Success for the 2011 Holiday Season B2C Marketing using Email and Social Media

I am sure you have begun your marketing campaigns for the 2011 holiday season but I thought I would pass along some trends and tips to up your success rate no matter which stage of your plan you are already in.

I'm sure that you are already aware that more shopping is happening online every year. Online retail sales grew by 12.6 percent in 2010 and Forrester Research projects 10 percent year-over-year compound annual growth through 2015, but online sales can't happen for your organization unless people visit your website.

In the 2010 holiday season, email was a major force in driving traffic to websites. ForeSee reports that 19 percent of people surveyed reported visiting a website as the result of a promotional email.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, email continues to be the most productive channel in terms of ROI. Social media may be sexier, search engine optimization and marketing are effective for people who don't know you, but a strategic marketing program to people that have opted in to receive email from you is the best way to have a positive impact on your bottom line.

Here are some trends from previous years that will continue in 2011, along with some new ideas for making the most of your holiday email marketing.

-Stay Focused on Value in Your Marketing 
Offering dollars or a percentage off is good, but don't be afraid to get creative. Retailers are also having success with gift-with-purchase offers, coupons good for discounts on future purchases, and other value-based ways to drive sales.

-Its Ok to mention FREE when it's Shipping 
Earlier this year, it was reported that the No. 1 offer used by retailers in email marketing was free shipping. Don't be concerned that using the word "free" in your subject line will cause your email to be filtered as spam. That alone won't cause your email to be diverted from the inbox. Free shipping is so common that most consumers have come to expect it and many will rethink buying from you online if they have to pay for delivery.

-Up Your Email Frequency... Strategically
If this is your peak selling season, your email frequency should increase. But be careful not to bombard your list and alienate your recipients.
Have an email that did particularly well? Do an "encore" send, letting people know that this promotion is being repeated or extended because it was so popular. Just be sure to keep a close eye on your unsubscribe and spam complaint rates as your frequency increases -this can be a symptom of overmailing.

-Use Social Media to Acquire Email Subscribers
Use social media as a way to introduce yourself to prospective customers and entice them to sign up to receive email from you to sell them. Email has the added advantage of allowing you to target messages. Ask for enough information at email signup to do this effectively.

-Use Social Media to Drive In-Store Sales
Newer social media channels, like Foursquare, offer businesses the opportunity to reach potential customers who are shopping near brick-and-mortar locations. Offering an immediate discount on purchases may drive people who would otherwise walk past to walk in and buy from places that offer your products.

Definitely keep email the main focus for your primary online marketing channel this holiday season, but be mindful to mix in social media. It can prove to be a way to boost sales even further.

Marketing and Tech Events for December 2011

Here some Marketing and Tech related events happening throughout December 2011.

US Events

SMX Social Media Marketing

December 5th-6th, Scottsdale, AZ.

SMX Social Media Marketing, a tactic-rich conference where you’ll be immersed in social media marketing of all types. Learn cutting edge techniques for driving site traffic, increasing conversions and managing your company’s brand and customer service across multiple social media channels.

For more information on this event visit: http://searchmarketingexpo.com/socialmediamarketing/

UP 2011

December 5th-9th, Mountain View, CA. and Virtual

UP 2011 is developed to promote collaborative analysis of the latest trends and challenges in cloud computing and ICT, looking at core process and strategies in the rapidly shifting world. We create thought provoking conference panels, workshops, and tutorials which are selected to cover a range of the hottest topics in ICT.

Visit the following link http://upcon11.com/about for more info on this event as well as a list of keynote speakers.

CIO Cloud Summit

December 8th-9th, Scottsdale, AZ.

This summit addresses Enterprise Cloud Computing challenges and benefits.

The CIO Cloud Summit will help C-suite executives better understand the true capabilities of cloud computing and the transformational opportunities it can bring to their business. Through a unique blend of focused case studies, CIO think-tanks, CIO debates, analyst workshops and visionary keynotes, technology executives will leave the event feeling invigorated and enthusiastic, with critical takeaways that can be implemented back at their business.

Interested in checking out the agenda, click here: http://www.ciocloudsummit.com/agenda.php

EMEA Events

MAD World

Mobile Advertising World Europe 2011

December 6th-8th, London, UK

Mobile Advertising World will unite the CMOs, and Heads of Digital from leading global brands and agencies with mobile operators, mobile advertising platforms and enablers to examine and understand how to exploit the opportunity mobile brings to their business. Mobile Advertising World will outline how consumer brands can seize the mobile opportunity through an outstanding speaker faculty of leading global agencies and brands and an agenda built by an advisory board of the industry’s key players.

To see a brochure or to view the programme check out: http://www.terrapinn.com/2011/mobile-advertising-world/?pk_campaign=Terr-Listing&pk_kwd=marketing

LeWeb

December 7th-9th, Paris, France

LeWeb brings together the most influential audience in the Internet ecosystem. Top industry entrepreneurs, executives, investors, senior press & bloggers gather to focus on the key issues and opportunities in the web marketplace.

Learn more: http://www.leweb.net/

NG Security Summit Europe 2011

December 12th-14th, Barcelona, Spain

The Next Generation Security Summit EU is an exclusive industry forum that brings together the industry's leaders, experts and most experienced members to address the key challenges that the industry is facing and to share expertise and experience. The summit serves as an arena for senior level executives to engage in clear and focused dialogue with their peers and examine their management objectives in a relaxed and vibrant environment.

For details and videos regarding this event visit: http://www.ngsecurityeu.com/

Tis The Season To Purchase Software!

It’s that time of the year again. Consumers are rushing all over town to capitalize on the offers out there. We’re all too familiar with the craziness that occurs on “Black Friday” where millions of people waiting in line rush in to department stores everywhere take advantage of huge sales. What about online sales? The term “Cyber Monday” became popular in 2005. It’s the “Black Friday” for online shoppers. Everything from clothing, electronics to home goods are being offered online at discounted prices. Most even offer free shipping on them as well! But... What about selling software?

Now is the perfect time of the year to offer deals on your software products. People have money to spend, new versions of software releases are coming out and you can advertise through many of your partner channels. For example, Adobe is now offering up to 50% off of its products. Considering that some of its products cost a thousand dollars or more, being able to pocket hundreds of dollars sounds pretty appealing, doesn’t it?


It’s a great time to work with your distributors to strategically place highly competitive pricing or enticing promos to grab the edge over your competitors popular products. With so many people investing their dollars in new electronics such as desktops and laptops it’s a perfect time to position your software discount with a computer brand as well. Sure, consumers this time of the year are known for flocking all over the place to get the latest deals on department store products. As time progresses however, and people start to do a majority of their shopping online, this presents no better time then now to market and sell your software products for the holiday season. Tis the season to purchase software!

Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

Recently, the world lost a icon, Steve Jobs. Jobs wasn't a politician, an actor, or a famous athlete; he was the genius behind Apple. Most of us probably own or have owned an Apple product at one point. Whether it be an iPod or the 12 core Mac Pro, "Mac" became a household name in the early 2000's.

I recently read about how parallel Jobs' life was with Bill Gates. If you look at the time line of Apple and Windows, you'll see that everything from the launch of their initial product to the time they decided to leave their active roles in their company lines up. In the early 80's, Jobs would actually have Gates come to his house to show him what he was working on. He was very passionate about his company and felt that it was going to "revolutionize" computing as the world knew it. Well... he was right!

Apple was never exactly about making "cheap" priced products by any means, and Jobs knew that if he was going to create a products that "revolutionized" the world, he couldn't take any shortcuts with the design, or functionality of his them. There is a cheaper alternative to almost any Mac product out there, yet people are still drawn to Apple's creativity and innovation, i.e., "It's cool!" If it wasn't, then the stock wouldn't be worth over $400 a share and it wouldn't have exceeded over $100 billion dollars in global sales.

Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. Recently, CNN mentioned in an article that mortality was the motivation behind the creation of Apple's boldest products yet, such as the iPhone 4GS and the iPad 2.

The 656 page book, based on over 40 interviews with Walter Isaacson, is going to go on sale any day now. According to Simon & Schuster, Jobs cooperated with the books creation and asked for no control over what was written or the rights to read the book before it was published. I think that's a 656 page book that I wouldn't mind reading! As far as Apple goes, After seeing how enthusiastic Tim Cook was in his keynote about the iPhone 4S, I have no doubt in my mind that the the legacy of Steve Jobs will be carried on.

Marketing and Tech Events for November 2011

Here are just a few Marketing and Tech related events happening throughout November 2011.


US Events


InnoTech
November 3rd, Oklahoma, OK.
The 6th annual InnoTech Oklahoma, the region's largest business & technology conference & expo, presented by InterWorks,Inc., returns on Thursday, November 3, 2011.

Last year, InnoTech hosted over 1000 of the region's top business & technology professionals at the Cox Convention Center for a full day of education, innovation, hands-on exhibits, peer to peer networking opportunities, special events and more. Don't miss this year's InnoTech event!
For more information visit: http://www.innotechok.com/


Social CRM 2011
November 3rd, New York, NY.
This conference will be fully interactive with presentations, case studies, Q & A sessions and panel discussions. There will also be an Exhibition Area featuring many of the leading social CRM tools and services. The ticket price includes lunch, refreshments and a handbook and networking drinks at the end of the day.

Topics to be discussed include:

• What is social CRM?
• How to develop your Social CRM strategy
• Mapping your CRM system to the customer journey  and much more.

For a list of program highlights click on: http://www.oursocialtimes.com/socialcrmnewyork/\


Ad Tech New York
November 8th - 10th, New York City, NY 
As the digitization of media continually redefines the business of marketing, it is ad:tech’s mission to provide brand advertisers, agencies, portals, online publishers and technology providers an unparalleled forum – one that supports the exchange of ideas, experiences, new practices, emerging models and expert opinion.  That’s why every ad:tech conference features a balanced blend of:

•  Keynote speakers sharing frontline experiences and an executive level perspective. See here for notable   keynoters: http://www.ad-tech.com/ny/adtech_new_york.aspx 
• Panel discussions focusing on best practices and economic opportunities 

•  Hands-on workshops delivering immediate, take-away value

EMEA Events

European Email Marketing Conference 

November 1st – 2nd, London, England

The European Email Marketing Conference is the annual gathering of marketers and email experts to exchange knowledge, review new cases and campaigns and discuss email as marketing tool. Renown companies from all over Europe and across different businesses share their best practices and give detailed insights to learn from. Experts address new developments such as social media and video, or new techniques to drive conversion, to analyse behaviour, plus various examples of multichannel campaigns. This combination of day to day learnings, tools, business insights and strategies, makes the European Email Marketing Conference the perfect occasion for updating your email marketing skills.

For program details visit:  http://www.emailmarketingconference.com/program

GOTO Prague International Software Development Conference 2011 

November 22nd – 23rd, Prague, Czech Republic

GOTO Prague is a vendor independent software development conference - made for developers by developers presenting the industry's best speakers. Our goal is to give the software development community a high quality conference with unique learning, discussion and networking opportunities.

The Conference takes place in Prague, Czech Republic and includes: 2 conference days and 1 tutorial day with more than 20+ Presentation Sessions by International Experts and Authors.

SES Singapore 

November 22nd – 23rd, Singapore

SES brings its world renowned learning experience and thought leaders in the search engine marketing field to Singapore. More than 50 speakers from a cross-section of well-respected industry organizations will discuss the latest market dynamics and trends, best practices, technology and innovation.

SES Singapore 2011 will be packed with sessions covering PPC management, keyword research, SEO, social media, local, mobile, link building, duplicate content, multiple site issues, video optimization and usability, plus networking events, parties and more.

To see registration details and speakers go to: http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/singapore/index.php

Leverage the power of your CRM to deliver the goods

I wanted to share another insightful post I found on Maximizer CRM Central. This entry gives a brief yet helpful suggestion on how a robust CRM  that has integrated marketing and sales modules can make your sales conversation with prospects and leads much more compelling. In turn you get the metrics to determine how successful your online marketing efforts are.


Leverage the power of your CRM to deliver the goods
by Bob Neudecker

For many marketers, measuring the success of your campaigns and ultimately your ROI can be a somewhat daunting and time-consuming process. Not only can it be painful weeding through campaign metrics and making sense of the numbers exported in spreadsheets or reports from 3rd party email campaign engines, there is often a disconnect between measuring what you are responsible for (generating new leads and nurturing existing ones) and measuring what the sales team ultimately generates in terms of qualified opportunities and sales closed from those leads.

Leveraging the power of a robust CRM with integrated marketing and sales modules allows you to connect the dots between your campaigns and the sales leads and opportunities they generate. You need to be able to export your campaign metrics and generate lists of subscribers that clicked the links in your email. With this information, you know who is interested in what, which is invaluable for subsequent or future targeted campaigns to engage prospects further or build brand loyalty with existing customers.

For example, you send an email campaign to your list of prospects introducing them to your three latest product offerings. You include links to a specific landing page on your website for each product, with the call to action to view a demo. Your CRM should record how many people received the email, how many opened it, how many were unique opens (i.e. some people may click on it several times, so you need to know the actual number that took action), and who clicked on which links.

Your sales reps following up on the leads generated by the campaign can see which product(s) the prospect is interested in. Armed with this knowledge, the rep can engage the prospect further by contacting them, providing additional information and initiating a discussion to determine how best to address their needs. You can track how many of the leads you generated for the sales team become qualified opportunities in the pipeline and how many closed, allowing you to easily determine the ROI on your campaign.

Three Online Marketing Movements To Engage In

Understanding the interaction between search, social media and content translates into opportunity for brands and marketers, such as yourself, to engage an active online marketing strategy that celebrates diversity of channels – provided such efforts are customer focused.

The future of online marketing brings the best of these disciplines together. To meet consumer needs, whether it’s B2B or B2C, it’s inevitable and a must that PR will know SEO and Social Media Marketers with be versed in media relations.

Relevance, timeliness and ability to share is the coveted trifecta to win with modern online marketing. That means offering better content and better visibility in all the places customers might be looking or influenced by. It also means a better experience in brand / consumer interactions.

I'm sure many of you out there are like me when it comes to wanting to know and learning about the latest online marketing trends. Here are 3 areas that you will want to be paying attention to in the coming year...

Content Marketing: Brands have begun adopting a publisher model of marketing through content as evidenced by the growth of “content marketing” and “content curation”. This will continue and get increasingly competitive for those that can afford to scale original content and media.

Mobile and Tablet: These days this is an obvious trend prediction. As of late 2010, more Americans own mobile devices, including tablets, than computers. Search, social, local and apps all offer opportunities for consumer sales and engagement on mobile devices. Social networking is one of the top 3 uses of mobile phones and as apps and tablets dominate the market, more time will be spent there and away from personal computers. This means you will need to spend more of that annual budget and strategy time in this growing arena.

Social Business: When you evaluate the impact of the social web on overall business outcomes, it’s easy to see why companies like IBM are adopting social business models. Companies that incorporate social media literacy and empowerment from within will empower their employees, partners and customers to act collectively on behalf of the brand.

Within each of these areas lies an important consideration for how brands will connect people with content and experiences that create awareness, confidence, relationships, sharing and conversions.