123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: Where Brands are Going in 2015

Get ready for "agile brands" in 2015. Allen Adamson, North American chairman of Landor Associates, a leading global branding firm, tells Marketing Daily, “You have to be more agile, faster, more flexible and willing to try new things. ...You need to be simple, sharp and direct.”

According to Landor, these are some key branding trends we'll see in 2015: 

• Simplicity: Brand names that are simple, unique and easy to remember (such as "Uber" and "Square") will become more commonplace. Adamson says, “If your brand name can tell your whole story, you’re almost in the end zone."
• Authenticity: Brand authenticity will be valued more than empty marketing promises. Brands that tell authentic stories and develop real relationships with consumers will be the winners.
• Mass Customization: The era of "hyper-personalization" makes it necessary for brands to treat consumers as unique individuals. Customizing products and experiences based on consumers' specific preferences will be expected. Digital and 3D printing technologies will make mass customization possible. “Because digital has made everything personal, consumers expect that in their brand interactions," says Adamson.

Read an in-depth report on agile brands here.

Is your brand ready for 2015? Learn how to take advantage of changes in the branding world in the new Second Edition of the eGuide, Branding 123. It follows a proven three-step process for building a breakthrough brand, provides lots of practical advice, and includes a wealth of additional resources... all for just $2.99.  Get the brand new Second Edition now at the Amazon Kindle Store or in any e-book format (including PDF) at Smashwords.

1 Minute Advice: Are You Getting Mobile Right?

One of the key challenges for marketers is the rapidly changing mobile environment -- and it will become even more crucial in 2015. Mobile marketing will be a $19.8 billion market in 2015, but brands are not adapting quickly enough, according to a recent study from MillwardBrown, Getting Mobile Right.

The report indicates that consumers have become true multiscreen users, spending 47 percent of their time using smartphones, tablets and televisions simultaneously. Many marketers are not maintaining consistency across multiple screens, which results in the lack of a cohesive message. According to MillwardBrown, marketers need to understand where and how they can reach consumers on mobile, how to engage consumers with effective mobile advertising, and how to increase their share of mobile consumer activity.

When it comes to shopping, 72 percent of consumers say they do shopping-related activities via mobile at home, but 34 percent shop via mobile at work, and 34 percent shop via mobile while in stores. This presents an opportunity for marketers to employ mobile advertising at the right times. Mobile advertising is two to four times more effective than desktop-based online media campaigns in aided brand awareness, ad awareness, message association, brand favorability, and purchase intent,  according to the study.

As consumers continue to rely on portable devices to be connected anywhere and anytime, there is no question that mobile marketing will become all the more important. To succeed next year, marketers must make every effort to follow the consumer's lead and fully integrate mobile into their marketing strategies.

1 Minute Advice: Best B2B Lead Generation Methods

If you're a B2B marketer, what are the best ways to generate a sufficient number of high quality leads? According to a new benchmark report by Software Advice, B2B marketers have the most success generating leads through trade shows and events. The second leading tactic is search engine marketing. Third on the list is in-house email marketing. Despite the rise of digital media, it's interesting to see that live events continue to be effective lead generators in the B2B world.

In terms of cost-per-lead, B2B marketers say that social media, followed by in-house email marketing and organic search, has the lowest cost-per-lead of any medium. Despite the effectiveness of trade shows and events in generating high quality leads, this method has one of the highest costs-per-lead.

The most commonly used form of content for lead generation programs is videos, followed by surveys, white papers, and case studies. Surprisingly, B2B marketers most often cited videos as the type of content that generates a "very high" quantity of leads. In terms of generating the highest quality leads, the top tactic is the live demo with a sales rep.

Read more about B2B lead generation in the new 123 eGuide, B2B Marketing 123. It presents a 3 step approach for marketing to businesses that is grounded in timeless principles but recognizes and takes advantage of the brand new marketing world we live in. 

Purchase B2B Marketing 123 today for just $2.99 at the Amazon Kindle store or in any eBook format, including PDF, at Smashwords.com. This title will also be available wherever eBooks are sold. 

1 Minute Advice: Traditional Retail is Not Dead Yet

Despite the steep trajectory of online shopping, the world's shoppers have yet to let go of the traditional retail store, according to a new global report by Capgemini, a leading worldwide consulting firm. In a survey of over 18,000 consumers who shop online from 18 countries, 72 percent of respondents said the traditional retail store is still a very important place to shop and make purchases compared to 67 percent preferring the Internet. Only 14 percent of respondents strongly indicate the physical store has become less important.

Still, 51 percent of these consumers expect to spend more money shopping online than in physical stores in the future. In addition, smartphone shopping has grown significantly. Interestingly, there is an expectation that the online price will be lower than in-store or even catalogs.

One surprising data point: Shoppers find social media less important in following retailers than two years ago. Kees Jacobs, Global Digital Proposition Lead, Capgemini Digital Customer Experience, comments: "Despite the surge in Facebook’s ad revenues and marketing innovations like Twitter’s new ‘Buy’ button, there is definitely a question mark over where and how ‘social’ fits into the shopper journey. Social media is most relevant in the ‘awareness’ and ‘choice’ phases of shopping journeys (which is especially the case in fashion) but much less in ‘transaction, delivery and post-sales’. Our report suggests that retailers still have work to do at every stage of the purchasing journey in order to make social media play a useful, valuable role in buying a product or service."

Learn more about the Capgemini report here.