AD Infinitum

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 by J. Dreesen
You just got an email from your favorite media rep.
They have cut their pricing in half (one time only) for banner ads on their site. 
You have to decide today, and you have to send the ad tomorrow to take advantage of the offer. Guess what?  Your agency requires  three days advance notice to get the paperwork done, play with ideas, present concepts, get copy approved, create final art and get final approval.

So, what do you do?

It's a great offer, and a great way to generate some demand and leads and drive inbound marketing.
But, web advertising can be so immediate that you don't even have time to create it!
Look into automation that allows you to create banner ads from your desktop.  Yes, they exist and they're pretty amazing.  Pick the size.  Pick the style.  Pick the animation effects.  Drop in the copy, and you're done!  You can even send the ad to the publication, and track click-throughs right from your desk. Talk about immediate campaign results!  Oh, and you can track your expenditures as well, did I mention that??

Banner ads, on demand and on budget.
That's what I call good website marketing!!
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My life as a Marketing 'Cover Girl'....

Thursday, September 24, 2009 by Barbara Kovacs

...yes it's true. 'Cover Girl' not as in a model, but as one who is constantly running for cover! I work for Aprimo, an online marketing powerhouse, as the Manager of Lead Generation.  I can tell you that more times then not, we have been bombarded through our Live Chat.  Someone comes on our Web site, probably through the assistance of our Search Engine Marketing tools and by using my web analytics tools, I can see them.  I can then initiate a conversation or wait for them to reach out to me. 

One day, this person initiates a live chat acting as the CEO of one of our competitors, (like we wouldn't know his name) and then proceeds to ask for a cheeseburger.  This technology is great, but it does release some crazies!  I wish our Marketing Software could detect the fool hearty as they hit our site so we can dispense them quickly. Now, wouldn't that be cool?  

The ability to have something instantaneous, like an answer, is something our Interactive Marketing is trying to foster.  I think we need to create a whole new lead nurturing cycle for these 'Chats'.  Yes, that is what I will work on today.  Developing my leads through multi-directional campaigns using Multichannel Marketing. Since my Interactive Marketing software tells me where my chat is coming from, all I would need from that point is their name because email configurations are usually quite easy to find.  Then, I could actually create a campaign workflow around these inbound marketing opportunities and really focus on lead nurturing and account development. 

Believe you me, it sounds a lot more complicated then it is.  Marketing Automation, you gotta love it.   How do you handle those people who hit your site to chat?  Or do you even chat?
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The Future of Mobile Marketing - Text Messaging

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 by Rob McLaughlin
We are currently in the process of evaluating the features offered in our forthcoming mobile marketing application for our marketing software solution.  This process has plunged me into the middle of mobile marketing and the emerging use of SMS within the marketing function.  Clearly, SMS has become an important technology for marketing along with other outbound & inbound marketing initiatives.

It appears, as marketers, we are all coming up with clever ways of saying "text XYZ" to short code "1234" and get "ABCD" back.  It amazes me that this simple concept is starting to pop-up in so many interesting ways.  However, after watching my son deliver his 10th text message while watching a football game, I realized why this will become a major new force in marketing. 

It is no surprise to anyone with a teenager that text messaging has become the ubiquitous communication channel for the next generation of consumer.  In fact, they hardly know why a phone receives calls at all.  For them, they would not be surprised if several "phones" started dropping that silly talking feature soon. 

So, if you are a marketer looking to reach this growing population of text savvy consumers, what better way to reach them than to use their preferred channel communication, which has become text messaging. 

Clearly, Europe was well ahead of this trend.  However, the next generation of consumer in the United States is right with them.  The way things are progressing, at this point, I might need to improve upon my current 1 word per 10 minute text performance or I might not be able to make a reservation, get information on a new home, buy a ticket to an event, or ask where the bathroom is in my next restaurant visit. 
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