123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: Marketing Integration? Not So Much

Despite widespread recognition that consumers live in a multichannel world, marketers just have not kept up with the times.

According to a new report from Hotwire surveying 300 senior marketing decision makers, almost half (45.7%) admit that "campaigns tend to work in isolation, with different channels being used to implement different campaigns." What's more, "only 21% include SEO in their budget and just 27% mention social media as part of their budget."

When asked, "Do you think campaigns are working on multiple channels?" responses were almost evenly split between "Yes, definitely" (34.7%) and "No, not really" (35.3%). Over 10 percent (10.3%) responded, "Not, not at all," and almost 20 percent (19.7%) said they "don't know." Over half (52%) of respondents said they thought they could improve their campaign results.

When asked what issues marketers usually faced in integrating campaigns, they cited the following:
"The campaign is not suited as multi-channel" (30%)
"There is a lack of resources" (29%)
"There is a disconnect between teams implementing the campaigns" (23%)
"There is uncertainty of the appropriate channels to use" (21%)
"Timing/planning issues" (20%)
"Too much disconnected data" (15%)
"None - I'm not sure" (18%)

Apparently, marketers have some work to do when it comes to multichannel marketing.

1 Minute Advice: Lead Nurturing Works for B2B Marketing

Lead nurturing -- the process of developing relationships with prospects throughout the sales cycle -- is a winning strategy for B2B marketers. eMarketer reports that B2B marketers find lead nurture campaigns to outperform standard programs. According to recent data from Demand Gen Report, "such leads outperformed their standard counterparts throughout the sales funnel, with 21% of respondents reporting a 10% increase in sales opportunities from nurtured leads and nearly one-quarter a 20% lift."

The top marketing channel used for lead nurture campaigns is email. Personalization and targeting are cited as being very effective. According to eMarketer: "Nearly six in 10 B2B marketers said the ability to segment prospects based on interests and behaviors was a benefit of lead nurture programs, and similarly, about two-thirds said such efforts drove better responses to campaigns and offers due to targeting and relevancy."

Want to learn more about effective B2B marketing? Then read the 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 is also be available wherever eBooks are sold. 

1 Minute Advice: Making Marketing Matter

There are so many media channels, and so many messages being disseminated through them, that it's increasingly difficult for marketers simply to be heard. Writing for MarketingProfs, Linda Popky recommends three specific strategies for standing out in a noisy marketplace:

1. "Understand and internalize the timeless truths of marketing"
2. "Get up to speed on today's new digital realities"
3. "Focus on the momentum factors that can make or break a marketing team."

Popky says the timeless "core principles" of marketing haven't changed and should be embraced by all marketers: strategy, products and services, customers, market analysis, brand, communication, sales channels, and operations. Still, she writes that "how they are applied" has changed dramatically, largely because of the influence of digital marketing. "Conversations, content, and community" have become the watchwords of our time.

Marketers must also be aware that internal "static" can be distracting, writes Popky. Marketers can "get in our own way" if we don't pay proper attention to organizational commitment, resources, people, technology, and environment.

Read Popky's insightful article here.

 

1 Minute Advice: Do Your Customers Love You?

A recent article published by Wharton Business School makes a strong case for a simple but compelling notion: Great brands, such as Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon -- "the GAFA four" --  are those that "feel as essential as the air we breathe." The article goes on to state:

"The GAFA four are outstanding in the intimacy that they create with their customers. They make a strong effort to understand the unique characteristics and preferences of each customer and use the insights that they gain to serve the customer better. Further, they see each customer as a complete personality with needs around different facets such as work, play, socializing and self. They serve these needs wholly — and this, in turn, encourages more sharing and openness from their customers.

"In short, these four companies are building a long-term, holistic and generous relationship with their customers. It’s almost as if they love us..."

The experts at Wharton ask the question: “What does it take to love our customers and be loved in return?”

Their answer "Serve your customers the way they want to be served. Fulfill their needs not just for products and services, but also for connection, community, participation, recognition and fulfillment."

It may be a tall order for some marketers -- but it's one of the real reasons the GAFA four have achieved unprecedented success.

Looking for more about branding? Branding 123, Second Edition, is a simple yet authoritative overview of what it takes to build a great brand. Get this $2.99 eGuide now at the Amazon Kindle Store or in any e-book format (including PDF) at Smashwords. 

1 Minute Advice: New Research Says "First Screen" is Mobile, Not TV

Long entrenched as the dominant visual medium, television has finally met its match. Today, people spend more time on their mobile devices than they do watching TV, reports Yahoo, and 88 percent of that time is spent on smartphones and tablets.

This fact is supported by recent global statistics reported in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud Report:

• In 2014, digital advertising surpassed both broadcast and cable television ad revenue in the US, to be the largest single channel and the fastest growing channel, with almost $50 billion in 2014 revenue

• Combined, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn experienced a 49% growth in ad revenue from Q1 2014 to Q1 2015
  
  
• In the UK, social advertising, led by Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, reached almost 1 billion pounds in 2014, a 65% year over year increase.

Analysis of consumer habits has shown for some time that more and more consumers use multiple screens simultaneously; in other words, they read and answer email, engage in social media, and search the web on their mobile devices while watching television. Now, though, it seems that mobile devices are usurping television's kingpin role in the media world. Marketers, take note!