Wisdom Report 2011

Marketing Wisdom for 2011
ISBN: 978-1-932353-99-0 Copyright 2010 by MarketingSherpa LLC All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher. To purchase additional copies of this report, please visit http://www.SherpaStore.com Yes, bulk discounts are available for multiple copies. Contact: Customer Service MarketingSherpa LLC +1 (877) 895-1717 (outside US, call +401-247-7655) Service@SherpaStore.com 499 Main Street Warren, RI 02885 USA
Copyright 20002010 MarketingSherpa LLC. It is forbidden to copy this report in any manner. For permissions contact service@sherpastore.com. For more copies, visit http://www.SherpaStore.com
Marketing Wisdom for 2011

RealLife Stories of Success and Lessons Learned from the MarketingSherpa Community Lead Author Brad Bortone, Associate Editor, MECLABS Contributors Daniel Burstein, Director of Editorial Content, MECLABS Joelle Parra, Multimedia Specialist, MECLABS Designer Sean Kinberger, Graphic Designer, MECLABS
i Copyright 20002010 MarketingSherpa LLC. It is forbidden to copy this report in any manner. For permissions contact service@sherpastore.com. For more copies, visit http://www.SherpaStore.com
MarketingSherpa2011WisdomReport
TABLEOFCONTENTS
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................... ii From the Editor........................................................................................................................ 2 Chapter 1 Email Marketing ..................................................................................................... 3
Less is More.......................................................................................................................................... 4 Mind your Metrics .................................................................................................................................. 4 Create Interactivity in Email Campaigns ............................................................................................... 4 Guerrilla Marketing Triumphs in Bad Economy ..................................................................................... 5 You Sometimes Get What You Pay For ............................................................................................ 5 (Really) Know Your Audience ............................................................................................................... 5 Deliver Targeted Content to Segmented Lists ...................................................................................... 6 List Management is More Important Than Ever .................................................................................... 7 Deep Discounts Resonate with Buyers ................................................................................................. 8
Chapter 2 Online Marketing ................................................................................................... 9

B2B Can be Fun (NoReally!) .......................................................................................................... 10 Personalization is Appreciated ........................................................................................................... 11 Let your Web Presence Match your Real-Life Offerings .................................................................... 11 Reward Customer Trust with Value ................................................................................................... 11 Face-to-Face is New Technology Providing Old-Fashioned Results ................................................. 12 PPC is Cheaper, More Effective than Established Media .................................................................. 12 Keyword Research is Paramount ....................................................................................................... 13 Mobile Media Promotes Interaction .................................................................................................... 13 There is No "One Size Fits All" in Online Marketing ........................................................................... 14 Templates Offer Efficiency ................................................................................................................. 14 Get Customers to Your Site (and Keep Them There) ........................................................................ 15 Take Advantage of the Growing Population of Mobile Users ............................................................. 16 Testing Leads to ROI ......................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 3 Social Media Marketing ....................................................................................... 17

Engage the Audience to Achieve Optimal Results .............................................................................. 18 Social Media Requires Thorough Planning ......................................................................................... 18 Strategy First....................................................................................................................................... 19 Targeted Facebook Promotion Helps Event Grow Overnight ............................................................. 19 New Efforts Help Bring Year-End Results ........................................................................................... 20 There are New Rules of Grammar ...................................................................................................... 20 Social Media, In Short ..................................................................................................................... 21 Starting a Blog is Easy. Maintaining it is Tougher ............................................................................... 21 Encourage Interaction, Don't Require It .............................................................................................. 22 ii Copyright20002011MarketingSherpaLLC,aMECLABSGroupCompany. Itisforbiddentocopythisreportinanymanner.Forpermissionscontactservice@sherpastore.com.
Feeling Social? ................................................................................................................................... 22 Integrate and Collaborate ................................................................................................................... 23 If There's No "Social," There's No Social Media Marketing ................................................................. 24 Don't Invest in Fools' Gold ................................................................................................................ 24 Find Value in all Areas of Your Company .......................................................................................... 25
Chapter 4 General Marketing Wisdom ................................................................................ 27

Client/Agency Relationships Must Be Symbiotic ................................................................................. 28 Balance Marketing Disciplines ............................................................................................................ 28 Fully Utilize Relationships ................................................................................................................... 29 Referrals Create Warm Leads ............................................................................................................ 29 Direct Mail is Alive and Well ................................................................................................................ 30 Don't Just InterviewImpress ............................................................................................................ 30 Express Appreciation to Valued Customers ........................................................................................ 31 Reach Out and Touch Someone......................................................................................................... 32 Maintain Integrity in a Down Economy ................................................................................................ 32 The Golden RuleRedux ................................................................................................................... 33
iii Copyright20002011MarketingSherpaLLC,aMECLABSGroupCompany. Itisforbiddentocopythisreportinanymanner.Forpermissionscontactservice@sherpastore.com.
FROMTHEEDITOR
WelcometotheninthannualeditionoftheMarketingSherpaWisdomReport,acollectionofyourreallife stories,testresultsandlessonslearnedfromthepreviousyear. Muchliketheyearthatprecededit,2010wasatryingtimeformarketers.Despitetherumblingsof "recovery"and"improvedeconomy"thatfilledtheairwaveseachandeveryday,thisnation'sfinancial troublescontinuedtopresentobstaclesformarketers.Fromwhatwegatheredfromthesesubmissions, marketerscontinuedthestreamlinedapproachestheybeganin2009,anddugdeeptostayafloatand evenprosperdespitelimitedbudgets,reducedstaffandanincreasinglyskepticalcustomerpopulation. InpastWisdomReports,we'veusedthisspacetohighlightnotabletrendsthatemergedfromyourentries. Thisyear,despiteyourmyriadwaysofexpressingit,themostprominenttrendculledfromhundredsof submissionswassimple: Communicate. If2009wasatimetofocusonmarketingfundamentals,2010wastheyearinwhichyousowedtheseedsof these"backtobasics"effortsandbuiltforwardthinkingcampaignsaroundthem.Fromstoriesof elaborate,innovativesocialmediaoutreach,tothemostbasicexpressionsofthanks,itwasclearthat communicationbothinternalandexternalwasafoundationofyour2010marketingefforts. Tothatend,wealsohaverevisedourcategorizationforthisyear'sedition.Justasyoureffortswere streamlinedthispastyear,sowereyourstories.Socialmediahasbecomeapredominanttacticforboth B2Bandconsumermarketers,warrantingitsowncategory.Andwithsignificantdevelopmentsinmobile marketing,onlinemarketingcontinuestogrowandadoptnewtactics,aswell. Emailmarketingdespitemanyrumorsofitsdemiseinthewakeofsocialmedia'sexplosivegrowth provedtobeanotherwelldocumentedcategory,andassuch,receivesitsownsectioninthisyear'sreport. Finally,ouryearlysectiononofficepoliticshasnowbeenbroadenedtoincludeallformsofgeneral marketingwisdom,applicabletobothvauntedbestpracticesandthebasiccornerstonesofwhatwedo,for experiencedandentrylevelmarketersalike. Andwiththat,itsourturntocommunicateourappreciationtoyouthemarketerswhosharedtheir storiesforthisyearsWisdomReportandthosewhowillbenefitfromthem.Thankyouforyourtime,your effortsandyourwisdom.Theseentrieswillinspirethousandsoffellowmarketers,allofthemsharingthe samehopesthat2011producesstrongerresults,newopportunitiesandmorewisdomtocome. Best, BradBortone AssociateEditor,MarketingSherpa(aMECLABScompany)
2 Copyright20002011MarketingSherpaLLC,aMECLABSGroupCompany. Itisforbiddentocopythisreportinanymanner.Forpermissionscontactservice@sherpastore.com.
CHAPTER1EMAILMARKETING
Themuchprophesieddemiseofemailmarketing(atthehandsofsocialmedia)wasatthe forefrontofdiscussionjustayearago.Yet,aswesawin2010,emailisnotonlyalive,but currentlythriving,thankstoawealthofeffortsthatboostedcustomerreach,engaged(andre engaged)subscribers,integratedwithsocialmediaplatformsandcreatedseamlessuser experiencesthatconnectedwithwelloptimizedlandingpages. Asaresult,emailmarketingremainedakeyelementbothonitsown,andaspartofintegrated, multitieredcampaigns. Tostayontopofthelatestinemailmarketing,besuretosubscribetoMarketingSherpa'sfree EmailMarketingnewsletter.
LESSISMORE
Sincedigitalmarketingischeap(andoftenfree),wetendtooverdoit.Morelinks,morecontent, moreemailnewsletters,morepages... SethGodinoncesaid,"Onceyouoverloadtheuser,youtrainthemnottopayattention.More clutterisn'tfreeandisapermanentshift,desensitizationtoALLtheinformation,notjustthelast bit.Moreisnotalwaysbetter.Infact,moreisalmostneverbetter." Putsimply,tryreducingyourcompany'snewslettertoabovethefoldorlimitittojustonelink. - NathanPotter,IDES,www.ides.com
MINDYOURMETRICS
Lookatallyourmetricswhentesting.Inemailtestsresultsfromdifferentcampaignsthisyear,I haveseen: 1) Asubjectlinetestwithuniqueclickrateup45%,onlytofindtotalclickrateunchanged 2) Nochangeinclickrateinacreativeredesignbutthepatternofwhatwasclickedchanged 3) A"fromname"testgivinga33%increaseinopenrate,byusingapersonnotabrand,but a150%increaseinunsubscribes. Theseresultswereallstatisticallyvalidandsignificantforthetestcellsize.Whileit'snecessaryin testingtohavekeyevaluationmetricthatcloselyreflectsyourcampaignobjective,doalsolook deeperatallcampaignmetrics.Youmayfindunexpectedsideeffectsoranapparentnoresult actuallyhavingaresult,suchasthecreativetestthathadthesameclicksbutwhatwasclicked changed. - TimWatson,smartFOCUS,www.smartfocus.com
CREATEINTERACTIVITYINEMAILCAMPAIGNS
WehavejustlaunchedayearendemailcampaignforChristmasforclientsandprospects.Using asimpleclickthroughtoolonsomelandingpageswehaveofferedourrecipientsawaytobepart ofasmallgamewheretheycanclickonpackagesintheemailtoseewhatkindofprizetheyhave won. Onechallengewehavefoundistogetpeopletoengage,andtoprovideuswithindicationsthey aredoingso.Thiscampaignisstillrunningbutweareseeingamuchhigherincidenceofpeople interactingwiththematerial.Thelessonforusisthatappealingtoemailreaders'generosity whenitwillnotcostthemanyactualdollarsalongsidetheirdesiretowinsomethingofvalueis agoodtactictohelpthemtoengagewithyourmessage. - LeeKirkby,LeppertBusinessSystemsInc.,http://blog.leppert.com
GUERRILLAMARKETINGTRIUMPHSINBADECONOMY
Inthisdowneconomythepursuitofnewstudentsbecomeschallenging.Ourmarketing/ communicationsdepartmentworkedtostrengthenouremailmarketingcampaignswithgreat results.Weaddedstudenttestimonialstoourcampaignandprospectivestudentsrespondedto ourpresentstudents. Wealsobegantoaskourpresentstudentstorefertheircolleaguesandfriendstouswithan emailcampaignthatsucceededbeyondourestimation.Onecanprosperinadowneconomyby lookingatguerrillamarketingtacticstoreachprospectivecustomers. - Dr.RaymondGuilette,TheNationalGraduateSchool,www.ngs.edu
YOUSOMETIMESGETWHATYOUPAYFOR
We'vebeenencouragingourclientstogobacktothebasicsofemailmarketingbuildingalist, sendingtargetedcampaigns,andsettingupeventtriggerstoautomatetheemailmarketing process.Wealsoarereviewingtheresultsofthecampaignswithourclientsoverthephoneand showingthemhiddenareasofpotentialrevenuetheymightbemissing. Oneclientisalargeuniversitythatsendsfrequentmessagestocurrentstudentsandalumni.In Aprilofthisyear,theyshoppedaroundandfoundabetter"deal"withanentrylevelemail marketingproviding.Theyhadbeenaveraginga30%openrate,andusingthesamelists,same campaigns,andsameoffers,sawtheiropenratestumbletonearly10%withtheotherprovider. InAugusttheycamebacktoKnowledgeMarketingandimmediatelyreturnedtoa30%average openrate.Forus,thisyearhasbeenaboutdemonstratingvaluefortheinvestmentanddoingthe little,unexpectedthingsforourclientstohelpthemsucceed. - TimMartinson,KnowledgeMarketing,www.knowledgemarketing.com
(REALLY)KNOWYOURAUDIENCE
[Ourclient]wantedtoincreaserenewalratesamongmemberscompletingtheirfirstyearof membership.Afterauditingtheircurrentcommunicationseffortsweconcludedthatmembers didn'tclearlyunderstandallofthebenefitsavailable. Sinceweknewverylittleaboutthesemembers,wedecidedtoasksevensurveyquestions(a knownthresholdforresearchparticipation)andsegmentmembersintofourkeylifestagesbased onanswersofparticipants(householdswithnokids,householdswithkidsundertheageof13, householdswithkidsaged1418,andnonparticipants)andcreatebenefitmessagingbylifestage segment. AfterpouringoverMarketingSherpa'sBestPracticesinEmailMarketingHandbook,we recommendeda"postcard"typeemailformattodeliversinglefocusedmessaging.
Theoutcomewasaseriesofemailblasts,bylifestagesegment,thatwereblastedeverytwo weeks,PLUSaseriesof"special"emailsthatuniversalappeal,whichwereblastedbasedon calendardateortriggeredevent.Openratesofthefirst"Welcome"emailwere2.5xhigherthan thepreviousbenchmarkandclickthroughratesnearly300%higher.Openratesofthefirst segmentspecificemailwerenearly350%higherthanthebenchmarkandclickthroughs, dependingonthesubjectmatterintheemail,werewellabovebenchmarkmetrics. After16weeksofblasting,segmentswerestillat30%openratesand15%clickthrough.Event triggeredemailsenjoyopenratesof5080%withclickthroughratesbetween70and95%.While retentionratesarejuststartingtobemeasured,weknowweincreasedengagementwiththe brand,sowe'rehopefulthatweseethatreflectedinrenewalrates. - CarolynGoodman,GoodmanMarketingPartners,www.goodmanmarketing.com
DELIVERTARGETEDCONTENTTOSEGMENTEDLISTS
OverthepasttenyearsIhaveworkedwithamyriadofhealthcareprovidersaswellasindividual familydoctorshelpingthemwiththeiremailmarketing.Likemostemailmarketingwealways suggeststronglytosegmentandoffercontentbasedontheindividualrecipientswantsand needs.Whentheserulesarefollowedalongwithpersonalization,theincreaseinopensand clickthroughs,aswellasinteractionwithdoctorsaboutcontentintheirnewsletterwereamazing. Wetookasamplingoffamilydoctorswhooptedforhelpsegmentingtheirlistsandproviding dynamiccontentbasedonpatient'smedicalneedsandhistoryaswellascurrentprescriptions. Thissamplewastakenovera12monthperiodwith12doctorswhosegment/personalizetheir newslettersandtendoctorswhodidnot.Doctors,whosegmented,createdanddelivered targetedcontentandusedpersonalizedsubjectlineshadanaverageopenrateof41%versusan averageof22%forthosewhodidn't.Almosta100%increase.Somedoctorshadopenratesof 50%.Clickthroughratesalsoincreasedbyanaverageofmorethan50%,withmanyofthedoctors gettingclosetoa20%clickthroughrate. Sharingofnewslettercontentby"ForwardtoaFriend"andsocialmediaincreasedbyanaverage of25%.Whilethosedoctorswithouttargetedcontentshowedonlya3%increaseofsharing. Wereviewedalistofthetop14reoccurringpatientmedicalconditionswhichcoveredalmost 78%ofallpatients.Wethenbuiltacontentlibraryofmultiplearticlesoneachmaladyfor targetedplacementinthenewsletter.Wecontinuedtoaddnewarticlesastheprojects progressed. Manyofthearticlesweusedwereavailableforfreefromeithermedicalassociationsorthrough pharmaceuticalcompanies.Wethenwentonthehuntfordiscountprogramsandfreetrialsof top30mostprescribedmedicinessowecouldincludethosetorecipientsusingthose medications.Wealsoincludednoticeswhennamedbrandmedicineswereavailableasgenerics, savingthepatientmoney.Wecreatedaseparatedatabasetomanagethepatient'sinformation basedonablindkeysetofcriteriasowhenthepatientlistwasuploadedtherewasno discernableinformationunlessyouhadthekeytotheblindcriteriaset.
Wewerenowabletosendtargetednewsletterswithdynamiccontenttoalmost80%ofthe doctor'spatients.Wealsotestedandfoundthatunlikesomepersonalizedsubjectlines,when usingtheDr.'snameandthepatient'sfirstnameinthesubjectline(Example:ForChrisfromDr. Smith)theopenrateincreasedsignificantlyinallcases.Thispersonalizationalsohelped reactivatesubscriberswhopreviouslyweredisengaged.Wealsocreatedapreferencecenterso subscriberscanchooseadditionalcontentsubjectsthatinterestthem.Itseemspeoplehavea verypersonalconnectiontotheirfamilydoctors. Althoughthatwasn'tacompletesurpriseitwasaneyeopeningexperience.Didallthistake someincreaseintimeandbudgettocomplete?Ofcourse,buttheresultspaidforitselfquickly withmoreinteractionwithpatients,higherpatientsatisfactionandpatientsdirectlycommenting onarticlesandsavingstheyreceivedwhenvisitingwiththeirdoctor. Takingthetimetocreate,manageanddelivercustomizedcontentcanmakeasignificant differencewiththeengagementofyourrecipientsandbuildonthevaluedandtrusted relationshipbetweendoctorandpatient. Takeaway:Deliveringtargetedcontentwillhelpanybusinesswiththeiremailmarketing campaigns.Justtakethetimetoreviewyourlistandwhatyouknowaboutthemandstart segmentinganddeliveringthecontenttheywantandneed. - ChrisDonald,InboxGroupEmailMarketing,www.inboxgroup.com
LISTMANAGEMENTISMOREIMPORTANTTHANEVER
GrantWranglerisourfreegrantslistingserviceforteachersandschools.Weoperateitasa communityserviceanda"sandbox"fortestingtechnologies,content,andservices. InNovember2009,wemademajorupdatestooursitedesignandcontent.Aftertheredesign,we expectedtraffic,adrevenue,andnewslettersignupstoincrease.Instead,wesawverymodest increasesintraffic,somelossinadrevenueandnoincreaseinournewsletterlist. Afterseveralmonthsoftestingnewslettersubjectlines,promotions,buyingadwords,revamping ourSEOallthestrategiesthataresupposedtomatterIstumbledupontheanswer.Wewere cleaningupourmailinglistsandIdiscoveredtwooptinlistswithnearlyidenticalnames.Onewas growing;theotherhadnonewaddressessinceNovember2009. Duringourredesign,wehadpostedthewrongoptintoonoursubscribepage.Peoplewere signingupononelistandweweremailingtoanotherone! Acoupleoflessons: 1. Assumenothingandtesteverything. 2. Asandboxsitethatdoesgoodforthecommunityisagreatwaytolearnhowtodoyour bestforyourclients. - KarenHenke,NimblePress,www.nimblepress.com
DEEPDISCOUNTSRESONATEWITHBUYERS
OuronlineretailcompanydoestwicetothreetimesthenormalmonthlysalesinNovemberin December.TomakesureourChristmassalesarebig,wetriedanewmarketingployinNovember anditwasabigsuccess. Wesendoutmonthlyemailstoourcustomersofferingusually15%offtheirnextpurchase.In Novemberwemadeanofferforaonedaysalewith33%off.Wehavenevergiventhatdeepofa discountbefore,andinitiallywewereskepticalbutchosetotaketheplunge. Wesentoutanemailtoallourcustomersthatthesalewasgoingtohappenthedaybefore.The dayofthesalewesentanotheremailthatafewhourswereleft.Ourcustomersresponded!We hadthreetimestheordersweusuallyhavefromourpromotions - Haralee,www.haralee.com

CHAPTER2ONLINEMARKETING
Basedonyourresponses,2010broughtaboutaninterestingamalgamofoldandnewmarketing tactics.ForeverystoryhighlightingnewtoolstoimproveSEO,welearnedofamarketerwho appliedtriedandtruepracticestothisnewtechnology.Videochatpromotedpersonalized,one tooneinteraction.Mobileplatformsincreasedthelikelihoodofinteraction,andtestingand researchwereparamounttosuccess. Aboveall,2010wastheyearthatcontentreturnedtotheforefrontofonlinemarketing.While craftySEOandbetterkeywordsbroughtpeopletoyourwebsites,unique,valuablecontentis whatkeptthemthereandmoreimportantly,broughtthemback. Ifyou'reinterestedinkeepingupwiththeeverchangingworldofonlinemarketing,besureto subscribetoMarketingSherpa'sBestofWeeklynewsletter.
B2BCANBEFUN(NOREALLY!)
Thewords"automation"and"fun"areseldomseeninthesamesentence.Forthatmatter,the words"B2B"and"fun"don'tmingleatthesameparties,either.Forwhateverreason,the marketingautomationindustryhastraditionallybeenseenastheseriousmemberofthesober B2Bfamily. Eloquadecidedtobuckthetrend.Therewasn'tamassiveamountofdatatosupportour decision.Wedidn'tdistributequestionnairesaskingprospectsiftheyachedformorehumorfrom vendors.Wedidn'tdrawaVenndiagramhighlightingtheintersectionofpurchaseinterestand consumptionofquirkycontent.Wejustintuiteditandtrustingintuitiondoesn'talwayscome naturallytoa"measureeverything"companylikeEloqua.Sowedecidedto,well,havealittlefun withourmarketing,andhopethespiritwouldcatchon. Firstofall,wetooktheconceptofa"whitepaper,"longheldastheprizehammerintheB2B marketer'stoolbelt,andweturneditgreen(literally)andcoffeestained.Thatis,weredesigned thetraditionalwhitepaper,stylizedit,andbrandedit"TheEloquaGrandeGuideseries." Wealsomadeeachpaperveryshort.Like,shortenoughformarketerswhoseattentionspanhas beenreducedtomillisecondsthankstotoday's140charactercommunicationseconomy.Andwe madeapromisetothereader:We'dequipyouwithsubjectmatterexpertise(eachpaperfocuses onasingletopic)inaboutthetimeittakesyoutodrinkyour"grande"cupofcoffee. WealsocreatedafictitiouscharacterJuanEloqua,anoblemanknownforgrowingcoffeeand revenueandweproducedcheekyvideosofMr.EloquaintroducingeachGrandeGuide.We hostedalloftheseassetsonasinglemicrosite(inadditiontodistributingthembroadlyacrossthe socialWeb). Tocaptureleads,wepushedthecampaignoutthroughourownemailsystem(requiring recipientstocompleteaform);togenerateawarenessweconcurrentlyofferedtheresourcesfor freeonsocialchannels. Itworked.Infact,it'sstillworking.Fromaleadgenperspective,thecampaigngeneratedmore than500marketingqualifiedleadsinonequarteralone.Itreengagedthousandsofdormant prospectsinEloqua'sdatabase.And,mostimportantly,itleadtorealcloseddeals.Froman awarenessperspective,theresultswerejustaspowerful. Dozensofblogs,hundredsoftweets,severalawards,andahandfulof"bestof"listsallcheering theGrandeGuidecampaignasproofpositivethetrialseparationbetween"B2B"and"fun"is over. - JoeChernov,Eloqua,www.eloqua.com

PERSONALIZATIONISAPPRECIATED
Customerslikesomecustomization.Iwasperformingusertestingonsomeofournewonline productswithsomemembersofours,andhadalittletimetokillbeforethedemo.Iwasableto getintothewireframeandcustomizesomeofthenamesandfieldstorepresentthemember's companyname,industry,potentialinterests,etc.rightdowntothenamesofthememberson theactualcall.Theyappreciatedtheextraefforttolearnabouthowtheycouldutilizethetool better. - MichaelKinstlinger
LETYOURWEBPRESENCEMATCHYOURREALLIFEOFFERINGS
AttheUniversityofSt.Thomas,onlineleadgenerationisveryimportanttoincreaseinterestin ournondegreeanddegreeprogramsinbusiness.Unfortunately,ourfrontlineWebexperiences weren'tlivinguptothestandardsoftheprogramsthemselves. WeadoptedapostclickmarketingtooltohelpusimproveourWebpresence.Whereasbeforeit wouldtakeusmonthstotestjustoneaspectofouronlinecampaigns,inthesameamountof timewe'venowtestedvideotestimonials,longtailmessaging,incentives,secondlevel segmentationandthreelevelsofnarrowingbyvisitor'sintent.Thishasleadtoa3Xconversion rateimprovement,higherqualityofleadsandaWebexperiencethatnowreflectsourprograms. Thisyearwealsointegratedthetoolwithourmarketingautomationplatform,allowingfor seamlesspassingofleaddata.In2011,wewillbefocusingonbringinganexceptionaluser experiencetothemobilemarketbycreating,testingandoptimizingmobilelandingpageswithin theplatform. - MykolaSarazhynskyy,UniversityofSt.Thomas,www.stthomas.edu
REWARDCUSTOMERTRUSTWITHVALUE
It'snosecretthatthegrowthofthemobilechannelwillcontinuetoincreaseoverthecoming years.Withthatinmind,marketersneedtousethemobileexperiencetodeepentherelationship betweenthebrandandconsumerandtoconnectothermultichannelexperiences. Ifmarketersconcentratealltheirmobileeffortsonabrandedpush,themobileopportunityis missed.Deliverusefulnessandvaluetoyourcustomersbyhelpingthemfigureoutwaysto enhancetheirlives,solveaproblemordeliverinstantpersonalengagementthat'srelevantto whytheyknowaboutyouinthefirstplace. Connectingwithyourcustomersviamobileisadeepandpersonalrelationship.Ifyouget permissiontocommunicatewiththemoverthemobilechannel,youmustbereadyandableto delivervalue. - DaveLawson,Knotice,www.knotice.com
FACETOFACEISNEWTECHNOLOGYPROVIDINGOLDFASHIONEDRESULTS
Livevideochathasenjoyedtremendousadoptionamongonlinemarketersthankstothe20% conversionratesprovidersconsistentlyreport.Anditmakessense;onlinemarketerstookapage fromtheirbrickandmortaroperationsandbeganprovidinglivesalessupporttotheirwebsite visitors.Unfortunately,theuserexperienceandconversionrateshavechangedlittlesince websitetextsupportwasfirstintroducedmorethantenyearsago. Thisyear,wetestedthenextgenerationoflivesupportlivevideochatinapilotwithoneofthe forprofitcollegesinCalifornia,andcameupwithsomeprettyastoundingresults.Thecontact rateforcompletedinquiryformswas89%,speedtocontactaveragedjust8seconds,and conversionratesamongthosewhoengagedinvideochatwere44%! Infact,acrossthealmost400videochatsconductedinourpilot,theaveragedurationwasnearly 11minutes.Thisgavetheagentstheopportunitytospendenoughtimetomakethestudents comfortableanddemonstrateagenuineinterestinhelpingthempursuetheircareerdreams. Goingintothisweexpectedourresultstoimproveovertextalone.Weweren'tdisappointed.As videochatevolvesfromaconsumercuriosityintoanonlinebusinesstool,theearlyadopterswill enjoythegreatestbenefitsthatthisinnovationcanbringtotheirbottomlines. - JoeBigley,LiveAdvisor,www.liveadvisor.com
PPCISCHEAPER,MOREEFFECTIVETHANESTABLISHEDMEDIA
Wewantedtotestanentirelynewmedium(television)forcomparisonagainstourexisting GooglePPCcampaigns,toseeifwewouldpullinvisitorswhosebehaviorswouldjustifyany assumedaddedcost. Inlessthananhour(andforlessthan$200)wewereabletoproduceabroadcastquality televisioncommercialandhaditslottedontopchannels(CNN,TheHistoryChannel,Golf Channel,etc.)usingGoogleTVAds.Weaddedanewdomainandcustomtollfreenumberto trackthisnewchannel,soresultswereeasilymeasurable. IttooktwoweekendsforustolearnthatatleastforouraudienceTV'scostpervisitorwas exactly10xmoreexpensivethanPPC;andforus,theseusershadnodiscernibledifferencein propensitytoengageand/orbuy.Soforus,itwasbacktoPPC. - RobertKelen,ItalyByWeb.com

KEYWORDRESEARCHISPARAMOUNT
Gettingbetterresultswithorganicsearchwasamajorpartofmycopywritingbusinessthisyear. FollowingGoogle'ssuggestionsonrelevanceandnarrowingthefocusofmyclients'landingpages reallyhelpedboosttheirrankings.Ididmyownkeywordresearch,ratherthanrelyonclient assumptionsorpreviousworkdonebyothers.Knowingwhattermsprospectswereactually searchingoninrealtimereallyhelpedtargetmyaudience.Italsohelpedkeepthecopytight, relevantandfocused. Makingsurepagetitles,descriptions,keywords,videoscripts,videotitlesandmetadata,and imagetitlesandalttextwereoptimizedforspecificsearchtermshelpedboostposition,aswellas theinclusionofXMLsitemapsforpagesandvideo.Whilenarrowingthefocusofproductpages maymeanyouneedtoaddpagestoaclient'swebsite,it'swellworththeextraeffortasithelped maximizefreeclicksandimprovedPPCadperformanceaswell. - MichaelFiala,TheWriteCopy,www.thewritecopy.com
MOBILEMEDIAPROMOTESINTERACTION
Everyoneseemstoacknowledgethattheimportanceofmobilemarketingisontherisevery quickly.MoreandmorebusinessesarelookingatusingSMS/Textmessaging,QRCodesorgeo locationservicestoreachtheirmobileaudience.Ofcourse,wemayonlyinvestalittlebitof moneyandeffortintothischannel,becausewemaythinkthatportionofouraudienceissmall. However,wemaybesurprisedtofindoutthatthenumberofpeoplethatwillinteractwithour companyontheirmobilephonesisgreaterthanwemayhaveexpected.Inaprintad,weoffered peopleafreewhitepaperthatcontained"10SecretsforMarketingSuccess." Weprovidedtwowaysforpeopletoaccessit:ashortURLonthead,andaQRCode.Thisturned intooneofourmostsuccessfulprintadvertisementsoftheyear.Wehadafewhundredpeople downloadthedocument. However,weweresurprisedbywhichresponsechannelledthemajorityofthepeopletothe landingpage.Morethan70%oftherespondentshitourlandingpagebyscanningtheQRCode versustypingtheURLintotheirWebbrowser.Sure,noteveryoneinourtargetaudiencehasa smartphoneyet.Butthenumberofpeoplethatdocontinuestorise,especiallyamongthosein theworldsofmarketing,communications,print,etc. - JasonPinto,InterlinkONE,www.interlinkone.com

THEREISNO"ONESIZEFITSALL"INONLINEMARKETING
Asanonlinemarketerwhomanagesanaudiencebaseof4millionandgrowing,IknewIneededa waytosegmentmyaudienceandprovidespecificandtargetedonlinemessagingtoeachunit.A "onesizefitsall"landingpageapproachjustwasn'tworking,butIdidn'thavethetimeor resourcestocreatemultiplepages. Tohelpme,Iadoptedalandingpagemanagementtool,andusingitstemplatedriven,nocode interface,Iwasabletoquicklycreatemultiplelandingpagesforeachofmybusinessunits. WhereasbeforeIfoundittoughkeepingupwithonepage,I'mnowmanagingover500landing pages!ThisnotonlyincreasedmyGooglequalityscorebutI'mnowconsistentlyseeinga1517% conversionrate!That'ssomethingIcouldn'thaveachievedwithonelandingpageforall4million customers. Thebottomlineisthatthere'snosuchthingas'onesizefitsall'ineffectiveonlinemarketing.It's allabouthyperpersonalization! - NicoleBukacek,Infogroup,www.infogroup.com
TEMPLATESOFFEREFFICIENCY
Foralongtimetheword"template"stoodforinflexibleanduninspired.Thismeantmanynon technicalmarketershadlittlechoicebuttogotooutsidecreativeagenciesforafinishedWeb page.Onepagecouldtakeweeksormonthstodevelop,ataveryhighcost. Wecreatedbrandspecifictemplatesthatgiveusahighlevelofflexibilitywhileensuringbrand consistency.It'simportantforustoreachnewcustomersaswellasengageourcurrentbase,and onlinecampaignsareessentialtoourstrategyfordoingso. Beingabletoworkwithflexible,brandedWebtemplatesallowsustonotonlyensureconsistency betweenthe100+countrieswehavecampaignsrunningin,butalsoallowsustogetnew campaignsupandrunningquickly.We'reverypleasedthatwewentalmostimmediatelyfroma verylowconversionratetoasmuchas9%,whichhasreallymadeadifferenceinourROI. Iwouldhighlyencouragefellowmarketerstousetemplatesforfasterspeedtomarket.Thanksto ourpredefinedtemplatesweareabletobeveryagileandsetupcampaignsinamatterof minutesorhours. - RolfIngeHolden,DHLExpress,www.dhl.no
GETCUSTOMERSTOYOURSITE(ANDKEEPTHEMTHERE)
In2010ourSEOsoftwarecompanyfocusedmarketingeffortsonimprovingtheuserexperience, rebranding,andenhancingcoretechnologybasedoncustomerfeedback.Thesoftwareis accessedviaaWebbasedsearchengineinterface,sothewebsite'seffectivenessiskey. Thegoalfor2010wastoensurethatmoneyspentonadvertisingdrivingtraffictothewebsite wouldprovideasmanyconversionsandasmuchofareturnoninvestmentaspossible.Whypay foronlineadvertisingifnobodystaysonthewebsitewhentheyarrive?Sinceourwebsiteis effectivelyourbusiness,itisvitaltoensurethatvisitorsunderstandthemarketingmessage immediatelyuponarrivalyoudon'twantthemtogetboredorconfused,andleave. Westartedwithacompleteoverhaulofthewebsite'slookandfeel,includingthecompanyname, branding,andmarketingmessage.Wefocusedthehomepageonfourdifferentadvantagesthat oursoftwareprovides,likesavingtimeandmoney,aprovenSEOsystem,theabilitytooutrank yourcompetition,andtheabilitytodecipheranysearchenginecodes. Additionally,thenewwebsitedevotedseparateWebpages,content,andresourcesforeachof ourthreeprimarytypesofcustomerssotheycouldquicklyandeasilyseewhyourproductsgive themanadvantage.Consolidatingandclarifyingsitenavigationtokeepvisitorsfromgettinglost wasalsoafocus. Inoverhaulingthesite,weimplementedacontentmanagementsystemwhichwasalotofwork upfront,butwouldmakeiteasiertoaddandremovecontent,testoutdifferentstylesof branding,andmakesitewidechangesinthefuture.Thegreatthingaboutthesesystemsisthat therearemanycompanieswhoprovidefreeorpaidreadymadewebsitetemplates.Theyare inexpensiveandcansavethousandsofdollarsinwebsitedesignfeesifyouhavetheresourcesto devotetotheprojectinternally.Wealsofoundthatstockphotosarealsoagreatresourcetosave valuabletimeandmoneyongraphicdesign. Advertisingonsocialnetworks,searchenginesandotheronlineoutletsisonlyaseffectiveasyour website'sabilitytokeepvisitorsonthesite.Itisimportanttotakeanobjectivelookatyour website,listentocustomerfeedback,andutilizetrackingsoftwaretoseehoweffectiveyour websitereallyisforyouronlinebusiness. - ScottStouffer,TheSEOEngine,www.seoengine.com
TAKEADVANTAGEOFTHEGROWINGPOPULATIONOFMOBILEUSERS
AccordingtoresearchoutofeDialogsCentreforDigitalMarketingExcellence,astudyof2,083 adultsoutoftheUSandUK,showedthatmobileemailusagecontinuestogrowwith33%of consumersaccessingemailontheirmobiledevices.So,totakeadvantageofthisgrowing audienceweworkedtocreateatargetedcampaignfocusedonAppleiPhonecustomers. AnanalysisofAvisdatabaseandaspecialdatabasequeryallowedustoidentifysignificant growthinemailsopenedbymobileusers,particularlyAppleiPhonecustomers.Auniqueemail designfortheiPhonewascreatedtoensureamorestreamlinedexperience.TheiPhoneemail, senttoasegmentedlistofiPhoneusers,continuestooutperformtraditionalcampaigns exceedingtheclientsexpectations. Duetotheongoingsuccessoftheprogram,Avishasnowrolledoutanoptimizedmobile campaignacrossothermobiledevices. AndreaOrvis,eDialog,www.edialog.com
TESTINGLEADSTOROI
Cycleofinnovationanditerationleadstobigwins.Nomatterhowhighyourcampaignsare converting,orhowoptimizedyouthinktheyare,acontinuouscycleofinnovationanditeration canhelptopushtheenvelopeevenfurther.ThisyearIincreasedSEMleads200%overlastyear, thankstoongoinglandingpagetestingandoptimization. Mostrecently,aniterationwaveresultedinovera90%increaseinWebconversionsinourtop performingmarket.Learninginpilotmarketsisthenleveragedacrossmarketstoimproveoverall leadconversionsandmaintainbrandconsistencyacrosstwelvestates.Havinganonstopcycleof contenttestingisthebiggestpieceofwisdomIcansharewithmyfellowmarketerslookingto continuallyincreaseROI. - ArdenBuchanan,Wellpoint,Inc.,www.wellpoint.com

CHAPTER3SOCIALMEDIAMARKETING
Aswe'vesaidnumeroustimesonourwebsiteandinthepagesofourBenchmarkReportsand specialreports,socialmediaisnolongeranoptionaltactic.Onceanovelwaytoexpandyour brandmessaging,2010sawsocialmediabecomeacohesivepartofnearlyeverythingwedo online.Today,socialsharingiconsareasvitaltotheWebexperienceashyperlinksand"back" buttons. Socialmedia'sreachisnowembeddedineverypartofourlives,andtechnologyhasmaturedto thepointthatsocialmediainnovationwillnolongerbelimitedbyplatformrestrictions.Our computers,phonesandevenportablemusicdevicesnowseamlesslyintegratesocialtoolsinto largerframeworks,allowingcontentsharingandonlineconversationtohappenvirtuallyinreal time. But,aswe'vealreadyestablishedinthisreport,newtechnologiesmustbeleveragedwithtime honoredmarketingpractices.Audienceengagement,strategiccampaignplanningandwell targeted,valuablecontentwillstillbenecessaryforanymarketerlookingtoleveragethisrapidly evolvingtactic. Readonforasmallsamplingofhowsocialmediabenefitedyourpeersin2010.Andbesureto subscribetoMarketingSherpa'sallnewInboundMarketingnewsletter.
ENGAGETHEAUDIENCETOACHIEVEOPTIMALRESULTS
Oneofmybiggestlessonsthisyearhasbeenthatsocialmediaengagementandsuccessismuch moreabouttheconversationsyoubeginandnotthemessagesyoupushout.Whenwefirst implementedsocialandblogginglastfall,wesawitasawaytoreplicatecontentinanumberof areas,andIthinkwebelievedtherestwouldfollow.WhatIlearned...Therestdoesn'tfollow untilyouengageinaconversationandprovidetruevalue.Notjustmessageblastingtoyour audience. Aswelearnedmore,webegancontinuingtheconversationsstartedouttherewithsocialand haveseentremendousresults.Herearejustafewexamples: - Cloutandmentionshaveincreasedsteadilyaswehaveseenengagementspike. - Morecustomersareactivelyengagedthanbefore. - Weareabletodiffuseanynegativecommentsorserviceissueswithquickresponse. - Salesandinboundleadshavenearlydoubledduringthissametimeperiod. Resultsspeakvolumes,buttheconversationswehavehadoverthepastyearresonatesomuch more. - CarissaNewton,Delivra,www.delivra.com
SOCIALMEDIAREQUIRESTHOROUGHPLANNING
Thisyear,Ifoundmanyclientsenamoredwiththeideaofjumpingintosocialmedia.ShouldI blog?MaybeIshouldhaveaFacebookpage?MaybemycompanyshouldbeonTwitter? Whenaskedwhytheywantedtoincludesocialmediaintotheirmarketingmix,theuniversal answerwasbecauseeveryoneelseisdoingit.Butjumpingintoanewmarketingtacticisnever thebestwaytodevelopastrategicplan.Startbyidentifyingyourbusinessandmarketinggoals. - Whatareyoutryingtoaccomplishandwhoareyoutryingtoreach? - Issocialmediathebestwaytoengagewithyourcustomersandprospects?Ifso,doyou haveacontentstrategyinplace? - Howwillitadvanceyourbusinessgoalsandgrowyourbrandorbusiness? - Doyouhavetheresourcestokeeptheconversationgoingwithameaningful conversation? Beginningasocialmediaprogramwithoutastrategyandresourcesinplaceislikeinvitingfriends overforapartyandthenleaving.Youhaveinitiatedarelationshipandconversation,butaren't willingtoparticipate.Mywisdomfor2011:Knowyouraudienceandthebestwaytoengagethem toreachyourgoals.Haveaplaninplacetohaveameaningfulconversation,andprovidevalue thatdifferentiatesyourbrandfromthecompetition.Ifyouwanttodipyourtoeintosocialmedia waters,doitwithyoureyeswideopenandwithasolidplaninplace. - BarbaraReed,Terra3Communications,www.terra3communications.com
STRATEGYFIRST
Whenitcomestodigitalmarketingcommunications,companiesareseeingalotofactivityon FacebookandTwitter,andfeeltheyneedtobethere.TheyhearaboutSEOandfeeltheyneedto improvetheirranking.Theyreadarticlesaboutonlinevideoandwanttostartfilming. It'seasytogetcaughtupinthe"everyoneelseisdoingit"excitement,butthat'spreciselythe timetostepbackandtakeadeepbreath.Becauseanyonewhostandsinfrontofaroomfullof businessownersandsays,"YouallabsolutelyneedtobeonFacebookandTwitter"isflatout wrong. Whatisthemarketingcommunicationsgoalofthebusiness?Oncethisisproperlyarticulated, thenFacebookandTwittermayormaynotbeappropriatetacticsformeetingthatgoal.SEOand videomayormaynotbetacticallyrelevant. Therearecountlesstacticsthatanybusinesscantakewhenitcomestodigitalmarketing communications...butifthere'snostrategicthinkingunderlyingthosetactics,iftimehasn'tbeen takentounderstandthedynamicsofthebusinessrelativetocustomersandpotentialcustomers, thenyou'revastlyminimizingyourchancesofsuccess. - CraigPeters,CKPCreative,www.lohad.com
TARGETEDFACEBOOKPROMOTIONHELPSEVENTGROWOVERNIGHT
TheFestivalofBooksisastatewide,threedayfestivalfeaturingover50authorswhosharetheir knowledgeandexperienceaswriters.AsthepremiereeventforthenonprofitSouthDakota HumanitiesCouncil,itisimportanttoattractalargeaudiencetoensurefuturefundingforthe nonprofitandtomaximizeexposurefortheorganization. Ourcompanywashiredonlytwoweeksbeforethe2010festivalwhenjust400ticketshadbeen reservedonline.TheHumanitiesCouncilwaslookingforaquickboostinticketsalesand advertising. Togetquickresults,weusedacombinationofsocialmediamarketing,emailmarketingand Facebookads.First,weusedtheHumanitiesCouncil'semaillistof2,400toattractnew connectionsonFacebook.Wecreatedclearcallstoactioninboththeinvitationemailsandonthe Facebookpagetodriveticketsales. Additionally,wetargetedthelargestregionalFacebookpagesandpostedmessagesontheir pagesandtokeyinfluencersontheirpageaboutthefestival.Whilegrowingthepageorganically, wecreatedaseriesofFacebookadstargetedatfriendsofmembersoftheFacebookpage.We rantwogroupsofadstargetedat20,000people.Onegroupaskedthemto"Like"thepagewhich hadalinktoticketsales.Thesecondgroupofadswentdirectlytotheonlineticketreservation page. Thecampaignhadgreatsuccess,increasingticketreservationsfrom400to1,200intwoweeks. Thisworksouttohalfoftheiremaillistconvertingviasocialmediaandemail.TheFacebookpage
alsogrewsubstantiallyfrom900likesto1,540intwoweeks.Notonlydidthecommunitygrow, buttheinteractiondidaswell,increasingweeklyvisitstotheFacebookpagefrom392to1,308 thefirstweekandthento1,554theweekofthefestivalalongwithactiveusersincreasingfrom 399to870inthefirstweekofthecampaignandfinallyto1,623theweekofthefestival. Mostimportantly,theHumanitiesCouncilputonagreatfestivalandwaspleasedwithrecord attendanceandmeasurablemarketingthathascreatedanew,renewablechannelforthemto promotetheirorganization. - ScottD.Meyer,9Clouds,www.9cloudsinc.com
NEWEFFORTSHELPBRINGYEARENDRESULTS
Cominginto2010,wehadsetforththegoalof50percentgrowthforthecompany.Whilethis numberwouldbeloftyanyyear,itseemsespeciallysointhiseconomy.Weplannedtohitthis goalthroughanumberofstrategies,includingtheextensionofourallianceprogram,awell definedandexecutedintegratedmarketingplanandthediversificationofourclientbase. Thisyear,wehaveexperiencedamazinggrowthinthenumberofvisitorstoourWebsiteandthe amountofleadswereceive.Thesepositivescanbeattributedtothemarketingefforts,both conventionalandthroughsocialmedia.InvolvementinTwitter,LinkedInandFacebookhave greatlyincreasedourreachinthetechnologychannelindustry,andwewillcontinuetoextend thoseeffortsinthenewyear. Wedidn'thitourgoalof50percenthowever,settlinginsteadfora40percentincreasein revenue.Thisnumbersignifiesourlargestyearlygrowthtodate.Our2010successiscreditedtoa dedicated,strategicallyfocusedteamandtheincorporationofnewprogramsandsolutions reflectingourcustomer'sneeds.Theadditionofnewmarketingapproachestoourprovenbest practiceswillcontinuetoallowustobetterserveourclients.Weintendtocarrythismomentum into2011bylaunchingseveralneweffortsinJanuary. - TinaLauzon,ChannelServicesGroup,www.csgchannels.com
THEREARENEWRULESOFGRAMMAR
Grammarismeaningless,unlessit'swrong.Butwordchoiceispricelessevenifit'smeaningless. I'mdirectingthelaunchofanewdailydealsite.Ihavealonghistoryinmarketingandespecially emailmarketing.Socialnetworkmarketing,however,wasanewanimaltome.Iusuallyapproach thesetypesofchallengeslikeanewlyfoundbackyardpoolgrabyournoseandjumprightin! Socialnetworkmarketingwasnoexception. Myfirstrevelationwaspunctuationandproperspellingcanbesacrificedforthemagic140. Unlessyoujustoutandoutmisspellyourtargetword/phrase.Thenyouwillbeabused incessantlyandrisklosingfollowers.ThisIhadexperiencedinmyownpersonalnetworking
effortssotheshockwasmorehowprevalentitwas.The'bigboys'arehiringtherightpeopleto dotheirdirtywork,buteverybodyelsefallsinoneoftwocategories: 1.Perfectionists 2.Naive Thefirstendupbeingperfectspellersandpunctuators,butdragtheirpostsovermultipleposts (whichreallyisannoying).Thesecondthinkthe140limitgivesthemlicensetospellandwrite howevertheyfeel. Thereissuchathingassocialspeakandcertainlimitsmustbefollowed.Searchyourkeywords andseewhatothersaredoinginordertostaywithin140.Thesecondandmuchlargerrevelation involvedthosevery'keywords'.IwasusingTwuffertoscheduletweets,usingHootsuiteto managemultiplesocialnetworkaccountsandrepliestoDMs.ButevenIhadneverthoughtabout 'tacking'onavirtuallyirrelevantkeywordtomypostsuntilInoticedatrendinourresponses. WeweregoingtobeappearingatafunctionatDodgerStadiumandIstartedincludingposts referencingthestadiumandusedthekeyword"Dodgers."Thatdayourimpressionsmorethan tripledandwegaineddoubleourusualconversions. ThenextdayIhadn't"putittogetheryet"andfailedtomentionDodgerStadiumortheDodgers atall.Overthecourseofthenexttwoweeks,Inoticedthetrendandstartedinsertingthe "Dodgers"keywordtootherpostsandreferencingDodgerStadiuminourdealdescriptors somehow.Wesignificantlyincreasedourimpressionsbymerelymentioningaregionallyrelevant topic. So,checkyourkeywordsandremember,tomorrowisspelled"2morrow,"not"2morow"... - KevinKrejca,KrejcaCreativeGroup
SOCIALMEDIA,INSHORT
Successfulsocialmediamarketingisaboutidentifyingthemostinfluentialmembersofyour audienceandleveragingthemtoachieveyourkeybusinessgoals. - Jo,FreshNetworks,www.freshnetworks.com
STARTINGABLOGISEASY.MAINTAININGITISTOUGHER
Startingablogiseasyupdatingitwithfreshcontenteachandeveryweekfrommultiple contributorsisthehardpart.It'stoughreallytoughtogetcontributingwriters.Evenwithour nearly100employees,it'slikepullingteethtogetpeopleinvolved.Weevengavethebloga fancyname,andmadeiteasyforpeopletosubmitarticles. What'smostinterestingisthatwhencontributorsdowrite,theyaverage4060pageviewsand5 10reTweetsforeachoftheirblogpoststhisisfantastic.Ithinkpartofthereasonforhighpage
viewsandreTweetsisthecontent.Blogcontentmustbeunique,freshandpertaintotheblog theme.Thecontentdoesn'thavetobegreatjustgoodenoughandpeoplewillviewandreTweet. Inourcase,thecontentisaboutB2Bleadgeneration,marketingautomationandCRM. WelaunchedtheblogonTuesday,April6andnowhave33subscribersadecentstart.Recently wegotsyndicated,whichhelpedboostouraveragepageviewsby1520%.Tomysurprise,the Facebookversionofourblog/magazinehasbeenacompleteflopweonlyhave16fans.Twitter ontheotherhandhasbeenalotmoresuccessfulwith414followers. Thebiggestbenefitwereceivedfromourblogisimprovementstooursearchengine optimization.Wenowhave22keywordsinthetop10ofGoogle.Thoughwestillhavenot receivedanyleadsdirectlyfromtheblog,manymorepeoplearefindingusonGoogle.Thishas ultimatelytranslatedintoahighervolumeofinboundleads. - MartyKnight,OnPathBusinessSolutions,www.onpath.com
ENCOURAGEINTERACTION,DON'TREQUIREIT
ThisyearIranaonedaysaleinNovember.Iofferedmybiggestdiscountever,33%offincluding saleandclearanceitems,andtheresultsfarexceededourexpectations.Wesentoutanemailto allourcustomersthedaybeforeandthenasecondemailthedayofthesale.Thosewhobought, boughtlots!Thiswasagreatsuccess. Itriedanotheremailcampaignthatwasnotsuccessful.Igaveacodeof15%offandtoldmy customersiftheywantedanother10%off(foratotalof25%)theyhadtofindthepromotion codeonmyblogandonmyFacebookWall.Theyhateditandtoldmenottodoascavengerhunt againandjustgivethemthepromotioncode! Itriedtobecreativeandsometimesyoutrybutdonotsucceed.Iwillnotbedoingascavenger huntpromotioncodeemailmarketingcampaignagain! - Anonymous,Haralee.comSleepwear,www.haralee.com
FEELINGSOCIAL?
Ifyoureallywantpeopleto"Like"and"Follow"yourbrand,it'simportanttogivethemvaluable contentthatthey'll"Digg."Theymay"StumbleUpon"yourpost,butifyoucancontinuously engagetheminconversation,together,you'recreatingvaluablecontenttoshare. - CheryHalim,OlsenEurope,www.olseneurope.com
INTEGRATEANDCOLLABORATE
Ourcompanymanufacturesgearandapparelforthemartialartsindustry.Withtheburgeoning popularityofMMA(mixedmartialarts)andexpanseofuserengagementonsocialnetworks,we aregainingbrandexposureandgrowthlikeneverbeforeinthe14yearswe'vebeeninbusiness. Welearnedwehavesomecontrolwhenlaunchinginitiativestoachievedesiredresultsandmeet ourgoals. 1. SEOandbeyond!Analyzingmostsearchedkeywordsinourindustryandcreating opportunitiestomaximizethetheme.Forexample,wediscovered'cheapmmagear', 'cheapfightgear'andwordsofthatsortthatrankedhighinSEOdrivingtraffictoour site.Withthatinmind,wecreatedaclearancecategoryonoursiteandoptimized wordslikecheapgearandothervariations.Takingtheconceptonestepfurther,we thencreatedasecondcategorycalledMMAActionGear,featuringeconomypriced productsandpromotedaseverydaylowprices. 2. Tellushowyoureallyfeel.PosingthequestiononourFacebookpage,'KidsMMA tooaggressiveoragreatwaytoraiseselfesteem?'generateduserengagement within30minutesofposting.Thatshowedusthisisacontroversialandactivetopic thateveryonefrommotherstodojoownerstofanshaveplentytosayabout.Taking theconceptonestepfurther,wereachedouttoouraffiliatesinvitingthemtoadd commentaryandguestblogaboutthetopiconourbloginanefforttoexposeour brandtotheircustomerbase.Applyingthesameformula,westartedreachingoutto groupsinotherareasrelatedtoourindustrysuchascollegiategrapplingand wrestling.Withthat,ourstrategytomarketoutsideournetworkwillincludepostson Facebook,Twitterandblogsencouraginguserengagement. 3. Collaborate!Devise/work/launchyoursocialnetworkinitiativesasateam.Wereview analyticsasateam.Weencourageeachteammembertocontributeideas.Asateam, wediscusstheoptionsandagreeonastrategywithcallstoactionforeachteam membertofacilitate.Asateam,wetrackprogresswhichoftengivesusnewideas andleadsustothenextinitiative. IfIweretouseametaphorformarketingviasocialnetworks,itwouldbethatofatree.Ithasa trunkatitscorewithrootsandlimbsthatbranchoutinalldirections.Theleavesandfruitsbloom andthendie,droppingseedlingsfornewgrowth. - ShelleyGoldstein,RevgearSports,www.revgear.com

IFTHERE'SNO"SOCIAL,"THERE'SNOSOCIALMEDIAMARKETING
Lastyear,wehiredasocialmediafirmtosetup,createandmanageallofoursocialmedia profiles.Wepaid$15,000fortheinitialsetupandanadditional$7,500permonthfor maintenanceonlybuying40hoursofactualworkpermonth.Sadly,theROIonthiswasnextto nothing,andwehadtocancelouraccount. Recently,weexpandedourPRdivisiontotakeoverALLsocialmediaefforts.Withinthefirstfew weeksofournewstrategy,webegantoseeresults.WedesignedawelcometabforourFacebook pagewhichbroughtin100newvisitorswithin3hoursoflaunchingandourfanswentfrom516to 685. ThispastHalloween,wehadastaffcostumecontest.Severaldaysbefore,westartedposting aboutthecontestonourFacebookpageandthatweneededallourfanstohelpvoteforthe winningteam.ThecontestvotingranfromNoon3:00pmonOct.29th. At12:30wewereat858fans.By1:00,wewereat944.By3:00,wehitover1,000. Weendedupgettingabout212votes,commentsand"likes"allwithinthisperiod.Sincethen,our averagedailynewfanshaveincreasedfrom01toabout23.We'veseensimilargrowthon TwitterandLinkedIn,aswell. Thelessonlearnedhereisthatifthere'sno"social"inyoursocialmediacontent,yourfans, friends,followersdon'tfeelaconnection.Wealwaysgetmore"action"whenwepostmore conversationalupdatesandTweetsandwecanseeitinoursalesfigures.Oursocialmedia presencehasturnedsomeofourprospectsintocustomers,customershavepurchasedmore, increasednewleads,etc. It'sdefinitelystillaworkinprogress,butinthepastfewmonthswe'veseenabigchangesincewe changedourcontentstrategy.Wejusthadtofindoursocialmediavoice. - FerrisStith,PostcardMania,www.postcardmania.com
DON'TINVESTINFOOLS'GOLD
Everyyearthere'sanewtechnologyorservicethatgarnerstoomuchattentionfromthemedia, causingmarketersfeeltheneedtojumponboard.Grouponhastakencenterstagethisyearand whiletheydoofferagreatproductandservice,it'snotrightforallclients.Weevaluateditfor oneclientandthefinancialsjustdidn'tworkforthem. Youneedtostayfocusedonthebusinessimpact,notjusthowshinythenewmetalobjectis. - PeterPlats,Catalyst,www.catalystinc.com
FINDVALUEINALLAREASOFYOURCOMPANY
Myteamrecentlyidentifiedthatwehadtheneedforanexpertintheareaoffashionblogging. Manyofushadpriorexperienceswithbloggingbutnoonehadexperienceinfashionblogging. Weallexaminedourverticallyupwardandhorizontalinternalnetworktofindtheanswertoour problem. However,thepersonmostcapableofhelpingushappenedtoworkinacustomerserviceposition. Iwasabletoidentifythevaluethispersoncouldbringtoourprojectandenlistedhelpthrough theproperchannels.Theperson'scontributiontoourprojecthelpedussecureanewclientand providedtheemployeewithvaluableacademicexperience. Thisisjustoneexampleofhowverticalsocialmobility,bothdownwardandupwardmovement, hashelpedourcompanyachievesuccessonavarietyofprojects.Havingabroadsocialnetwork canallowyoutoproblemsolveanumberofprojectsolutions.Spendsometimearoundthe proverbially"watercooler"andfindoutwhoyouworkwith. - CarlosDyBarbour,TheSpokesmanReview,www.spokesman.com

CHAPTER4GENERALMARKETINGWISDOM
Forallthistalkofadvancingtechnologyandonlineexpansion,2010'sfragileeconomicclimate forcedmanymarketerstorevisitthefundamentalsandapplythesebasicstonewerpractices. But,regardlessofwhetheryourmarketingisdoneviasevensocialnetworksorsevenminute phoneconversations,thefactremainsthatnomatterthemedium,thisbusinessstillcenterson communicationandcustomerengagement. Yoursubmissionsonlyservedtoreinforcethispoint,asmanyofthisyear'smostmemorable entriesfocusedontheimportanceofbuildingrelationships,balancingoldandnewtactics,and evenexpressingappreciationforcustomersandcoworkersalike. Thoughnotascuttingedgeastechnologybasedtalesofsuccess,theseentriesnonethelessshow thatinmarketing,somethingsnevergooutofstyle. Besuretokeepuponallnewmarketingjobpostingsandcareerfocusedarticlesbysubscribing totheweeklyMarketingCareersnewsletter.
CLIENT/AGENCYRELATIONSHIPSMUSTBESYMBIOTIC
Inmypastbothasaclientandasaconsultant,themosteffectivecampaignshavecomefrom bothsidesworkingtogetheraspartners.Whenclientandagencyworkwithandlearnfromeach other,boththeexpertiseoftheagencyandexclusiveknowledgeoftheclientcometogetherto buildatrulyeffectivemarketpresence.Whenthetwoaren'tinsync,thingsfallthroughthe cracks. Misunderstandingsaboutwhodoeswhatcausestimedelaysandschedulescrambling.Treading oneggshells,afraidtospeakthetruthforfearofhurtingfeelingsbypointingoutanissue,only causesfurtherdistrustanddeepenstheproblem.Neglectingtoshareuniquebehaviorofthe marketaudienceprecludesthepossibilityofbuildingatailoredprogramtoshapethatbehavior. Thisiswhyitisabsolutelycriticalthatbothclientsandagenciesstrivetofindapartnershipthey arecomfortablewith.Asaclient,youoweittoyourselftomakesurethatyouaregettingthe mostoutofthemoneyyou'respending.Asanagency,it'syourresponsibilitytoensurethe successofyourclients,andhencethesuccessofyourownbusiness. Bothsidesneedeachother,andneedtoworktogetheraspartners.Iftheycan't,anyprograms theycomeupwithwilllikelybeanemic. - MattBurghdoff,GrizzardCommunications,www.grizzard.com
BALANCEMARKETINGDISCIPLINES
It'sasimplelesson,actually.Easydoesit. Thisyear,Itookonthechallengeofrebuildingthemarketingdepartmentwithinourflagship productdivision.Upto2010,ourmarketingfellintotwobuckets:outboundmarketingandsearch enginemarketing.Theresultswere,asyoumighthaveguessed,disappointing. Manyotherwisequalifiedleadsfellthroughthecracksofapoorsystem.Thecompanylost mindsharewithintargetindustries.Confidenceandenthusiasmamongemployeesstartedto wane. Seeingboththechallengesandpotentialoftheproductandcompany,Ipitchedanewvision: Acceleratedemandgenerationthroughaninbound,contentfocusedmarketingstrategy.Along withthisplan,wewouldalsoreigniteourbrandpropositionwithamorecohesivemessagethat wouldaccentuateourcompany'suniqueidentity. Buthere'swherethelessonkicksin:ratherthanswingforthehomerunshotbyattemptingto accomplishallofthisinthreemonths(whichiswhereI'veseensomanyoftheseplansstrikeout), Iencouragedpatienceandfocusforsmallwins.Wecouldn'tjustdumpouroutboundmarketing tacticsandreplacethemwithanewplanovernight.Ittookabalancingactwherewewould incrementallyaddcontenttoourplan.
Wequicklybuiltamicrositetonotonlyshowproofofconcept,buttodemonstratesuccess.In justthreemonths,wetripledournumberofqualifiedleadswhichsignaledtobothemployees andmanagementthatthisnewstrategyofinbound,contentfocusedmarketingworks. - ChrisBailey,Jounryx,www.journyx.com
FULLYUTILIZERELATIONSHIPS
EarlierintheyearIdecidedthebestwaytomaximizemycompany'sMarketing,Advertisingand PReffortswastomorefullyutilizerelationships.Whilemanypeoplearestillinvestingin networking,Ichosetomovebeyondthe"meetandgreet"totheseizingtherewardsthatonly seriousrelationshipscandeliver. Thefirststepwastoinventorymyrelationships.Iwantedtocategorizemydatabasebywhowas onthemove,whohadservicesIcouldpersonallyusetogrowmybusinessandwhohadofferings Icouldhighlyrecommend.ThosepeoplewhoappearedinallthreecategoriesweretheonesI contactedfirst.TheoffersImadeweredifferentdependingontheentrepreneurstowhomIwas speaking. Onestrategywasforourbusinessestocomarketourservices.Anotherwasbasedonaffiliate programsthatpaidforreferrals.Athirdwasbasedontradingservices. Theresulthasbeenfantastic.I'vedramaticallyincreasedmyrevenue,mysaleshaverocketeddue toreferralsandmybusinesshasahigherprofileandmorepolishedlookduetothetradesIwas abletosecure.SureI'vepaidoutthousandsinaffiliatefeesbutitwouldhavecostmemuchmore todevelopthatbusinessmyselforhireasalesrepresentative.Notonlythat,butmypaymentsare fuelingmyclient'sgrowth,whichreflectswellonmeinthelongrun. ThebestpartofthesystemsIhaveinplaceisthattheycontinuetoproduceWinWinWinsall around.NowthatIhavethestrategiesperfected,Iamabletohelpmyclientsimplementthese programstoincreasetheirrevenueaswell.Thegreatnewsisthatwe'refinallyreapingthe rewardsofallthosenetworkingevents.ThesystemsI'veoutlinedherehavefullydevelopedand maximizedourrelationshipsinawaythatdoesn'tcostusadime. Intoday'sbusinessclimate,workingtogetheristhesmartest,mostcosteffectiveway,notjust stayinbusiness,butexcel. - LauriFlaquer,SaltarSolutionsInc.,www.successwithsaltar.com
REFERRALSCREATEWARMLEADS
Inordertoincreasesales,apracticethesalesstaffandmanagementofourcompanystandsbyis toaskforreferrals!Wepreferreferralsbecausetheyarenotentirelycoldleads;youhavethe nameofthereferrerasanentrewhichputstheprospectsomewhatateaseinsomecasesthe referrermayhaveevengreasedthewaybytellingthepersonthey'vereferredtoexpectacall, thusensuringtheywillspeaktothesalespersonwhentheycall.
We'vehadareferralprograminplaceforyearstocompensateESPsandagenciesforreferring businesstousbutweweren'taggressivelyhuntingforreferrals.Inthesecondhalfof2010we startedanewprogramencouragingourentiresalesstafftoaskforareferraloneveryclientor prospectiveclientsalescall.Evenwhenweloseajob,oursalesstaffasksforareferral.Weputa permanentparagraphinourmonthlynewsletterpromotingourreferralprogramaswell,andour referralbusinesshasjumpedtremendouslyasaresultofthesecombinedefforts. - SandyPochapin,FreshAddressInc.,www.freshaddress.com
DIRECTMAILISALIVEANDWELL
Wereconfirmedthatdirectmailisnotdead!Itcanbeaveryeffectiveweaponinyourleadgen arsenal,especiallywhenusingadimensionalmaileraspartofacomprehensiveandintegrated campaigntoreachaseniorlevelaudience.Weexecutedseveralverytargetedandpersonalized dimensionalcampaignsthispastyearandfoundthemhighlyeffectivewhendoneaspartofan integratedcampaignthatalsoincludesemailandcallfollowup. Indoingthesecampaigns,italsoreinforcedthefollowingfactorsasbeingcriticaltosuccess: - 100%ContactsValidatedPriortoCampaign:takingthetimetoverifyallcontactinfois currentpriortothecampaignhasahugeimpact - HighLevelofCampaignPersonalization:tailoringthecommunicationstotheneeds andpainpointsoftheindividualyouaretargetingplaysakeyroleinconvertingthem fromacontacttoaqualifiedlead - ImmediateFollowupCallafterDimensionalMailerisSent:coordinatingfollowup callstohappenwithin24hoursofthemailerbeingreceivedreallyhelpstoincrease theresponserate - PeertopeerCommunicationsApproach:havingsalescall"fromtheofficeofthe CEO"vs.sayingtheyarethesalespersoncreatesamorepeerlikeconnection - 1:1EmailsSentAfterSeveralCallAttempts:sincewetargetedbusyexecswhoare frequentlyontheroad,wegotagreatresponseratewhenreachingouttothemvia emailifwedidn'tcatchthemviaphone - ChristaKleinhansTuttle,LaunchMarketing,www.launchmarketing.com
DON'TJUSTINTERVIEWIMPRESS
Ifyouwantanamazing,highpayingjobin2011,anditinvolvestheInternetorWebinsomeway (becausethat'swheretheopportunitiesareforyearstocome),Irecommendyoudothe followingtenthings: 1) Havemarketableexpertisewithdemonstratedsuccess(i.e.resume,experience, references,blogposts,etc.) 2) Knowwhatyourpassionisandfindanemployerwhosharesthesamepassion 3) Usecurrentandpastemployerwebsites,socialmediaandnetworkingtocreateyour storyandengagekeyexecutivesatonecompanyyouwouldliketojoinandbuildacareer
4) Craftanexecutivepitch(PPT)foryourfunctionand/orroleandmakeityourownwith brandingandterminologythatisbothyoursandfromtheindustry;knowthisbackward andforward 5) Communicatewhereyourfunctionisgoingwithinayear(oratmost,two)andbeableto demonstratethatyounotonlyhaveapassionforwherethingsaregoingbutyouknow howtoadvanceyourfutureemployer,startingnow. 6) Persistanddon'tgiveupwithengagingbutbepersonable,consistentandconfident 7) Bepatientandcheckinwithkeycontactsoverthecourseofmonths,ifnecessary 8) Learnallthatyoucanaboutthepotentialemployerandboss.Thisiseasilydonebyusing Webandsocialchannels 9) Oncegiventheopportunitytopitch,askforwhatyouwanttodo(evenifthepositionis notposted)andshowhowit'sgoingtohelpthecompanyachievetheirgoals 10) Whenyoulandthejob,observeandcelebrate(nomorethanfourweeks),andthenstart knockingitoutofthepark.Worksmartandletyourpassioninspiregreatworkfromyou andothers Honestly,Ithinkthatanycompanythatisn'topentotheapproachaboveisn'tworthjoining.But remember,alwaysfollowyourpassion. - ErickMott,Sitecore,www.sitecore.net
EXPRESSAPPRECIATIONTOVALUEDCUSTOMERS
Asamajorhealthcareinformationtechnologyvendor,onemessageweneededtocommunicate tothecustomerswhohavebeenwithusfromthebeginningisthevalueweplaceintheir relationshipwithus.AssomeofourcustomersaremovingtoanEHRaspartofreformand federalstimulus,manyotherswanttostaywiththeircurrentpracticemanagementsolutions. Tospeakdirectlytoourcustomers,wecreatedthecustomerappreciationprogramtohonorthe commitmentourcustomershavedemonstrated.Morethanaresource,thisisarewardsstyle programinwhichweprovidebenefitssuchasreducedfinancialburdentopracticesthatwanted toupgradetheirsoftwarefromsimplyapracticemanagementsolutiontoacompleteelectronic healthrecordsolution. Thepurposeofthisprogramwasseveralfold,including: - Thankingcustomersfortheiryearsofloyalty - Createawarenessofnewproductsthatincludeacertifiedelectronichealthrecord - Helpcustomersachievetheirpracticegoals - Providecustomersanopportunitytoobtainourtechnologywhilehonoringtheir currentcommitmentandinvestmentwiththecompany Becauseofthisprogram,hundredsofcustomerswhohavefaithfullyusedoursolutions,but wouldhaveotherwisebeenunabletomaketheswitchtoanEHRbecauseoffinancialconstraints, arenowdoingso.Inmanycases,customersareseeingincreasedpracticeefficiency,seeingmore patients,betterabletomanageandimprovepatient'shealthcareoutcomesandincreasecash
flowssimplybyusingtheelectronichealthrecord.Andforthosecustomers,whowouldhave otherwiseremainedonapaperbasedsystem,theelectronicversionishelpingimprovelives. Thebottomline:It'sbetterandmorecostefficienttokeepthecustomersyouhaveandproveto themthatyouhavetheirbestinterestinmindthantolosethem.Forus,dramaticallyreducing investmentcostsforitsphysicianpartnersisprovingincreasinglyprofitable. - TonyRyzinski,SageHealthcareDivision,www.sagehealth.com
REACHOUTANDTOUCHSOMEONE
Wesawasignificantincreaseinouronlineprogramsin2010duetooneverysimpletoolthe telephone.In2010weofferedseveralonlinebootcamps.Tomarkettheseprogramswedid traditionalonlineandemailmarketingtoourinhouselistsandalsotoaffiliates.Severalweeks beforeeachbootcampweproducedacomplimentarywebinarwhichweusedtopromotethe program. Whilewegainedsalesbythesetactics,weaddedonemorepiece:Wecalledeverysingleperson thathadattendedoneofthecomplimentarywebinars.Addingthispiece,usingwebinarsto generatequalifiedleadsandthencallingthoseleads,enabledustoincreaseenrollmentby40% overpreviousyears. Inaddition,byspeakingwithourcustomersandpotentialcustomerswewereabletouncover moreinformationabouttheirneedswhichishelpingustobetterplanfor2011. - WendyWeiss,www.wendyweiss.com
MAINTAININTEGRITYINADOWNECONOMY
Wheneveryone'sonedgewonderingwheretheirnextpieceofbusinessiscoming from/whetherthey'llbeabletohittheirnumbers/howtorationalizeanddealwithdeclining sales,etc.there'satendencytofudge...toplayalittlefastandloosewiththefactstotryto squeezeoutalittlemoremargin,byanymeansnecessary. That'swhyit'ssoimportanttoknow(oratleasthaveagoodsenseof)theveracityofthepeople you'redoingbusinesswith.Thebestofthebuncharealwayshonestandaboveboard.Theymight scalebackorshiftresourcesfromoneinitiativetoanotherinanefforttowringoutefficiencies, buttheywon'trenegeoncommitmentsorthrowothersunderthebustosavethemselves. Youcanlearnalotfromthesefolksabouthowtodobusinessunderpressureandstillbeableto holdyourheadhigh. - PeterLeeds,Gabardine,gabardine.com
THEGOLDENRULEREDUX
"Canyoubethereformeinthegoodandbadtimes?" ThisisaquestionweeithergetdirectlyorindirectlyasanInternetmarketingfirmthatworks primarilywithsmallbusinessclientswithlessthan10employees.Asimportantaspastresultsare tothem,smallbusinessownerswanttoknowthattheirmarketingcompanywilltreatthemlike "family." Often,theyhavelearnedthatthey'reanothernumber/figuretolargerfirms.Asasmallerfirm,our strongestuniquesellingpropositionhasbeen"youcanreachthepeopleimplementingyour campaignviatext,phone,email,Twitter,Facebookoranymediumyouprefer,andwewill respondwithinthesameday." Althoughitcanbedifficult,thishasledto90%retentionofallofourclients. - ParhamNabatian,InfiniteCommunications,www.infinitecomm.net
About MarketingSherpa
MarketingSherpa is a research firm publishing Case Studies, benchmark data, and how-to information read by hundreds of thousands of advertising, marketing and PR professionals every week. Praised by The Economist, Harvard Business Schools Working Knowledge Site, and Entrepreneur.com, MarketingSherpa is distinguished by offering practical, resultsbased marketing information researched and written by a staff of in-house reporters. MarketingSherpas publications, available at www.MarketingSherpa.com, include: 960+ Case Studies on marketing from Agilent Technologies to Xerox, searchable by company or topic. Annual Benchmark Guides featuring primary research and collected best of secondary research on statistics related to search marketing, email marketing, online advertising, ecommerce and business technology marketing.
MarketingSherpa Newsletters
Visitors to MarketingSherpa.com may sign up for their choice of 8 newsletters, including: specific Case Studies for B2B and B2C marketers, email-focused Studies and Career Climber the best way to find a great marketer or a great marketing job.
MarketingSherpas Newsletters include:

Best of Weekly B2B Marketing B2C Marketing Inbound Marketing Email Marketing Job Classifieds SherpaStore Chart of the Week
Sign up for newsletters at www.MarketingSherpa.com.
MarketingSherpa Summits and Trainings

Email Marketing Training Course
- March 10, 2011 - San Francisco, CA - April 21, 2011 - Chicago, IL
Social Marketing Training Course

- March 15, 2011 - Los Angeles, CA - April 19, 2011 - Toronto, CA
NEW - Optimization Summit

- June 1-3, 2011 - Atlanta, GA
B2B Marketing Summits

- September 26-27, 2011 - Boston, MA - October 24-25, 2011 - San Francisco, CA
Register for Summits and Workshops at http://www.marketingsherpa.com or Contact MarketingSherpa: Customer Service available M-F, 9-5 (ET) Service@MarketingSherpa.com (877) 895-1717 (outside the U.S. call 401-247-7655) To Order, go to Sherpa Store at: http://www.sherpastore.com
practical handbooks from MarketingSherpa

Social Marketing roAd Map handbook
MarketingSherpas first-ever Social Marketing ROAD Map Handbook offers step-by-step guidance on how to create a social marketing strategy to meet specific marketing goals. Built upon Sherpas renowned case studies, practical research and proven methodology, the Handbook provides the practical tools and techniques needed to develop a streamlined process for achieving social media marketing objectives. Its packed with 27 real-world examples, 11 case studies from leading companies, and 20 charts and tables. Published May 2010 by MarketingSherpa; $397 for instant PDF download!
b-to-b lead generation handbook

Practical instructions to generate, qualify and nurture new business leads. Features dozens of case studies and real-life samples you can use to inspire your own demand generation campaigns. Includes proven marketing for high tech, professional services, and manufacturing, via traditional media, the Internet and Web 2.0. Plus bonus tips on how to make the Sales Department your best friends. 531 pages. Published June 2008 by MarketingSherpa; $497 for instant PDF download plus printed copy!
landing page handbook

MarketingSherpas bestselling Landing Page Handbook helps you raise conversions by up to 55% or more for search, email, and ad campaigns for lead generation, ecommerce, and even blogs. Includes: page design & copy instructions; 54 stat & data charts; 114 samples of landing pages to copy; help for search, email, B-to-B, ecommerce, blogs & lead generation conversions. 273 pages. Published November 2007 by MarketingSherpa; $497 for instant PDF download plus printed copy!
2009 best practices in email Marketing handbook

This 568 page practical handbook is the single most comprehensive work on the tactics and best practices of email marketing ever written. Its designed to support senior staff in developing strategies to maximize email ROI. Its practical and step-by- step approach makes it an ideal handbook to train those less experienced in getting the fundaments that they need. With 7 chapters, 86 case studies, 75+ Sherpa tips, and 150+ creative samples, this is a must have for all marketing departments who want to learn how to successfully grow, nurture, segment, measure, deliver and optimize your email marketing. Published March 2009 by MarketingSherpa; $497 for instant PDF download!
To Order, go to Sherpa Store at: http://www.sherpastore.com
practical research and benchmarks from MarketingSherpa

2011 Search Marketing benchmark report Seo edition
MarketingSherpas new 2011 Search Marketing Benchmark Report SEO Edition is packed with 203 pages of all new up-to-date research including insights from 2,194 B2B and B2C marketers, best practices, and real-life case studies. The report is designed to be one-half measurement complete with Sherpas invaluable benchmarks and standards and one-half inspiration, with unique explorations of whats working, whats not and whats on the horizon for search marketing. This years edition also contains 169 charts and tables, new SEO tactics, and the future impact of mobile, video and real time search. Published June 2010 by MarketingSherpa; $447 for instant PDF download!
2011 Search Marketing benchmark report ppc edition

MarketingSherpas new 2011 Search Marketing Benchmark Report PPC Edition is packed with 190 pages of data on the latest PPC innovations, from keywords to conversions, as well as insights from PPC marketers and agencies on their strategies, challenges and successes. This new edition also takes a deeper look into PPC metrics and tactics with sections on target keywords, best tactics, average PPC clicks, defining a conversion and quality of leads generated by PPC. This edtion has also contains 147 charts and tables, benchmarks on PPC budgets, objectives, and tactics. Published July 2010 by MarketingSherpa; $447 for instant PDF download!
2011 email Marketing benchmark report

The all-new 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report provides the most up-to-date research, benchmark data, and analysis on new email marketing tactics, email marketing maturity, and the state of email from a strategic standpoint. In the 198-page report you will get a broad range of all components of email marketing with details on the significant new obstacles to email marketing success, email budgets and bottom lines, and top tactics for delivering relevant content, email list growth, and social media. This edtion has also contains 152 charts and tables, benchmarks on relevancy, deliverablity, and metrics. Published December 2010 by MarketingSherpa; $447 for instant PDF download!
2011 b2b Marketing benchmark report

MarketingSherpas new 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report is packed with 232 pages of data and provides the most up-to-data research and analysis on the marketing tactics that were most successfully applied at every stage of the sales funnel, from lead generation to sales conversions, using analytics for continual improvement. Inside you will find special sections on effectiveness of B2B marketing tactics and marketing budget changes, lead scoring and nurturing, use of marketing automation, and much more. This edtion has also contains 167 charts and tables, benchmarks on B2B budgets, objectives, and tactics. Published October 2010 by MarketingSherpa; $447 for instant PDF download!
BOOKSTORE ORDER FORM
Book Selection
Your order includes print and pdf version
PRICE
$ $ $
QTY
AMOUNT
Social Marketing ROAD Map Handbook B-to-B Lead Generation Handbook Landing Page Handbook 2nd Edition 2009 Best Practices in Email Marketing Handbook 2011 Search Marketing Benchmark Report - SEO Edition 2011 Search Marketing Benchmark Report - PPC Edition 2011 Email Marketing Benchmark Report 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report
397 497
497 $ 397
$
447
447 $ 447
$
447
TOTAL (US Dollars)
four easy ways to order: 1) Online: www.sherpastore.com 2) Call: 877-895-1717 3) Fax this form to: 401-247-1255 4) Mail this order form to: MarketingSherpa 499 Main Street, Warren, RI 02885
Payment/Shipping Information
Please print all information
Payment:
Visa M/C MEX Discover
Ship to:
Name
Company Name/Title Card Number Exp. Date
Address
Print Card Holders Name
City / State / Zip
Telephone (in case of questions) Signature Email (we respect your privacy)
MarketingSherpa 499 Main Street, Warren, RI 02885 www.MarketingSherpa.com www.SherpaStore.com 877-895-1717

Wisdom Report 2011

Hochgeladen von

Dokumentinformationen

Copyright

Verfügbare Formate

Dieses Dokument teilen

Dokument teilen oder einbetten

Freigabeoptionen

Stufen Sie dieses Dokument als nützlich ein?

Sind diese Inhalte unangemessen?

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Wisdom Report 2011

Hochgeladen von

Copyright:

Verfügbare Formate

Marketing Wisdom for 2011

Marketing Wisdom for 2011

Chapter 2 Online Marketing ................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 3 Social Media Marketing ....................................................................................... 17

Chapter 4 General Marketing Wisdom ................................................................................ 27

iii Copyright20002011MarketingSherpaLLC,aMECLABSGroupCompany. Itisforbiddentocopythisreportinanymanner.Forpermissionscontactservice@sherpastore.com.

Wequicklybuiltamicrositetonotonlyshowproofofconcept,buttodemonstratesuccess.In justthreemonths,wetripledournumberofqualifiedleadswhichsignaledtobothemployees andmanagementthatthisnewstrategyofinbound,contentfocusedmarketingworks. - ChrisBailey,Jounryx,www.journyx.com

MarketingSherpas Newsletters include:

Sign up for newsletters at www.MarketingSherpa.com.

MarketingSherpa Summits and Trainings

Social Marketing Training Course

NEW - Optimization Summit

B2B Marketing Summits

practical handbooks from MarketingSherpa

b-to-b lead generation handbook

landing page handbook

2009 best practices in email Marketing handbook

To Order, go to Sherpa Store at: http://www.sherpastore.com

practical research and benchmarks from MarketingSherpa

2011 Search Marketing benchmark report ppc edition

2011 email Marketing benchmark report

2011 b2b Marketing benchmark report

To Order, go to Sherpa Store at: http://www.sherpastore.com

BOOKSTORE ORDER FORM

Your order includes print and pdf version

Please print all information

Company Name/Title Card Number Exp. Date

Print Card Holders Name

City / State / Zip

MarketingSherpa 499 Main Street, Warren, RI 02885 www.MarketingSherpa.com www.SherpaStore.com 877-895-1717

To Order, go to Sherpa Store at: http://www.sherpastore.com

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen