123 eGuides

1 Minute Advice: Using Search to Comprehend Consumer Interest

What consumers are interested in is a moving target -- but understanding consumer interest at any given point in time presents opportunities to marketers who are looking for ways to be relevant, and relevancy is a key attribute of brands that rise to the top.

That's why Google's study of the "Year in Search 2016" not only offers a look back, but it could also offer some clues as to what might spark consumer interest going forward in 2017. As Google points out, Search reveals "some examples of the way people are living their lives in micro-moments: those times when there's an immediate need to fulfill. In those moments, consumers want to know, go, do, or buy—and they turn to search for information and inspiration."

Google's "breakout searches" of 2016 (topics that set an all-time high in search interest) were particularly intriguing. At the top of the global list in the "Ideas" category were: Ramadan, International Women's Day, Holi, and Evolution. Leading the "Things" category were: Powerball, Pokemon, Academy Awards, and Medal. The leading "Places"searched for were: France, Orlando, Portugal, and Rio de Janeiro. Leaders in the "People" category were: Donald Trump, Prince, David Bowie, and Hillary Clinton.

Check out Google's complete report on the Year in Search 2016 here: https://www.google.com/trends/yis/2016/GLOBAL

1 Minute Advice: Customer Acquisition a Big Challenge in 2017

Acquiring new customers has never been more challenging for marketers. There is increased competition from all sides, far too many media choices, and the complexity of marketing across multiple devices, not to mention the limited attention span of consumers. Still, for most marketers, customer acquisition continues to be a priority.

There are at least three major areas marketers must consider to be successful at acquiring new customers, according to a new report from eMarketer: (1) putting an emphasis on data (2) "audience centricity" and (3) the lifetime value of customers. The third area is of particular importance, because it speaks to the idea of treating a customer as an investment. An old adage in direct marketing is "acquire at a loss, renew at a profit." This means that it is often worth it to spend more to acquire a new customer, even if you lose money on the first sale, because the renewal value of the customer's business over subsequent years will more than make up for the initial loss. Mail order marketers, subscription publications, and even non-profit organizations have proven time and time again that acquiring at a loss and renewing at a profit pays off when the lifetime value of the customer is taken into consideration.

One study referenced by eMarketer indicates that the two top strategic priorities of U.S. marketers are (1) brand awareness and (2) customer loyalty. These priorities relate directly to the customer acquisition challenge: Brand awareness is essential to make new customers aware of a company, and customer loyalty is essential to retain a new customer's business over time.

Marketers looking for a proven way to generate and qualify leads for customer acquisition should consider purchasing the eGuide Sales Leads 123. 

This eGuide includes information about differences between Business to Consumer and Business to Business lead generation; audience profiling, segmenting and targeting; developing offers and creative approaches; lead generation media; systems required; outbound vs. inbound lead generation; lead qualification examples; ranking offers by qualification potential; the qualification funnel and how it is changing; the relationship between Marketing and Sales; and basics of sales conversion. Specific tactics and techniques and a wealth of additional resources are included. Sales Leads 123 is a “quick start” guide to effective sales lead generation, qualification, and conversion.

Purchase Sales Leads 123 for just $2.99 at the Amazon Kindle store, in any eBook format at Smashwords, or wherever eBooks are sold.

1 Minute Advice: How Healthy is Your Lead Pipeline?

The lead pipeline or lead funnel has been a timeless common way of depicting the lead generation process. Nowadays, however, marketing experts are more likely to emphasize the "customer journey" rather than a strict funnel-type approach. Typically, a prospective customer is influenced by far more touchpoints at various times during the sales cycle, making the lead qualification process more complex and less linear.

Still, the notion of a pipeline or funnel -- or maybe even a "lead generation engine" -- has merit. Lenati, a marketing and sales consultancy, created an infographic that shows how marketers can accelerate a lead generation engine using such techniques as predictive analytics, personalization, social enablement, and customer advocates. Lenati's approach is a new take on the lead funnel that is definitely worthy of consideration.

You can see the full infographic here. 

If you're looking for a solid process for improving lead generation, consider purchasing the eGuide, Sales Leads 123.

This eGuide includes information about differences between Business to Consumer and Business to Business lead generation; audience profiling, segmenting and targeting; developing offers and creative approaches; lead generation media; systems required; outbound vs. inbound lead generation; lead qualification examples; ranking offers by qualification potential; the qualification funnel and how it is changing; the relationship between Marketing and Sales; and basics of sales conversion. Specific tactics and techniques and a wealth of additional resources are included. Sales Leads 123 is a “quick start” guide to effective sales lead generation, qualification, and conversion.

Purchase Sales Leads 123 for just $2.99 at the Amazon Kindle store, in any eBook format at Smashwords, or wherever eBooks are sold.

1 Minute Advice: Mobile Marketing in 2017

According to a recent study by mobile marketing firm 3C Interactive, the following four mobile trends will be essential to keep customers engaged in 2017:

1. The mobile wallet as a marketing channel
   Mobile wallets are not just for credit and debit cards... they are also useful for store coupons, loyalty cards, event tickets and boarding passes, says 3C. "Mobile wallet objects give brands a perpetual presence on the customer’s device—providing easy access and keeping brands top of mind with the customer."
   
   
2. Developing an "app-plus" strategy
   Apps continue to rank high by marketers, but 3C says that 25 percent of apps are abandoned after the first use. "Developing an 'App Plus' strategy with additional mobile capabilities like messaging and wallet allows brands to re-engage dormant app users and the nearly 60% of users who don’t utilize push—driving engagement and ROI for the app."
   
   
3. Driving loyalty acquisition
   When it comes to customer loyalty, 70 percent of customers don't sign up for loyalty programs -- it takes too much time. But 72 percent say they would be more likely to sign up if marketers simplified the process via text message. "With mobile, brands can amplify the effectiveness of both online and offline acquisition tactics while meeting consumer demand for ongoing engagement."
   
   
4. Increasing coupon redemption
   Mobile coupons are redeemed as much as 10 times more than print coupons, reports 3C. "Mobile messaging and mobile wallet coupons enable brands to cut through the clutter of paper and even email coupons to drive store traffic and increase redemption rates."

For more from 3C, read their blog here.