An Inventor's Shocking Forecasts for Marketing Technology
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Renowned futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil shares his bold predictions on virtual environments for marketing, the effects of an accelerated technological pace, and how information will transform communications.
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Why Direct Digital Marketing Matters
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Direct digital marketing is as simple as it is important. The concept is based on a proven marketing principle -- addressability. While traditional direct marketing uses a postal address to communicate relevant information to a consumer, direct digital marketing delivers targeted communications to individual consumers through the three primary digital channels -- email, web, and mobile -- using an email address, a web browser cookie, and a mobile phone number.
Three Deliverability Analyses that Every Email Marketer Should Do (But Probably Doesn't)
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We do a lot of work with clients to help them improve reputation to improve delivery issues at top ISPs. In doing so, we find ourselves doing the same sort of analyses over and over. This is the kind of thing that every marketer should keep an eye on, even if they are not currently having a delivery problem.
These three analyses are crucial for getting to the root of an existing deliverability problem and for preventing future problems from occurring:
The Inbox Of The Not-So-Distant Future
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For better or worse, the email inbox is well on its way to becoming the nexus of all digital communications. Inboxes are also set to be able to do much more, reducing the need for subscribers to click through to take action. Future inboxes may also give consumers even more control over their email streams beyond eliminating unwanted email with a click of the "report spam" button.
Here are some of the changes affecting inbox experiences...
The Underlying Drivers of Social Media Success
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One of the biggest challenges in social media is keeping up with the next big trend. MySpace and then Facebook, fan pages, Twitter, iPhone, Android, and of course the applications that extend across all of these. It's almost impossible for an advertiser to keep up with each and every platform and understand the best way to execute ad programs across the ever-changing landscape.
7 Simple Ways to Freshen Up Your Direct Marketing
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As the snows begin to melt here in the Northeast, many of us start to think about spring cleaning, the domestic ritual of blowing away cobwebs, rearranging those things put asunder by a hard winter, and just plain throwing out old junk.
Why spring? Spring represents a time of renewal -- blooming flowers, hatching eggs, and sprouting seeds. Also, it comes after the all-important holiday season, when most marketers had little time to think beyond the next send date.
7 Habits of Highly Effective Online Marketers
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In the 12-plus years I've been involved in online marketing, I've seen many marketers thrive, and many more crash and burn. Just like with any type of business, being an effective online marketer is about developing solid habits, repeating the things that are giving you wins, and keeping your eyes wide open as you look forward.
Global Healthcare Calls for Target Marketing
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No matter where consumers live, healthcare is important. But where they live often determines how minor ailments are treated. While Europeans put their trust in the neighborhood pharmacist, North Americans rely more on the advice of doctors. In countries where healthcare infrastructures and economies are evolving, opportunities exist to lessen the considerable burden consumers currently put on doctors and help governments reduce their healthcare expenditure.
Auto-Responders With Personality
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I went ice-climbing a few weeks ago. I did what most other business professionals do and set up an out-of-office auto-responder informing people where I was, how long I'd be out, and what they could expect as far as a reply. Standard procedure, right?
In January, I blogged about how an auto-responder email I received from Conde Nast missed the mark in three critical areas. The good news is, my example today is quite the opposite.
GroupCard's Auto-Responder Has Spunk!
Using Email To Remarket To Customers
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Email is a superior channel to drive sales, but it can also help you capture the next sale, the sale after that -- and even the sale that didn't happen.
Remarketing to customers is one of the benefits that email delivers once you begin to use the channel for more than sending yet another untargeted discount or free-shipping offer.
The emails you send in a remarketing program are highly personalized messages, which generate significantly higher response and conversion rates than broadcast emails.
SWYN Vs. FTF: Does Social Sharing Remove Too Much Friction?
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A lot of ESPs are now offering share-with-your-network (SWYN) functionality, and I can attest first-hand that inside the email industry we're pretty excited about the email-social media integration that SWYN affords. "It's like forward-to-a-friend on steroids," we (collectively) say. Instead of subscribers passing your message on to a friend or a handful of department colleagues, they can now push it out to their 350 Facebook friends or 1200 Twitter followers. What a huge lift for your readership and ROI metrics, right?
Email Is The Condensed Soup Of Marketing
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How much time do people spend reading an email? Not much. They spend a second or two deciding whether to keep or delete an email, and usually just a few seconds reading the ones they keep. This means the pressure's on the creative team -- the writer and designer -- to communicate the maximum amount of meaning in the least amount of time.
Which Goes Better With Email: Social Or Mobile?
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Some email marketers see the rise of social media and mobile communications as a threat to email's dominance. Not so! Each channel can integrate with your email marketing program to expand its reach and ROI.
But, which channel should you choose? You could opt to spread your messages via social media -- Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks. Or, should you first add mobile marketing and optimize your email messages for viewing on mobile devices?
Hey ISPs, Can I Get a Thumbs-Up?
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One of the most common questions I have received in over the past three months is "What is going to be different about email this year? REALLY different?"
The expectation, it seems, is that we'll claim impending victory over one of email's killer codes (i.e., video in email, mobile rendering). While I'm hopeful we'll make progress in these areas, don't cue the marching band yet.
What Role Do Your Email Messages Play?
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At the start of each new year, I spend some time reevaluating where I am spending my energy, how I have prioritized my tasks (both personal and professional), and attempt to refocus on the really important things in life. As 2010 is off to a very hectic start, it was just last week that I sat down to take stock. Better late than never.
