed 200 marketing
professionals in March 2014 to learn how Finnish companies
currently employed content in their marketing, as well as what had
worked best for them. Some 38% of respondents belonged to top
management, 16% were entrepreneurs, 20% were managers and 26%
were industry experts.
Overall, 80% of those polled said they produced content aimed at existing or potential customers— somewhat below the levels recorded by studies in the US (93%) and Great Britain (88%). But that gap looks set to narrow within a year. Over half (54%) of respondents in Finland who didn’t already create content planned to do so during the next 12 months.
For many marketers, content activities weren’t underpinned by a definite program. Less
than one-quarter (23%) said they had a documented content strategy. Again this was a lower proportion than in the US (43%) and Great Britain (42%).
The main objectives of content marketing were clear: 72% of respondents said they wanted to grow sales, while 64% were looking to acquire new customers. A similar share aimed to increase brand awareness (63%) or boost the engagement of current customers (61%).
The metrics used to gauge success weren’t always closely aligned with those aims, however. The most commonly used measure, cited by 68% of those polled, was traffic to the company’s own website, while more than half mentioned sharing on social media (55%) and customer feedback (53%). Unambiguous measures of sales, such as cross-selling and direct sales, were cited by just 11% and 8%, respectively.
The content types judged most effective were digital newsletters, videos and blogs, all mentioned by about 80% of the sample. Facebook and YouTube were the favorite sites for distributing content, used by 62% and 59%, respectively.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Content-Marketing-Gains-Momentum-Finland/1010912/2
Overall, 80% of those polled said they produced content aimed at existing or potential customers— somewhat below the levels recorded by studies in the US (93%) and Great Britain (88%). But that gap looks set to narrow within a year. Over half (54%) of respondents in Finland who didn’t already create content planned to do so during the next 12 months.
For many marketers, content activities weren’t underpinned by a definite program. Less
than one-quarter (23%) said they had a documented content strategy. Again this was a lower proportion than in the US (43%) and Great Britain (42%).
The main objectives of content marketing were clear: 72% of respondents said they wanted to grow sales, while 64% were looking to acquire new customers. A similar share aimed to increase brand awareness (63%) or boost the engagement of current customers (61%).
The metrics used to gauge success weren’t always closely aligned with those aims, however. The most commonly used measure, cited by 68% of those polled, was traffic to the company’s own website, while more than half mentioned sharing on social media (55%) and customer feedback (53%). Unambiguous measures of sales, such as cross-selling and direct sales, were cited by just 11% and 8%, respectively.
The content types judged most effective were digital newsletters, videos and blogs, all mentioned by about 80% of the sample. Facebook and YouTube were the favorite sites for distributing content, used by 62% and 59%, respectively.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Content-Marketing-Gains-Momentum-Finland/1010912/2
In
2014, Finland’s marketers—like so many in Western Europe—are no
strangers to the idea of content marketing, according to a report from
creative agency Kubo.
The firm surveyed 200 marketing professionals in March 2014 to learn how
Finnish companies currently employed content in their marketing, as
well as what had worked best for them. Some 38% of respondents belonged
to top management, 16% were entrepreneurs, 20% were managers and 26%
were industry experts.
Overall, 80% of those polled said they produced content aimed at
existing or potential customers—somewhat below the levels recorded by
studies in the US (93%) and Great Britain (88%). But that gap looks set
to narrow within a year. Over half (54%) of respondents in Finland who
didn’t already create content planned to do so during the next 12
months. For many marketers, content activities weren’t underpinned by a definite program. Less than one-quarter (23%) said they had a documented content strategy. Again this was a lower proportion than in the US (43%) and Great Britain (42%).
The main objectives of content marketing were clear: 72% of respondents said they wanted to grow sales, while 64% were looking to acquire new customers. A similar share aimed to increase brand awareness (63%) or boost the engagement of current customers (61%).
The metrics used to gauge success weren’t always closely aligned with those aims, however. The most commonly used measure, cited by 68% of those polled, was traffic to the company’s own website, while more than half mentioned sharing on social media (55%) and customer feedback (53%). Unambiguous measures of sales, such as cross-selling and direct sales, were cited by just 11% and 8%, respectively.
The content types judged most effective were digital newsletters, videos and blogs, all mentioned by about 80% of the sample. Facebook and YouTube were the favorite sites for distributing content, used by 62% and 59%, respectively.
- See more at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Content-Marketing-Gains-Momentum-Finland/1010912/2#sthash.iP0WW53C.dpuf
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Brands Missing Out On Audience Development
Marketing Daily reporting:
As powerful as digital publishing exec Jeff Rohrs believes content marketing and social media can be, he kept noticing something odd: Lots of great brand content, but no real plan to make sure the right people found it. “There was a giant hole in all the conversations I was having, and this persistent, old-fashioned idea that ‘if we build it, they will come.’”
His contention is that brands need to do a much better job developing digital distribution strategies, leading him to write Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans & Followers. Rohrs tells Marketing Daily what he thinks is missing.
Q: So tell us more about this organizational sinkhole.
A: Within companies, everyone's responsible for producing their own stuff, often thinking about it on a campaign or even day-to-day basis. So there is someone making sure stuff gets re-tweeted. And there's often a director of content marketing. But there was no equivalent title of, let's say, “senior director of audience development.” And that means lots of missed opportunities. The assumption is that there was this bigger, engaged audience ready to eat that content up, but then there is no person or team to make that happen. My point is, that should be a core marketing responsibility.
Q: Is there an example of a brand you think is acing audience development?...
Q: Who is doing it badly?
A: I don't like to call brands out by name, but if you look at last year's Super Bowl advertisers, you'll see plenty -- almost none had any kind of call to action in their ads. One car company, for example, paid something like $3.8 million for one spot, advertising a car that wasn't coming out for months. The final frame was just the logo and a Facebook URL. That's a huge leap of faith. They should have done something to encourage people to opt in to some kind of direct relationship: Email us, follow us on Instagram. Something.
Q: So it's a lost opportunity?
A: Yes. If we get people to enter into a permission-based marketing channel, it lowers my cost to reach them and speak to them. That car company missed a tremendous rollout opportunity.
Q: What's another success story?
A: Oreo. So much has been written about “the tweet heard ’round the world” from last year's Super Bowl, as if it's a social story. But it's not. It's an audience story...
As powerful as digital publishing exec Jeff Rohrs believes content marketing and social media can be, he kept noticing something odd: Lots of great brand content, but no real plan to make sure the right people found it. “There was a giant hole in all the conversations I was having, and this persistent, old-fashioned idea that ‘if we build it, they will come.’”
His contention is that brands need to do a much better job developing digital distribution strategies, leading him to write Audience: Marketing in the Age of Subscribers, Fans & Followers. Rohrs tells Marketing Daily what he thinks is missing.
Q: So tell us more about this organizational sinkhole.
A: Within companies, everyone's responsible for producing their own stuff, often thinking about it on a campaign or even day-to-day basis. So there is someone making sure stuff gets re-tweeted. And there's often a director of content marketing. But there was no equivalent title of, let's say, “senior director of audience development.” And that means lots of missed opportunities. The assumption is that there was this bigger, engaged audience ready to eat that content up, but then there is no person or team to make that happen. My point is, that should be a core marketing responsibility.
Q: Is there an example of a brand you think is acing audience development?...
Q: Who is doing it badly?
A: I don't like to call brands out by name, but if you look at last year's Super Bowl advertisers, you'll see plenty -- almost none had any kind of call to action in their ads. One car company, for example, paid something like $3.8 million for one spot, advertising a car that wasn't coming out for months. The final frame was just the logo and a Facebook URL. That's a huge leap of faith. They should have done something to encourage people to opt in to some kind of direct relationship: Email us, follow us on Instagram. Something.
Q: So it's a lost opportunity?
A: Yes. If we get people to enter into a permission-based marketing channel, it lowers my cost to reach them and speak to them. That car company missed a tremendous rollout opportunity.
Q: What's another success story?
A: Oreo. So much has been written about “the tweet heard ’round the world” from last year's Super Bowl, as if it's a social story. But it's not. It's an audience story...
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Digital is used for direct response more than offline marketing
eMarketer reporting:
Marketers are backing up the excitement around mobile, social and video with more ad dollars. Of the 20 major US brands surveyed by the Association of National Advertisers in March 2013, 65% said they were increasing their investments in mobile—the highest percentage of marketers upping investments in any channel studied. Only 10% planned to decrease mobile spend.
And marketers seem to have no hesitations about social, as 55% of respondents said they were putting more dollars to the format, while no advertisers reported decreasing social investments.
Video rounded out the top three channels with the greatest number of marketers increasing spend. Two out five marketers were upping their investment in video.
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8672091774752856243#editor/target=post;postID=7732252125601714259;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname
Marketers are backing up the excitement around mobile, social and video with more ad dollars. Of the 20 major US brands surveyed by the Association of National Advertisers in March 2013, 65% said they were increasing their investments in mobile—the highest percentage of marketers upping investments in any channel studied. Only 10% planned to decrease mobile spend.
And marketers seem to have no hesitations about social, as 55% of respondents said they were putting more dollars to the format, while no advertisers reported decreasing social investments.
Video rounded out the top three channels with the greatest number of marketers increasing spend. Two out five marketers were upping their investment in video.
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8672091774752856243#editor/target=post;postID=7732252125601714259;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Journalists land at Cisco, other brands as ‘corporate reporters’
Poynter reporting:
Former Businesweek reporter Steve Wildstrom has worked as a “corporate reporter” for Nvidia and Cisco, Giselle Abramovich writes. Those are people who “who work inside the company and produce media like blog posts, videos, webinars and more,” she writes.
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/207359/journalists-land-at-cisco-other-brands-as-corporate-reporters/
Former Businesweek reporter Steve Wildstrom has worked as a “corporate reporter” for Nvidia and Cisco, Giselle Abramovich writes. Those are people who “who work inside the company and produce media like blog posts, videos, webinars and more,” she writes.
The twist is this path isn’t exactly like public relations. Brands are realizing, to a degree, that if they truly want to be publishers they can’t just have people churning out corporate boilerplate. They’re loosening the reins a bit in a bid to attract actual reporters.Wildstrom says he was worried how his colleagues would react, but “Cisco’s editorial policy is to forbid its writers from covering the company or its competitors,” Abramovich notes. Wildstrom, who covers tech, tells her he steers clear of pieces he can’t report honestly: “That’s how I have chosen to handle it. If I can’t be honest, I won’t write it,” he says. “Whatever organization you work for, shy of BBC, NPR or PBS, it has commercial motives,” former Ad Age editor and current content strategist Jonah Bloom tells Abramovich. “Ultimately, the consumer is the arbiter of whether your info is credible, useful and has integrity.”
http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/207359/journalists-land-at-cisco-other-brands-as-corporate-reporters/
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Cracked Tears Down Editorial, Advertising Wall
Digiday reporting:
Most publishers wring their hands over how to run sponsored content that works for their audience and how to keep church and state apart.
Not such a problem for humor site Demand Media-owned Cracked, which skips the go-between of a “creative services team” and has brands work directly with its eight-person editorial staff. That’s helped it create sponsored content for brands like Virgin Mobile, Old Spice, AMC and TubroTax that bend toward Cracked’s warped sensibilities, like this AMC-sponsored article (for its show “Freak Show”) “6 Terrifying Mutations With Awesome Historical Explanations.” No, it’s not exactly investigative journalism going on at Cracked.
“When a brand hears that from the people actually doing it, it’s powerful in getting the brand to commit. It’s not just putting an article up about deodorant; it’s taking that team into finding the tangential relationship between messaging and what our audience cares about,” said Michael Dosset, who heads up Demand’s market strategy team.
This is a different approach than those adopted by other, more hard-news publishers which help brands create content. Publishers like The Atlantic, Huffington Post wall off creative services from editorial. Even BuzzFeed and Gawker have clear separation between editorial and advertising. Of course, Cracked isn’t like news publishers. Its editorial content is young dude-targeted, list-heavy pieces such as the 5 most unintentionally hilarious 80′s music videos or 4 things nobody admits about modern human sexuality.
http://www.digiday.com/publishers/cracked-tears-down-editorial-advertising-wall/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Digiday%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=DD%20Daily%202.0
Most publishers wring their hands over how to run sponsored content that works for their audience and how to keep church and state apart.
Not such a problem for humor site Demand Media-owned Cracked, which skips the go-between of a “creative services team” and has brands work directly with its eight-person editorial staff. That’s helped it create sponsored content for brands like Virgin Mobile, Old Spice, AMC and TubroTax that bend toward Cracked’s warped sensibilities, like this AMC-sponsored article (for its show “Freak Show”) “6 Terrifying Mutations With Awesome Historical Explanations.” No, it’s not exactly investigative journalism going on at Cracked.
“When a brand hears that from the people actually doing it, it’s powerful in getting the brand to commit. It’s not just putting an article up about deodorant; it’s taking that team into finding the tangential relationship between messaging and what our audience cares about,” said Michael Dosset, who heads up Demand’s market strategy team.
This is a different approach than those adopted by other, more hard-news publishers which help brands create content. Publishers like The Atlantic, Huffington Post wall off creative services from editorial. Even BuzzFeed and Gawker have clear separation between editorial and advertising. Of course, Cracked isn’t like news publishers. Its editorial content is young dude-targeted, list-heavy pieces such as the 5 most unintentionally hilarious 80′s music videos or 4 things nobody admits about modern human sexuality.
http://www.digiday.com/publishers/cracked-tears-down-editorial-advertising-wall/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Digiday%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=DD%20Daily%202.0
Washington Post to Try Sponsored Posts
Digiday reporting:
There was a time when putting ads on the front page of newspapers was considered risque. Those days are over. The Washington Post became the latest publisher to quit worrying and learn to love sponsored content.
WaPo tomorrow plans to launch “BrandConnect” that will let marketers create content throughout the WaPo site and on its homepage. It’s kind of like Forbes’ BrandVoice, which lets brands post on the Forbes platform. CTIA, the wireless trade association, is the inaugural advertiser and will create content through blog posts, videos and infographics, according to a rep. The Post did not provide specifics on exact nature of the content or how long it would run.
As a sign of how important it views this, the Post is giving the sponsored content prime real estate along the left rail of its homepage.
Sponsored content, often operating under the guise of “native” advertising, has proven a controversial proposition at some publishers. The Atlantic unleashed a furor when it ran a sponsored post by Scientology. BuzzFeed has been criticized because some of its sponsored content seems indistinguishable from editorial. What’s more, that’s exactly the point at some level.
It isn’t exactly a leap. Newspapers frequently run special advertorial sections from advertisers. Those have long been accepted, yet the updated version of advertorial from the Web is at times held to higher standards.
http://www.digiday.com/publishers/washington-post-tries-sponsored-posts/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Digiday%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=DD%20Daily%202.0
There was a time when putting ads on the front page of newspapers was considered risque. Those days are over. The Washington Post became the latest publisher to quit worrying and learn to love sponsored content.
WaPo tomorrow plans to launch “BrandConnect” that will let marketers create content throughout the WaPo site and on its homepage. It’s kind of like Forbes’ BrandVoice, which lets brands post on the Forbes platform. CTIA, the wireless trade association, is the inaugural advertiser and will create content through blog posts, videos and infographics, according to a rep. The Post did not provide specifics on exact nature of the content or how long it would run.
As a sign of how important it views this, the Post is giving the sponsored content prime real estate along the left rail of its homepage.
Sponsored content, often operating under the guise of “native” advertising, has proven a controversial proposition at some publishers. The Atlantic unleashed a furor when it ran a sponsored post by Scientology. BuzzFeed has been criticized because some of its sponsored content seems indistinguishable from editorial. What’s more, that’s exactly the point at some level.
It isn’t exactly a leap. Newspapers frequently run special advertorial sections from advertisers. Those have long been accepted, yet the updated version of advertorial from the Web is at times held to higher standards.
http://www.digiday.com/publishers/washington-post-tries-sponsored-posts/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Digiday%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=DD%20Daily%202.0
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Forrester: Marketers Should Talk Less, Design More
MarketingDaily reporting:
A new report from Forrester says that while marketers may be increasingly proficient at reaching out to consumers through new technologies including social and mobile, they need to figure out how to talk less and design more.
Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/193896/forrester-marketers-should-talk-less-design-more.html?edition=56909#ixzz2LXXKpJhn
A new report from Forrester says that while marketers may be increasingly proficient at reaching out to consumers through new technologies including social and mobile, they need to figure out how to talk less and design more.
While overwhelming consumers with chatter is
already a problem, with 53% of online adults already saying
they’re annoyed by the amount of advertising they see and 37% saying
that they would rather not be contacted frequently by brands, marketer
blabbing is about to explode.
In the near future,
writes Forrester analyst Anthony Mullen, just about everything will be
digital -- from wearables to wine labels. “Forget about the third
screen,” he writes
in the report, based on interviews with such vendor companies as Adobe,
Microsoft, and SapientNitro. Between falling price points and new
technology, which already has 85% of tablet owners using them
while watching TV, “eventually, you can expect displays painted on any
surface; Microsoft, Philips, and Samsung are all testing nanotech paint
to create ad hoc displays.”
In order to be heard amid
all that noise, marketers will need to cut spending on paid
advertising, and instead funnel it into innovation, consumer insights,
and “adjacent practices,
such as customer experience, analytics, IT, and product design.”
Read more: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/193896/forrester-marketers-should-talk-less-design-more.html?edition=56909#ixzz2LXXKpJhn
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Outsourcing in social media marketing
HubSpot Blog reporting:
Social Media Examiner's Michael Stelzner is releasing his 2012 State of the Social Media Marketing Industry report today after his 1:00 PM EST webinar with HubSpot's Content Strategist Kipp Bodnar, where the two will review all the juicy data. Part of Michael's research included asking social media marketers whether they're outsourcing any of their social media marketing tasks, and if so, what specifically they're outsourcing. Turns out, in 2010, only 14% of marketers outsourced social media marketing. Last year, that number doubled to 28%. And this year, the percentage rose yet again, with 32% of marketers outsourcing social media.
It's not exactly "news" that marketers are strapped for time, so when budget allows, it can be a huge relief to outsource activities to reputable agencies or contractors. But if you've spent any time on Twitter, you've probably seen more than your share of social media "experts," "gurus," and "ninjas." In other words, it's really easy for a marketer to get sucked in by contractors or agencies that might not be qualified to manage their social media presence.
So let's break down the activities social media marketers have decided to outsource, and examine the pros and cons for outsourcing the most popular activities that show up on the list. That way, if you do decide to outsource, you know what to look out for so you actually see ROI on your outsourced social media spend.
An interesting point of data the report uncovered is that social media marketers with 3 or more years of experience are 23% more likely to outsource design and development tasks than beginners. And according to another report we recently released -- the State of the Online Marketing Services Industry -- 83% of agencies offer social media services, with 7% planning to add it in the future.
Social Media Examiner's Michael Stelzner is releasing his 2012 State of the Social Media Marketing Industry report today after his 1:00 PM EST webinar with HubSpot's Content Strategist Kipp Bodnar, where the two will review all the juicy data. Part of Michael's research included asking social media marketers whether they're outsourcing any of their social media marketing tasks, and if so, what specifically they're outsourcing. Turns out, in 2010, only 14% of marketers outsourced social media marketing. Last year, that number doubled to 28%. And this year, the percentage rose yet again, with 32% of marketers outsourcing social media.
It's not exactly "news" that marketers are strapped for time, so when budget allows, it can be a huge relief to outsource activities to reputable agencies or contractors. But if you've spent any time on Twitter, you've probably seen more than your share of social media "experts," "gurus," and "ninjas." In other words, it's really easy for a marketer to get sucked in by contractors or agencies that might not be qualified to manage their social media presence.
So let's break down the activities social media marketers have decided to outsource, and examine the pros and cons for outsourcing the most popular activities that show up on the list. That way, if you do decide to outsource, you know what to look out for so you actually see ROI on your outsourced social media spend.
What Social Media Marketers are Outsourcing in 2012
So, what are social media marketers outsourcing? Let's take a look at the research from the report!An interesting point of data the report uncovered is that social media marketers with 3 or more years of experience are 23% more likely to outsource design and development tasks than beginners. And according to another report we recently released -- the State of the Online Marketing Services Industry -- 83% of agencies offer social media services, with 7% planning to add it in the future.Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Challenges of Cross-Channel Data Integration
emarketer reporting:
Increased
consumer demand for more personalized and relevant brand experiences
has made customer segmentation and targeting an imperative for
companies.
According to a November 2011 survey from Acxiom and DIGIDAY, though the majority of US advertisers and agencies were able to identify and segment their customer base, few were capable of doing so in a way that delivers a personalized experience in real time and across multiple channels.
More than half (58%) of advertisers and 39% of agencies said they were able to track and segment their best customers. However, agencies were more than twice as likely (12%) to be able to incorporate both online and offline data into the segmentation process, compared to just 5% of advertisers capable of this more advanced approach.
By segmenting customers, brands can create the more personalized, relevant experience that consumers now demand—especially from retailers. April 2011 data from the e-tailing group and MyBuys showed 50% of US cross-channel shoppers expect to be offered promotions or merchandise that reflect their past online shopping behavior and purchases. More importantly, 46% of shoppers reportedly would buy more from retailers that personalized the shopping experience across channels.
Marketers fail to deliver real-time customer-targeted brand experiences
According to a November 2011 survey from Acxiom and DIGIDAY, though the majority of US advertisers and agencies were able to identify and segment their customer base, few were capable of doing so in a way that delivers a personalized experience in real time and across multiple channels.
More than half (58%) of advertisers and 39% of agencies said they were able to track and segment their best customers. However, agencies were more than twice as likely (12%) to be able to incorporate both online and offline data into the segmentation process, compared to just 5% of advertisers capable of this more advanced approach.
By segmenting customers, brands can create the more personalized, relevant experience that consumers now demand—especially from retailers. April 2011 data from the e-tailing group and MyBuys showed 50% of US cross-channel shoppers expect to be offered promotions or merchandise that reflect their past online shopping behavior and purchases. More importantly, 46% of shoppers reportedly would buy more from retailers that personalized the shopping experience across channels.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008852&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Multichannel Campaigns Increase Reach, Branding Potential
emarketer reporting:
Changes in US media consumption habits have brands reevaluating their multichannel marketing programs. Marketers continue to combine channels with the purpose of achieving maximum reach, but as multiple digital devices become staples of US daily life, traditional media such as TV, print and radio are no longer the only channels offering marketers mass exposure.
“The proliferation of digital devices and channels provides marketers more ways to reach an audience,” said Lauren Fisher, eMarketer writer/analyst and author of the new report, “Multichannel Marketing: Making the Most of Multiple Screens.” “But as media multitasking has become a common way for people to cram more media minutes into the day, multichannel marketers are finding reach alone is no longer as effective. To compete for consumers’ time and divided attention, brands must also find ways to better resonate with their audiences.”
July 2011 data from Yahoo! and advertising agency Razorfish revealed that while watching TV, 66% of US mobile device owners multitasked on their laptop or desktop PC on a daily basis. In addition, 49% used their web-enabled mobile phone daily when watching TV.
Changes in US media consumption habits have brands reevaluating their multichannel marketing programs. Marketers continue to combine channels with the purpose of achieving maximum reach, but as multiple digital devices become staples of US daily life, traditional media such as TV, print and radio are no longer the only channels offering marketers mass exposure.
“The proliferation of digital devices and channels provides marketers more ways to reach an audience,” said Lauren Fisher, eMarketer writer/analyst and author of the new report, “Multichannel Marketing: Making the Most of Multiple Screens.” “But as media multitasking has become a common way for people to cram more media minutes into the day, multichannel marketers are finding reach alone is no longer as effective. To compete for consumers’ time and divided attention, brands must also find ways to better resonate with their audiences.”
July 2011 data from Yahoo! and advertising agency Razorfish revealed that while watching TV, 66% of US mobile device owners multitasked on their laptop or desktop PC on a daily basis. In addition, 49% used their web-enabled mobile phone daily when watching TV.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008839&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Brand Experience, Values Increasingly Drive Loyalty
MarketingDaily reporting:
More than ever, the core drivers of brand loyalty are emotional rather than rational. That’s the takeaway from the 2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI), which marks the survey’s 16th year.
While emotional engagement factors have become more critical each year, the influence of two core, overarching components rose markedly in 2012: the brand’s “values” and the consumer’s brand “experience.”
In a nutshell, Brand Keys’ definition of “brand value” is what a brand stands for or means to the consumer on an emotional level, explains the consultancy’s founder and president, Robert Passikoff.
“Across most of the 83 product categories, we found that consumers’ loyalty now hinges more than ever before on the degree to which a brand has established a clear core value proposition -- a differentiator that goes beyond the basic utility of a product or service,” he says. “Today, delivering on the ‘rational’ reasons to buy a brand -- good or superior quality and value for the price -- is just the ‘door-opener.’ If that’s all a brand is doing, it’s in grave danger of being commoditized. In fact, it’s not a brand; it’s a category placeholder.”
Brand experience is closely tied to value, but depends heavily on the “delight” factor: To what degree the brand exceeds baseline expectations by delivering benefits or an emotional connection that enhances the consumer’s day-to-day life in small or significant ways, he explains.
Just as important, this year, Brand Keys found that in a significant number of categories, consumers’ expectations for brands also have risen markedly, Passikoff stresses.
More than ever, the core drivers of brand loyalty are emotional rather than rational. That’s the takeaway from the 2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index (CLEI), which marks the survey’s 16th year.
While emotional engagement factors have become more critical each year, the influence of two core, overarching components rose markedly in 2012: the brand’s “values” and the consumer’s brand “experience.”
In a nutshell, Brand Keys’ definition of “brand value” is what a brand stands for or means to the consumer on an emotional level, explains the consultancy’s founder and president, Robert Passikoff.
“Across most of the 83 product categories, we found that consumers’ loyalty now hinges more than ever before on the degree to which a brand has established a clear core value proposition -- a differentiator that goes beyond the basic utility of a product or service,” he says. “Today, delivering on the ‘rational’ reasons to buy a brand -- good or superior quality and value for the price -- is just the ‘door-opener.’ If that’s all a brand is doing, it’s in grave danger of being commoditized. In fact, it’s not a brand; it’s a category placeholder.”
Brand experience is closely tied to value, but depends heavily on the “delight” factor: To what degree the brand exceeds baseline expectations by delivering benefits or an emotional connection that enhances the consumer’s day-to-day life in small or significant ways, he explains.
Just as important, this year, Brand Keys found that in a significant number of categories, consumers’ expectations for brands also have risen markedly, Passikoff stresses.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Marketers Split on Future of Targeting
emarketer reporting:
The importance of audience targeting is undeniable. In a PubMatic and DIGIDAYa
survey of North American advertisers and agencies taken in March 2011,
at least 70% of all respondent types indicated audience targeting was
more important than conceptual targeting for their digital efforts.
Research from AT&T AdWorks conducted in September 2011 found a majority of marketers and agencies believe audience targeting will completely replace content targeting in the future. But at 60% vs. 40%, that view was far from universal.
One thing advertisers do agree on: They want better targeting. They
also believe various ad platforms will evolve to provide it. Those
surveyed by AT&T overwhelmingly thought the top way mobile marketing
would change in the coming years would be by allowing better targeting.
When the AT&T survey pool was asked about the changes interactive
TV would bring to the TV ad marketplace, the second-leading response
also rested on ad targeting, with 19% looking to purchase commercials
based on audience behavior rather than programming.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008817&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
More and better targeting demanded, but what kind?
Research from AT&T AdWorks conducted in September 2011 found a majority of marketers and agencies believe audience targeting will completely replace content targeting in the future. But at 60% vs. 40%, that view was far from universal.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008817&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Millennials Look to Digital Word-of-Mouth to Drive Purchase Process
emarketer reporting:
In a few short years, millennials—consumers currently ages 18 to 34—will account for a sizeable portion of US purchase decision-makers. Yet Bazaarvoice found these digital natives are already using and creating online content to recommend or dissuade friends, family and anonymous site-visitors from a brand, product or service.
Compared to their older counterparts, baby boomers, millennial internet users showed a greater reliance on anonymous recommendations and reviews when making purchase decisions. Bazaarvoice found 66% of boomers ages 47 to 65 turned to known parties for information and recommendations to influence their purchase decisions over user-generated content. Millennials, on the other hand, were almost equal in their reliance on friends and family (49%) vs. anonymous user-generated content from company websites (51%) to influence their buying decisions.
The study also found millennials more likely to share their own purchasing experiences—both positive and negative—with the masses. Aside from company websites, forty-two percent of millennial internet users said they preferred to post comments on social networking sites about positive product, brand or service experiences in order to share their experience, compared to just 17% of baby boomers. And slightly more millennials (25%) preferred to share positive information on third-party sites such as CNET and Consumer Reports than did boomers (21%)
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008810&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Millennials Trust People, Not Brands, When Buying
onlinemediadaily reporting: Marketers that are trying to connect with millennials ages 18 to 34
to promote products and services related to love and Valentine's Day
might want
to consider tapping social influencers who produce user-generated
content (UGC). This generation trusts people rather than brands, and
values the
opinions of like-minded strangers as much as people they know, according
to a new study scheduled for release Monday titled "Talking to
Strangers."
Strangers appear to have the most influence when it comes to making a purchase. About 51% of millennials are more likely influenced by UGC produced and posted by strangers, compared with recommendations from friends, family and colleagues, but only 34% of boomers agree.
In fact, 84% of millennials report that UGC from strangers has some influence on what they buy. That's because 65% of millennials believe UGC offers a more honest and genuine view online, and 86% believe the content represents a good indicator of the quality of a brand, service or products.
Millennials question the motives of companies that collect customer opinions. The study finds 71% of millennials say companies care about customer opinions simply because they impact how other consumers will view the brand, rather than truly caring what their customers think.
Seventy-three percent of millennials believe other consumers care more about their opinions than companies do; that's why they continue to share their opinions online. They view companies that include customer feedback on their Web sites as honest, at 66%, and credible, at 53%.
Millennials won't complete top purchases without UGC -- big-ticket items like major electronics, 44%, and cars, 40%, as well as hotel stays, 39%, insurance policies, 30%, and travel to specific destinations, 32%.
Strangers appear to have the most influence when it comes to making a purchase. About 51% of millennials are more likely influenced by UGC produced and posted by strangers, compared with recommendations from friends, family and colleagues, but only 34% of boomers agree.
In fact, 84% of millennials report that UGC from strangers has some influence on what they buy. That's because 65% of millennials believe UGC offers a more honest and genuine view online, and 86% believe the content represents a good indicator of the quality of a brand, service or products.
Millennials question the motives of companies that collect customer opinions. The study finds 71% of millennials say companies care about customer opinions simply because they impact how other consumers will view the brand, rather than truly caring what their customers think.
Seventy-three percent of millennials believe other consumers care more about their opinions than companies do; that's why they continue to share their opinions online. They view companies that include customer feedback on their Web sites as honest, at 66%, and credible, at 53%.
Millennials won't complete top purchases without UGC -- big-ticket items like major electronics, 44%, and cars, 40%, as well as hotel stays, 39%, insurance policies, 30%, and travel to specific destinations, 32%.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Most Consumers Still Don't Talk About Brands on Social Sites
emarketerdaily reporting:
While most marketers leverage Facebook and Twitter to communicate with customers, not nearly as many consumers comment about these companies and brands on the social sites.
AYTM Market Research found that 57.8% of US Facebook users had not mentioned a brand in their status updates as of October 2011. More heartening for marketers is that just 0.5% of Facebook users posted only negative mentions about brands on Facebook. More often, they reported commenting on brands in a positive way (25.3%) or with a mix of both positive and negative mentions (16.4%).
US Twitter users nearly mirrored these results, with 61.3% of Twitter
users saying they have not tweeted about a brand. Meanwhile, 25.4% of
Twitter users said they only mentioned brands in positive tweets, 0.4%
said they only mentioned them in negative tweets and 12.9% said in both
positive and negative tweets.
Meanwhile, consumers are typically not learning about new brands, products and services from social media. Only 6.5% of US internet users said they most frequently hear about new brands, products and services from social media, while 17.6% said they often do and 26.5% said they sometimes do. A quarter of respondents (26%) said they never hear about these new offerings via social media.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008773&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
While most marketers leverage Facebook and Twitter to communicate with customers, not nearly as many consumers comment about these companies and brands on the social sites.
AYTM Market Research found that 57.8% of US Facebook users had not mentioned a brand in their status updates as of October 2011. More heartening for marketers is that just 0.5% of Facebook users posted only negative mentions about brands on Facebook. More often, they reported commenting on brands in a positive way (25.3%) or with a mix of both positive and negative mentions (16.4%).
Meanwhile, consumers are typically not learning about new brands, products and services from social media. Only 6.5% of US internet users said they most frequently hear about new brands, products and services from social media, while 17.6% said they often do and 26.5% said they sometimes do. A quarter of respondents (26%) said they never hear about these new offerings via social media.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008773&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
Sunday, January 22, 2012
How Customer-Centric Analytics Will Change the Future of Marketing Read more: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/30942/How-Customer-Centric-Analytics-Will-Change-the-Future-of-Marketing.aspx#ixzz1k6Wt5XMY
Hubspotblog reporting:
We have no qualms about beating the following concept into the ground, which is why you've likely heard us say it before: Analytics are critically important to inbound marketing success. Measuring and analyzing the performance of every inbound marketing channel you use to drive traffic, generate leads, and convert those leads into customers—then making adjustments to your marketing strategy and tactics based on the insights you glean from them—is what separates good inbound marketing from truly remarkable inbound marketing.
So if you're leaning toward the side of remarkable inbound marketing, you likely have some type of marketing analytics tool in place to track and measure how your marketing programs are performing. And that's all well and good, but there's a deficiency in many of these analytics platforms.
So exactly what is missing from most analytics tools these days? A canonical identity.
Putting the Person at the Heart of Analytics
The biggest thing missing from many present-day analytics solutions is the customer. While it's great to have aggregate data—like overall number of page views, leads, etc.—it's also important to remember that an individual view or lead represents an actual person. When you take this person-centric approach, you can go back in time and look at every interaction that an individual person took.
This is not to be confused with aggregate data or basic segmentation. Cohort analytics let you focus on a group of people who shared a particular experience at a specific point in time. In other words, you can then compare your visitors who saw Campaign A in January to those who saw it in February, all while ignoring those who saw Campaign B or C.
Even better, with person-level analytics, you can identify customer personas to help you find out what marketing tactics work well for each persona. For instance, you'll be able to see that people like Robbie respond better to email campaigns, while people like Joe convert better through social media.
We have no qualms about beating the following concept into the ground, which is why you've likely heard us say it before: Analytics are critically important to inbound marketing success. Measuring and analyzing the performance of every inbound marketing channel you use to drive traffic, generate leads, and convert those leads into customers—then making adjustments to your marketing strategy and tactics based on the insights you glean from them—is what separates good inbound marketing from truly remarkable inbound marketing.
So if you're leaning toward the side of remarkable inbound marketing, you likely have some type of marketing analytics tool in place to track and measure how your marketing programs are performing. And that's all well and good, but there's a deficiency in many of these analytics platforms.
So exactly what is missing from most analytics tools these days? A canonical identity.
Putting the Person at the Heart of Analytics
The biggest thing missing from many present-day analytics solutions is the customer. While it's great to have aggregate data—like overall number of page views, leads, etc.—it's also important to remember that an individual view or lead represents an actual person. When you take this person-centric approach, you can go back in time and look at every interaction that an individual person took.
The Role of Cohort Analytics
It's easy to see why person-centric analytics are a huge advantage, especially for companies whose marketing and sales teams are very closely tied together. However, to make truly useful strategic decisions, what businesses really need are cohort analytics.This is not to be confused with aggregate data or basic segmentation. Cohort analytics let you focus on a group of people who shared a particular experience at a specific point in time. In other words, you can then compare your visitors who saw Campaign A in January to those who saw it in February, all while ignoring those who saw Campaign B or C.
Even better, with person-level analytics, you can identify customer personas to help you find out what marketing tactics work well for each persona. For instance, you'll be able to see that people like Robbie respond better to email campaigns, while people like Joe convert better through social media.
The Future of Analytics Is Integrated
The two concepts above are patterns that other analytics products are likely to follow very soon. Kissmetrics has already started to adopt the canonical identity stuff, and Google is making headway on cohorts. However, an analytics product, on its own, isn't going to be enough to give you all the answers you want. For example neither Kissmetrics nor Google can give you good conversion data on the entire history of an A/B tested landing page, which will have variations starting and stopping at different times. As that gets more complex, it'll become nearly impossible for those analytics products to keep track of your cohorts without being deeply integrated with your CMS.Friday, January 20, 2012
Facebook Commerce Holds Promise for Retailers
emarketer reporting:
Social media and ecommerce have evolved since 1-800-FLOWERS launched the first Facebook storefront in July 2009. Internet users have become more comfortable with online buying on Facebook as they spend more time on the site.
“It is not surprising that shopping and socializing—activities that complement each other in the real world—are beginning to converge online as well,” said Krista Garcia, eMarketer analyst and author of the new report, “Facebook Commerce: Reaching Shoppers Where They Socialize.” “As social media, and Facebook in particular, plays a larger role in consumers’ lives, people are becoming accustomed to performing routine tasks like reading news, watching videos and listening to music, as well as discovering products and shopping, all while staying logged in to a single site. Instead of compartmentalizing daily routines, social media users are treating Facebook as a one-stop platform.”
Retailers are still in the early stages of using social media as a sales vehicle, but the channel is poised for growth. Booz & Company estimated that $1 billion in goods would be sold through social media in the US in 2011. That figure is expected to triple in 2012 and reach $14 billion by 2015.
While social commerce still represents a tiny percentage of overall
retail sales, and Facebook is just one social site, that site is the
clear leader and already offers retailers a variety of options for
converting users into consumers. Some of those consumers are warming to
the idea of buying products and services while on the site.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008787&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
Social media and ecommerce have evolved since 1-800-FLOWERS launched the first Facebook storefront in July 2009. Internet users have become more comfortable with online buying on Facebook as they spend more time on the site.
“It is not surprising that shopping and socializing—activities that complement each other in the real world—are beginning to converge online as well,” said Krista Garcia, eMarketer analyst and author of the new report, “Facebook Commerce: Reaching Shoppers Where They Socialize.” “As social media, and Facebook in particular, plays a larger role in consumers’ lives, people are becoming accustomed to performing routine tasks like reading news, watching videos and listening to music, as well as discovering products and shopping, all while staying logged in to a single site. Instead of compartmentalizing daily routines, social media users are treating Facebook as a one-stop platform.”
Retailers are still in the early stages of using social media as a sales vehicle, but the channel is poised for growth. Booz & Company estimated that $1 billion in goods would be sold through social media in the US in 2011. That figure is expected to triple in 2012 and reach $14 billion by 2015.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008787&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4
Facebook Expands Timeline, Pushes 60 Lifestyle Apps
onlinemediatoday reporting:
Confirming prior reports, Facebook on Wednesday evening unveiled more of the Open Graph applications introduced last September that allow users to share updates around specific activities.
The initial set of Open Graph apps from Spotify, Hulu and The Washington Post let people tell friends what they’re “listening to,” “watching” or “reading” as default actions after giving permission once for apps to post content.
The new batch of more than 60 apps span lifestyle areas, including travel, cooking, fitness and fashion from companies including TripAdvisor, Foodily, eBay, Pinterest, RottenTomatoes and Metacafe. Among other prominent names adding apps are Monster, Foursquare and Ticketmaster. About 60 total Open Graph apps are now available, with more on the way.
“Soon, there will be apps for all types of interests, as more apps will launch over time,” stated a Facebook blog post Wednesday.
Facebook’s overall aim with the next-generation apps is to go beyond the one-size-fits-all “Like” button. It wants to automate the sharing of different social actions posted continually to Timeline, the feature being rolled out now that allows users to highlight significant life events and other activities on the profile page.
The ability to create custom Open Graph apps and the wealth of user data they could generate, in turn, leads to new advertising opportunities for marketers and agencies on Facebook.
“Brands will play an important role as these social actions will frequently be generated by brand applications,” stated an analysis by digital agency 360i when the Open Graph apps were announced last year.
It noted that the specific nature of updates will work in favor of brands. “The action won’t just say, “Todd ran,” but rather, “Todd ran 4.3 miles with Nike+.” The report further suggested that the most successful brands will be able to generate a consistent stream of “repeated branded social actions” in a user’s Timeline.
Confirming prior reports, Facebook on Wednesday evening unveiled more of the Open Graph applications introduced last September that allow users to share updates around specific activities.
The initial set of Open Graph apps from Spotify, Hulu and The Washington Post let people tell friends what they’re “listening to,” “watching” or “reading” as default actions after giving permission once for apps to post content.
The new batch of more than 60 apps span lifestyle areas, including travel, cooking, fitness and fashion from companies including TripAdvisor, Foodily, eBay, Pinterest, RottenTomatoes and Metacafe. Among other prominent names adding apps are Monster, Foursquare and Ticketmaster. About 60 total Open Graph apps are now available, with more on the way.
“Soon, there will be apps for all types of interests, as more apps will launch over time,” stated a Facebook blog post Wednesday.
Facebook’s overall aim with the next-generation apps is to go beyond the one-size-fits-all “Like” button. It wants to automate the sharing of different social actions posted continually to Timeline, the feature being rolled out now that allows users to highlight significant life events and other activities on the profile page.
The ability to create custom Open Graph apps and the wealth of user data they could generate, in turn, leads to new advertising opportunities for marketers and agencies on Facebook.
“Brands will play an important role as these social actions will frequently be generated by brand applications,” stated an analysis by digital agency 360i when the Open Graph apps were announced last year.
It noted that the specific nature of updates will work in favor of brands. “The action won’t just say, “Todd ran,” but rather, “Todd ran 4.3 miles with Nike+.” The report further suggested that the most successful brands will be able to generate a consistent stream of “repeated branded social actions” in a user’s Timeline.
Social’s Second Phase? Brands still have a long way to go to get to monetization
adweek reporting:
A brand must go through three stages to achieve social enlightenment, according to a new study from Wildfire Interactive. There’s growth, there’s engagement, and then there’s monetization.
Despite all the ad dollars gushing into social media, brands will for the most part find themselves moving into Stage 2 (engagement) this year.
In Wildfire’s study of more than 700 global marketers, almost all respondents believe social media benefits the company and 88 percent believe they’re getting a positive return on their social media investment.
That said, there's little consistency in how they measure ROI. Almost 40 percent of respondents said they measure social media success merely by increases in fans, likes, comments and interactions. Meanwhile, 24 percent measure by increase in revenue and 15 percent by increases in brand awareness.
Among business sectors, attitudes about social media also vary. E-commerce brands, for example, care about traditional ROI. Nonprofits, government entities and education companies believe social media can lead to cost savings. Business-to-business entities care little about social media: only 23 percent value their Facebook fans over their non-fans, the survey reported.
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/social-s-second-phase-137598
A brand must go through three stages to achieve social enlightenment, according to a new study from Wildfire Interactive. There’s growth, there’s engagement, and then there’s monetization.
Despite all the ad dollars gushing into social media, brands will for the most part find themselves moving into Stage 2 (engagement) this year.
“If you don’t have a lot of fans and followers, you’re not going to get much benefit from social,” said Victoria Ransom, CEO of Wildfire. “When we first started, that’s all anyone was focused on. We’re starting to see that shift of, ‘We have the audience; how are wegoing to engage them?’”
Monetization is still a bit further on the horizon.In Wildfire’s study of more than 700 global marketers, almost all respondents believe social media benefits the company and 88 percent believe they’re getting a positive return on their social media investment.
That said, there's little consistency in how they measure ROI. Almost 40 percent of respondents said they measure social media success merely by increases in fans, likes, comments and interactions. Meanwhile, 24 percent measure by increase in revenue and 15 percent by increases in brand awareness.
Among business sectors, attitudes about social media also vary. E-commerce brands, for example, care about traditional ROI. Nonprofits, government entities and education companies believe social media can lead to cost savings. Business-to-business entities care little about social media: only 23 percent value their Facebook fans over their non-fans, the survey reported.
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/social-s-second-phase-137598
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