Shop online for your "TECH" wish list!

It's no surprise if you've been out and about to any of the major department stores this holiday season that tech gadgets and electronics have taken over the pages of their in-store ads and specials. I personally made the mistake of walking into a Target at midnight on Black Friday just to witness the madness and sure enough... it was a mad house! I was starring at lines 12-15 carts long with people hoisting their will-be gifts and gadgets. Hi-Def LCD TV's were selling for cheaper than I'd ever seen. MP3 players were almost being given away, laptop computers were hundreds less than their original retail price. I however, didn't take advantage of these deals because for the last few years I've been doing all of my holiday shopping online.

"There are several sites online where you can do your online shopping without the hassle of being trapped in line for hours. On top of that a majority of the online stores are offering FREE SHIPPING for the holidays, so it's a no brainer for me."

A few that I've used personally and would recommend are Newegg, which had a bunch of great deals on computers, portable hard drives, monitors and a pretty good breakdown of pricing and product comparisons. It also has some pretty good consumer feedback. Tiger Direct also has a wide variety of tech products such as, cameras, GPS devices, LCD TV's all at very reasonable deals as well. You can of course check out Target, Wal Mart or any of the larger department stores as well as most of them are offering free shipping to compete with other online distributors.

So, come time to make that purchase, remember to read user reviews, compare prices between stores and keep in mind that most stores are offering free shipping. No worries though! You can do all of this in the comfort of your own home, while sipping on your favorite holiday beverage, munching on holiday snacks and watching re-runs of holiday TV specials. Cheers!

Marketing and Software Technology Events for January 2011

Check out some of the Marketing and Software events that will be taking place around the word as we head into January 2011.

US Events:

Affiliate Summit West
January 9th -11th, Las Vegas, NV.
This three day conference includes an exhibit hall with affiliate merchants, vendors, and networks, as well as multiple tracks of educational sessions covering the latest trends and information from affiliate marketing experts.

For registration information visit: http://www.affiliatesummit.com/register/


Data and Dashboards
January 20th- January 21st, Washington D.C.
This workshop provides mid- to senior-level marketers with the knowledge to put data at the center of your marketing strategies. The format combines a review of dashboard resources, use cases and participant collaboration to provide actionable learning.

For complete event details check out: http://www.marketingpower.com/Calendar/Pages/2011%20TS%20Data%20and%20Dashboards-DC.aspx


Email Evolution Conference 2011
January 31st –February 2nd, Miami, FL
It's a cutthroat business. The stakes are high. The competition is fierce. This conference is focused on the ever-changing and evolving world of email marketing, providing you with the best ways to capitalize on the high ROI this low-cost communication tool can provide both on its own, and integrated with social, search, mobile, video and other email enhancers.

Top email marketers will model out-of-the box design and innovative cross-channel strategy. The challenge: cutting-edge, on-brand email that will catch the eyes - and clicks - of subscribers everywhere.

Visit http://www.the-dma.org/conferences/emailevolution/registration.shtml for an event registration and schedule information.


EMEA and ASIA Events:

SphinnCon Israel 2011
January 9th, Jerusalem, Israel
SphinnCon Israel is the premier networking event designed for SEOs, SEMs, SMOs and affiliate marketers to exchange ideas, influence the industry and build their networks.

To learn more about this event and the agenda check out: http://searchmarketingexpo.com/sphinncon


Click Asia Summit 2011
January 20th -22nd, Mumbai, India
With the US and Europe still struggling with the economic crisis, Asia has emerged as one of the growing group of economies that will dominate the global markets for the next few years. As a marketing professional, there is no way you can miss the changing face of Digital and Mobile marketing in Asia.

Click Asia Summit 2011 is designed to create a forum for some of the top marketing professionals to congregate and create a marketplace for ideas and services that will help Asian companies get the marketing edge.
For more information on this conference and expo visit: http://www.clickasiasummit.com/


Learning Technologies
January 26th-27th, London, England
Europe's leading showcase of organisational learning and the technology used to support learning at work. And it's now quite literally bigger and more vital than ever before.
With more than 200 exhibitors, over 100 free seminars and an audience of 4,000 learning and development professionals, it is the must attend event for anyone involved in organisational learning.

For highlights of what you can expect to get from this conference visit: http://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/

Predictions for Online Marketing Trends in 2011

While you're still focused on trying to make last year's cutting-edge online marketing trend ideas work, here is a list of marketing updates and activities that you will want to take into consideration for 2011's Marketing Strategy.

Online Marketing will get larger chunk of marketing budgets
Customers and prospects are increasingly going online early in the buying cycle to gather information, form relationships, and make decisions about how they will buy. As a result, businesses must move marketing budgets to where the customers and prospects are – online.

Social Media Marketing matures
Over the past few years many marketers have been experimenting with social media tactics, in 2011, businesses will be executing social tactics that are fully integrated into the overall marketing strategy. So if you’re business isn’t on Facebook or Twitter – then in 2011 you will definitely be behind the eight ball.

Mobile Marketing set to take off
Mobile marketing will keep growing as smartphones expand their range of functions. Mobile marketing can now move beyond mobile messaging; mobile email, mobile websites and mobile applications will become viable channels for marketers.The explosion will happen when the new devices, faster networks and new location-based technologies converge.

Personalized Marketing headed for the next level
Expect more personalization capability to be embedded in websites in 2011. For example, regular visitors to a website will see a page based on all the information collected from previous visits. We also expect that personalized marketing will be extended beyond the website to other marketing channels such as social media, mobile and email marketing.
Privacy discussion will heat up
Online marketing relies on a dirty secret – it needs cookies to track and target behavior. But consumers are rising up and demanding change. So much so, that legislation is now looming in Congress. Privacy experts don’t believe it will pass in 2011, but you can expect to see a much stronger emphasis on self-regulation.

More right touching
The idea of this concept is to have a multi-channel communications strategy that delivers the right message with the right value proposition at the right time across all communication channels thus touching a prospect at the right time with the right message for the right impact.

SEO will become even more complex
The task of getting your business on the first page of search results has become much more complex with the increasing number of competition between search sites and social sites alike. Also, with mobile search and geo-location search playing such a big role in 2010, the 2011 year is sure to be full of challenges and surprises for search engine optimizers.

Technology vendors are blurring the distinction between products and services
The technology vendor landscape is transforming quickly. Consolidation by big service companies means they will increasingly offer a buffet of services and products. This is making it very difficult for marketers to determine who does what. Marketers typically prefer best-of-breed solutions, but vendors push for integrated online suites runs.

Marketing Analytics will become more advanced
Google will continue to roll out improvements to its Google Analytics service. Social media tracking will improve with better metrics in place. With so many online marketing channels offered now it wouldn't be surprising if there was soon a central place or application that offers to integrate all the data from all marketing sources (web, search, video, mobile, and social conversations). An overall benefit to that would allow marketers to develop better strategies/actions.

The online marketing space has rapidly evolved through 2010, it will be exciting to see what 2011 holds.

Holiday Online Marketing Tips

As online marketers, we know that ecommerce will be extremely active as we close out 2010. Keeping the following online marketing tips in mind will help you to quickly catch buyers attention and lead them to your products over the competition's.

Holiday Promo Emails-
Make an effort when it comes to the subject line to draw attention from the hundreds of other emails being received during the holidays.

Start sending now and gradually increase frequency to get your brand in front of your audience, you don't want your email to get lost in the sea of promotions that are soon to follow.



Search Engine Optimization (SEO)-
Design Holiday themed pages targeted on specific Holiday keywords, this will not only pull new visitors but keep them engaged. Use Holiday keywords in the meta title, meta description, and meta keyword tags. For meta descriptions, try to incorporate a call to action or a value proposition that is specific to the holiday shopper.

Incorporate content that reflects holiday shopper needs to make their lives easier. Holiday shoppers tend to search for gift ideas, gift wrapping, and gift certificates; they are also concerned with return policies on gifts purchased, shipping changes, and delivery dates. Creating content around those topics can help pull visitors in while providing targeted content up front.

Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)-
Create new ads with Holiday keywords for meaningful differentiation, to appeal to your customer’s emotional state, and to improve Quality Score.

Remember don't promote discounted pricing if you can’t compete. Its a good idea to scan the search engine results page of your keywords for any mention of pricing from your competitors. Pricing obviously is not the only factor buyers take into consideration when shopping new products and services but now more than ever it is a sensitive factor.

Marketing and Software Technology Events for December 2010

Check out the latest events that will be taking place throughout the US and EMEA during December 2010.

US Events:

Bionetics 2010
December 1st-3rd, Boston, MA.
BIONETICS 2010 aims to provide a world-leading and unique opportunity for bringing together researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines that seek the understanding of the fundamental principles and design strategies in biological systems and leverage those understandings to build bio-inspired systems.

For more information on the keynote speakers for this event visit: http://www.bionetics.org/index.shtml#keynotes


BRANDSconf- exploring humanization of brands
December 2nd, New York, NY.
BrandsConf is a new event taking place that will explore the “Humanization of Brands” and the underlying effects this is having on business. The conference will explore a range of topics from best practices and legal issues to the natural conflict of personal and corporate branding.

Visit http://www.brandsconf.com/ for a complete scope of what this new conference has to offer.


Interactive Local Media
December 8th-10th, Santa Clara, CA.
Interactive Local Media 2010 is BIA/Kelsey’s annual conference devoted to digital media with a local focus. This event provides a 360-degree view of the local marketplace, covering local search, Internet Yellow Pages, vertical directories, Internet video, online classifieds and mobile search.

For conference details check out: http://www.kelseygroup.com/ilm2010/index.asp


EMEA Events

GX Connect 2010
December 2nd, Amsterdam Arena
Discover new insights and ideas for your online strategy at GX Connect 2010! It's the perfect opportunity to refresh your knowledge and to update your network. New developments and cutting-edge new technologies come with a fast pace.

To learn more about this event and register go to: http://www.gxsoftware.com/en/gxconnect2010.htm


Market Research in the Mobile World
December 2nd-3rd, Berlin, Germany
This highly interactive event will bring together top researchers and practitioners to discuss new challenges and opportunities of leveraging mobile devices as a new way for collecting data and capturing real-time insights.

For more information visit: http://www.merlien.org/upcoming-events/mrmw2010.html


Twelfth International Conference on Information and Communications Security
December 15th -17th, Barcelona, Spain
The 2010 International Conference on Information and Communications Security will be the 12th event in the ICICS conference series started in 1997, which will bring together individuals involved in multiple disciplines of Information and Communications Security to foster exchange of ideas.

To see the conference outline visit: http://www.icics2010.org/conferenceoutline

House-hold modems... Are they the next "home phone"?

Personally, I stopped using a house-hold phone about ten years ago. I remember receiving a few strange looks at the time when I was asked for a home number and I said only had a cell phone. At the time though, cell phones were just becoming widely used for personal phones, but most still kept their house-hold phones rather than transferring their numbers. I remember talking to a few colleagues about seven years ago about how cool I thought it would be if we were completely wireless and didn't have to rely on a modem for internet accessibility--if some way, we could always just be in a wireless hotspot.

Wireless hotspots can be found in most coffee houses, airports, libraries and restaurants now. Some are free, and some still cost money to access, like those on airlines, but nonetheless, it is one step closer to a completely wireless environment. We can usually pick up a wireless network on our phones now in most places we visit. But what about our homes? Why do we have to have a physical modem in our homes still. Most cable companies make us pay a montly fee for them, just to have them in the house. Not only that, but they need to be plugged into an outlet, and unless you're using a router and have wireless capability, you will most likely have to setup your workspace close to the outlet. If you do have wireless on your lap top, you still need to be in the vacinity of your router so you get signal.

The good news is that that we are slowly evolving into a wireless hotspot. Last week Verizon announced that by the end of 2010, they were going to bring 4G to 39 cities in the U.S. That means that an estimated 110 million Americans will have wireless 4G coverage by years end. Verizon also hopes to extend the 4G coverage as far as the current 3G coverage by 2013, which will encompass most of the U.S. That's pretty awesome! They're not alone though. Other companies are working on LTE (Long-Term Evolution) 4G coverage as well, such as Sprint and AT&T. This is great news because a lot of new lap tops that will be coming out are said to be 4G compatible, which means that while using one of the above networks, we can finally be sans modem and router! What does this mean for our modems and routers though? Who cares!

Serious App-etites!

The term, "Apps", may still be relatively new to us, seeming to have sprung from the iPhone sometime in 2008. No matter how large or small your appetite may be, they do however play a fairly significant role in our day-to-day lives. I mean, how many of us after buying a new smartphone have thought about what new apps to get? They're not just for the iPhone anymore, and they can be made to encompass just about anything now.

Personally, I'm a huge music buff, so when I hear something new, I like to use the "Shazam" app, which allows me to hold my phone up to a speaker while it names the song. There are also apps for games, travel, business, music and social networking. Looking at Facebook now for example, it seems as though more and more people are posting their status updates from a mobile app, whereas it used to be while they were physically in front of a computer. Now, keep in mind that this has really just take effect over the course of the last year or so! The same thing applies to twitter posts.

Each day, apps are making it easier for us to access information or complete tasks that were, not to long ago, simply not as accessible to us. The beauty is that just about all of the apps out there are affordable--usually around 99 cents a pop! And, there are thousands of them! Why so many? Because, we all want the convenienve of an application that provides us with a viable resource ASAP. So, whether you need a cooking recipe on the fly, the name of a song, or your checking account balance, I assure you, there is an app out there for you! Believe me, they will keep coming as well.

Marketing and Software Technology Events for November 2010

Events taking place in the US for November:

Ad Tech New York
November 3rd-4th, New York, NY
ad:tech is an interactive advertising and technology conference and exhibition. Worldwide shows blend keynote speakers, topic driven panels and workshops to provide attendees with the tools and techniques they need to compete in a changing world.

Click here to see this year’s speakers: http://www.ad-tech.com/ny/adtech_new_york.aspx


IASTED International Conference Series
November 8th – 10th, Marina del Rey, CA.
The International Association of Science and Technology for Development (IASTED) is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting economic and cultural advancement. IASTED organizes multidisciplinary conferences for academics and professionals, mainly in the fields of engineering, science, and education.

For details on which conferences will take place in Marina del Rey go to: http://www.iasted.org/conferences/location-MarinaDelRey2010.html


Up 2010 Cloud Computing Conference
November 15th-19th, San Francisco, CA.; Islandia, NY.; and Virtual
UP 2010™ conference is the premier cloud computing event, covering latest trends and innovations in the world of cloud computing.
Conference panels, workshops, and tutorials are selected to cover a range of the hottest topics in cloud computing.
UP2010 conference is hybrid in delivery model which has both virtual and physical elements. Virtual sessions will be streamed to physical locations, where people could ask their questions back to presenter.

For the full conference agenda visit: http://up-con.com/agenda


Events taking place in the EMEA for November:

The 5th International Conference for Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST-2010)
November 8th -11th, London, UK
The 5th International Conference for Internet Technology and Secured Transactions (ICITST-2010) is Technical Co-sponsored by IEEE UK/RI Communications Chapter. The ICITST is an international refereed conference dedicated to the advancement of the theory and practical implementation of secured Internet transactions and to fostering discussions on information technology evolution. The ICITST aims to provide a highly professional and comparative academic research forum that promotes collaborative excellence between academia and industry.

To view a list of topics that will be part of the discussion go to: http://www.icitst.org/


PDP - Ireland’s provider of practical compliance information
November 11th – 12th, Dublin, Ireland
PDP is the leading provider of knowledge-based compliance services. Ireland's largest Data Protection Conference discusses the important data protection issues that are faced by Irish organisations. Attended by delegates from organisations of all sizes, this highly practical two-day event brings people together from all sectors to provide unparalleled learning and networking opportunities.

For a rundown of presentations and workshops visit: http://www.pdp.ie/conference/


PAW - Predictive Analytics World 2010
November 15th -16th, London, UK
PAW focuses on concrete examples of deployed predictive analytics. Hear from the horse's mouth precisely how FT 500 analytics competitors and other top practitioners deploy predictive modeling, and what kind of business impact it delivers. November's agenda covers hot topics and advanced methods such as risk management, uplift (incremental lift) modeling, open source analytics, and crowd sourcing data mining.

Click here to view the agenda at-a-glance

Five Ways to Drive Mobile Marketing Results

As an Online Marketer if Mobile Marketing was an activity you were putting on the back burner you can't afford to do so for much longer. It's been stated that over 80 percent of Americans own mobile phones now and over 50 percent of those phones will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2011. More people are making Smartphones their mobile device of choice which means they are doing more online and accessing more rich media without their PC. This also means that creating a mobile marketing strategy needs to be part of your marketing mix in 2011.

Based on research and findings from Limelight Networks they were able to asses five recommendations for driving the highest results from a mobile outreach strategy.The recommendations are based on real-world findings. Limelight Networks does mention they are not applicable to every campaign, however they still provide insight into mobile marketing techniques that have had success.

1. Timing is Everything - Market During a Live Event

Smartphones are great for marketing at live events because they allow for user participation as they happen. Smartphones allow users who don't normally go online get drawn in to the action taking place.

2. Take Advantage of the Latest and Greatest

Even though the goal of advertising is to reach the masses, its advised that you don't want to sink to the lowest common denominator in a mobile campaign.
The iPad is an example of latest and greatest mobile technology that offers a huge opportunity to offer visually stunning and engaging ads filled with multimedia content.

3. Ads and Apps will Multiply Your Impact
Multiple brand impressions are important in any advertising/media plan and mobile marketing is no different. Engaging the customer at each point in their buying process dramatically improves your chances of a click to start a conversation. To do this in mobile marketing you can create a branded mobile app to relate back to your online site messaging. You can also purchase multiply display ads that would show over video as well as in-video advertisement and companion banner ads all designed to enforce your main marketing message.

4. Mobilize Your Site with a Universal URL
With so many people accessing the web from a number of different mobile devices its becoming increasingly important to establish a Universal URL. A Universal URL provides a singe site address that displays the right content and can automatically format for whatever device a user logs on with.

5. Use Rich Media Across Every Distribution Channel
There are many reasons to support the use of rich media across all channels. For one its been studied and stated that people retain 50% of the information they see and hear. Also in today's world there are now three generations of business users that have been raised watching television, so intuitively they understand the way stories are presented in a visual medium. So as you can gather offering rich media can greatly increase the strength of your digital marketing message efforts. This is not just so for online advertising but it's also the case for social sites and email as well.

Upcoming Marketing Events and Conferences

Here are the latest software and marketing events coming up for the US and EMEA.

Events happening in the US:

IMCM Internet Marketing Conference Mobil
October 12th-13th, New York City, NY.

The Internet Marketing Conference (IMC) is bringing this unique Mobile Cross Media event called (IMCM) in order to debate and discuss how to efficiently enter a strategy of mobile and online marketing convergence.
For event agenda details go to: http://www.internetmarketingconference.com/newyork#agenda


SMX – Search Marketing Expo East
October 4th-6th, New York City, NY.

Attend SMX East and you’ll take away tactics that increase traffic to your web site, increase conversions…and sales! Choose from 60 sessions on search engine marketing topics including search engine optimization, paid search advertising and social media marketing on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

To register for this event sign up here: http://searchmarketingexpo.com/east/2010/register


Inbound Marketing Summit
October 6th-7th, Boston, MA.

The Inbound Marketing Summit is where the online marketing community gathers to solve today's marketing and business communications challenges. This event features the brightest minds in the business, including world-renowned authors and practitioners, as well as leaders from some of the companies already using the new tools and strategies.

Click here to see this year’s speakers: http://inboundmarketingsummit.com/speakers.html


Events happening in EMEA:

Chief Marketing Officer Conference
September 30th, Zurich, Switzerland

The European Chief Marketing Officer Conference (CMO) is Europe's leading event, often referred to as 'Davos for marketers', which brings the world's leading CMOs and marketing directors together in one place for a day of discussion and networking. Those who attend will hear the latest strategic thinking and insights in marketing, offering inspiration and vital information for their organisation's success in the future.

For a list of discussion topics and speakers visit: http://www.cmo-conference.org/ce/conference_2010/schedule


9th Annual Data Protection Compliance Conference
October 14th-15th, London, UK

This Data Protection Conference is London’s largest data privacy event. Designed for those who work with data protection issues, this two-day Conference is attended by delegates from organisations of all sizes and types.

An overview of this conference visit: http://www.pdpconferences.com/data_protection/2010/


Business Cloud Summit 2010
November 30th, London, UK

This summit offers a unique, original, top-level industry insight and end-user experience, with a strict 'no PowerPoint' rule. This event promises to offer a hi-tech, real-time ‘networking arena’ opportunity to get a glimpse into what the future of Cloud Computing means for your organization.
For a breakdown of the discussions for the day go to: http://www.businesscloud9.com/summit/conference

Peace Online!

We're constantly being updated or informed about international cultural and economic issues that affect us all on a daily basis via the web. Whether it's CNN, CBS, NBC or Facebook status updates and tweets from friends or leaders and representatives globally, I think that we can all see how online resources provide us with information about progress between nations taking place everyday. World peace is no new concept, but our means of accessing news pertaining to world peace and global progression is.

The reality is that, in growing numbers, we are now getting our news from online resources as opposed to the traditional method via TV or newspapers. News events are streamed to online resources as soon as they're available, and considering that most of us aren't sitting in front of a TV all day, we use our computers or phones as our primary resources for keeping up with what's going on around the world. It doesn't stop there though, because we also utilize our online resources to make a statement. Whether we're promoting peace, recruiting for pro-peace activities or organizations, or being a part of a greater cause through online media, we can be on the giving and receiving end of positive global impact. International peace is going to be a constant up hill battle, but our ways of promoting it are going to be ever expanding.

September 21st is International Peace Day, also known as World Peace Day. The globally recognized event is approaching it's 30th year. It's recognized by several nations, political groups, military groups and people aroung the world. This year commemorates the 2nd annual Peace Day Global Broadcast, which shows how important, impactful and connected we can be now to this global cause. Stay connected HERE.

What to Ask When Buying a Marketing List

I am sure you will be able to relate to this one. You have a new email campaign that you want to tackle but your current email list performance has gotten tired and you need to draw in some new fish to the net. You like the idea of purchasing a list but there are soooo many list companies out there, how can you tell the professional ones from the amateurs, do they throughly scrub their lists and are the contacts you're purchasing indeed the target market and unique decision makers you need to be addressing?

After searching for some help on Marketing list shopping I found a great article by Chris Golec, titled "Eight Questions to Ask When Buying a Marketing List". Golec offers some great insight as to what questions to ask and let's you know what answers these companies should be offering back.

Here are just a few notable questions you may have not thought about asking but he says you should be and why.

1. What makes your data unique?

There are many data providers out there, and many pull from common sources, such as Dun & Bradstreet/Hoovers, Jigsaw, or Infogroup. It is important to ask what makes the data in the list you are considering unique, and then determine whether it will complement your current database and serve the campaign you are considering.

If the provider partners with leading data companies, find out whether they also pull from smaller publications and data companies that might help to "fill in the blanks" on their business contact records.

2. How often do you refresh your data?

It's important to know how often your data provider adds names to its database, but it is perhaps even more important to know how often names are removed from the database and what steps are taken to prevent "dead" names from being added back in.

Don't be impressed by claims of "tens of millions" of contacts unless you can verify that the list vendor is actually removing out-of-date information from its system in a timely manner. You shouldn't care about millions if your target audience is just a few thousand people.

In a best-case scenario, the provider runs quarterly checks of its contacts in the database, both to verify the validity of each business contact and to give these contacts the opportunity to opt out of inclusion in the database.

3. How do you handle inaccurate data?

No matter where you get your data, some churn is inevitable, even in the most accurate and highly marketed lists, especially in a down economy. A key factor in handling inaccuracies is to work with your provider to establish some sort of "return policy" in advance of the purchase, if there is not one currently in place.

If you are purchasing an email list, for example, the "hard bounces" after a mailing can be a terrific basis for establishing your list of inaccurate contacts. If you send an email and it is not delivered, the recipient's system typically sends back some sort of notification as to why. A "hard" bounce is when you receive a notification that the nondelivery is due to a permanent condition, such as the intended recipient is no longer at the company. A "soft" bounce is when the notification indicates the nondelivery was due to a temporary condition, such as a full mailbox or an "out of office" situation.

Ideally, the vendor you use for your email campaigns will be able to differentiate between "hard" and "soft" bounces, and the proof of a "hard bounce" is a great basis for handling returns of inaccurate data. Vendors will usually offer a full credit for all business contact data proven to be incorrect, as it helps them maintain database accuracy.

4. Do you remove or credit duplicates for contacts I already own?

A common frustration when purchasing lists is acquiring contacts you already have in your database. Make sure your data provider has some sort of system in place to remove or to credit back contacts you already own, and, if you are a repeat customer, remove contacts you may have already purchased from the provider previously.

Contact providers often track your purchase history so that you will never buy the same contact more than once. In addition, some provider systems can integrate with CRM software to automate the de-duplication process—saving marketers valuable time and money.

5. How are your lists targeted? Do I need to pay for any filters to refine my list?

Some data providers charge you to run filters against their database that help you to target your list to your specific needs. For example, if you were looking for a list of marketing contacts at software companies, you might be charged $300 to remove all nonsoftware companies and another $300 to target the marketers.

An advanced filtering system will allow marketers to zero in on contacts based on geography, industry, industry specialty, seniority (level of contact), department, functional role, and more. The top-tier providers will individually "score" each contact in the database against your specific needs so you can build highly targeted lists.

Data companies charge for filtering to discourage any activity that may reduce the size of the list they are trying to sell. Be aware of both the costs associated with building a more targeted list and the hidden costs to your reputation and response rates if you don't filter your lists and market to contacts who are not in your "sweet spot.

In the end you want to find a list vendor who uses best-practices to ensure their list of contacts allow the distribution of their contact info and that these vendors continue to have a conversation with their contacts in the database so they can choose to stay in or opt-out of the vendors list database.

Presenting a new face with stronger age lines

When we think of improving our appearance, a sleuth of natural and medical options come to mind….some more exaggerated than others but all holding the promise of change revealed…

As we set to enhance the face of our company, our very own website, we were posed with the question which is the right approach. True believers of our mission and services, needed to convey clear message with a clean format. Not a task for the weak since we need to reach a lot of people and manage a lot of content difficult to scale.

Web development standards have risen and there is a level of appearance and professionalism required but you can still get disqualified based solely on how you look. It’s not okay to have a site which looks like it’s designed in 1998. Also, add to the mix how to reflect trust and experience which made us want to keep our 11 years in business “age lines”.

Heads were spinning, finding ways to improve landing pages to increase conversions, achieve better search visibility…with everything that needed to be taken in consideration for this new challenge….we took a moment to carefully plan this surgery. Our focus was clear:

• Professionalism of design

• Sparseness and neatness

• Organization and clarity

• Scalability

At the end of the day, we must keep up with trends but stay firm to our grass roots approach and be comfortable in our own skin. It takes wearing many hats and sharing responsibilities to be proud of final product. We can no longer be single specialists when as marketers we should strive to be contributors. Sometimes we need to recognize that there is always room for improvement.

Upcoming Marketing Events for September 2010

Here are some of the upcoming marketing, networking and development events taking place in September in the US and EMEA for September 2010.

US Events:


New Marketing Experience - Chicago
September 21th, Chicago, IL.
Through six key discussion sessions this program will help you analyze and draw the best of what you need from these Big Ideas. Learn how to turbo-boost your marketing and business planning – this is the ultimate Business Ideas That Work conference.

To get a better idea of what this program will cover check out: http://event.nmlevents.com/chi/


EdNET 2010
September 26th – 28th, Boston, MA.
Whether you’re a publisher, software developer, hardware manufacturer, investor, industry analyst, or provider of any service to schools, you need to be at EdNET!

EdNET is the place to find strategic partners for product development in both the private and public sector. Want to be ahead of the curve on new technologies and education initiatives? You’ll find the early adopters and crystal ball gazers at EdNET.

For event agenda go to: http://www.ednetconference.com/ednetagenda.asp


OMMA Global New York
September 27th-28th, New York, NY.
OMMA GLOBAL is the two-day intensive tour de force of all separate conferences rolled into one. The conference topics cover the main four areas Online Media, Marketing and Advertising. There are a number of subject specific content tracks that make this conference one not to be missed.

Take a peek into some of the Marketing track sessions that will be presented: http://www.mediapost.com/events//showID/OMMAGlobal.10.NYC/type/Agenda/itemID/
1614/tag_type/ct/tag_ID/87/OMMAGlobal-marketing.html

EMEA Events:


dmexco – Digital Marketing Exposition & Conference
September 15th & 16th, Cologne, Germany
The dmexco is the leading international event for everyone working in the global digital marketing and media industry. Specifically focusing on advertising, creativity, branding, relevance and efficiency, dmexco provides marketers, publishers, advertisers and agencies with bundled branch know-how, as well as current trends and innovations. The dmexco is the cross-media and transnational central hub for the digital industry and as such it becomes the “place of answers”.
For more info visit:
http://www.dmexco.de/cipp/km_dmexco/lib/pub/tt,lang,2/oid,427/ticket,g_u_e_s_t

e+mail 2010
September 23rd, Stockholm, Sweden
Email Marketing is here to stay and this full day conference on September 23 gives you the latest in the world of email marketing.
Key industry professionals and Emailing Gurus are all gathering at the prestigious Oscar Theatre in beautiful Stockholm City to discuss the challenges and possibilities in the world of Email Marketing.
An overview of the day’s program visit: http://www.email-marketing-evolved.com/program.php

Chief Marketing Officer Conference
September 30th, Zurich, Switzerland
The European Chief Marketing Officer Conference (CMO) is Europe's leading event, often referred to as 'Davos for marketers', which brings the world's leading CMOs and marketing directors together in one place for a day of discussion and networking. Those who attend will hear the latest strategic thinking and insights in marketing, offering inspiration and vital information for their organisation's success in the future.
For a list of discussion topics and speakers visit:
http://www.cmo-conference.org/ce/conference_2010/schedule

Back to School... Connected!

It's that time of year again! Summer has finally reached it's end and student's are now preparing for a new year. With each year that passes, the question we are often faced with after the determination of wardrobe and class schedule is reached is... which tech devices do we need to get? The answer for me would be the iPad. 

The iPad, which essentially is a larger version of the iPod Touch, that allows ease of use for researching and storage of materials is one of the best gadgets I've seen come out this year. It's also great for maintaing your social networking pages as well, and let's be honest, we're all glued to them at some point throughout the day. But in all seriousness, this thing starts at $499 and comes with a 9.7" touch screen. This is perfect for on the go web-browsing, emails, skype, etc... With it's on screen keyboard, you can put it on a dock and it practically becomes a laptop. The really cool  part though, is the "extras." You can obviously take notes, update contacts and type up documents, but you can also download app's. It also has a photo gallery application that allows you to organize and store all of your photo's from your "extra-curricular" activities for easy access, like facebook postings. It even has the ability to access a bookstore, so you can download and view book in full color, as opposed to the Kindle, which is still as monochrome as a calculator.

You probably don't even need that backpack you're wearing with one of these. So, if you're still trying to decide which device you need for the new school year, take the following into consideration. When you finally land that job you've spent years working towards, you're always going to be connected. We're connected virtually to our private lives and in today's world the same applies to the workplace. Believe me, to have the ability to be prepared, on-the-go, without the hassle of startup and shutdown is going to be to your advantage. The iPad really allows just that! It's compact, powerful and economical. I'm not going to say you need to go out and buy an iPad right now, but I do think that as a student, you're going to find having one very convenient.

Upcoming Marketing Events for August

Here are some events taking place throughout the US during August:

OMS, Online Marketing Summit

August 5th, Miami, FL.

Education first - The Online Marketing Summit (OMS) enables attendees to collaborate, network and learn how to execute on the best practices in Online Marketing with no exhibit floor or vendor sales pitch distractions.

For summit details visit: http://www.onlinemarketingsummit.com/about-oms/

eTail East

August 9th – 12th, Baltimore, MD.

Key themes for this event include:

• Social Media & Engagement - Building Loyalty & Monetizing

• Examining The Evolution Of SEO

• Positioning Your Business For Growth In 2010

• Multi-Channel Integration

• Customer Service & Fulfillment As A Differentiator

• The Impact & Execution Of Mobile Commerce

• Creating A Relevant, Personalized Experience

For event agenda go to: http://www.wbresearch.com/etailusaeast/summitday1.aspx

ClickZ’s “Connected Marketing Week”

August 16th – 20th, San Francisco, CA.

The first of its kind, Connected Marketing Week will be the biggest gathering of interactive marketing events aiming to educate marketers on every aspect of the digital industry. Participating events include SES San Francisco, Online Marketing Summit (OMS), Jeff Pulver's 140 Characters Conference, Email Experience Council, IAB and Tim Ash's Conversion Conference.

To get the scoop on this highly anticipated even check out the latest release: http://www.connectedmarketingweek.com/clickz-launches-connected-marketing-week-san-francsico.php

If you are in EMEA here are some events you may want to put on your radar:

GDC Europe 2010

August 16th-18th, Cologne, Germany

The GDC Europe is the pan-European developer event bringing together developers and business professionals across the continent.

For more info visit: http://www.mcvuk.com/events/283/GDC-Europe-2010

An Introduction to search engine marketing for SMEs

August 17th, London, England

In two halves, this free training session focuses on natural search in the morning and paid search in the afternoon, taking the user from the absolute basics (What is a search engine?) to the key areas that affect a sites performance in each of those channels. Covering everything from bidding strategies to link building, this is SearchCatalyst’s entry level SEM training programme, aimed at giving SMEs the knowledge to engage intelligently with the search engine marketing options available to them.

An overview of this training session can be found here: http://www.searchcatalyst.co.uk/training/

2010 Global Marketing Conference

September 15th – 16th, Helsinki, Finland

IMC is a European conference that started in 2000 and since then has travelled the globe to create a meeting place for marketers interested in the latest online developments.

For conference details and registration visit: http://www.internetmarketingconference.com/helsinki/

The iPhone 4 - Relax, it's just a phone.

It's no surprise that the recent iPhone buzz has been countered with some pretty harsh criticism since it's public release date on July 7th, 2010. The lines to get one phone averaged about a 6 hour wait time in most places and over a day in some in some cases. Apple has a huge following, but don't take my word for it, let the numbers speak for themselves. It's estimated that Apple sold 1.5 million units the first day! It's also predicted that they will sell 3 million units in the first month. Apple (AAPL) is however receiving numerous complaints about it's new gem though. The biggest complaint was in regards to it's metal antenna on the lower left side causing a weak reception for many people. There is even a petition for people to sign who are infuriated with their less-than-perfect gizmo. Steve Jobs response however, was "Relax, it's just a phone." Honestly, let's not forget that in the end. Sure, we're spending about $200 to $300 for the phone itself, but at the end of the day, we are just buying a phone.

I believe a lot of the hype for the iPhone 4 started around the article published online by gizmodo.com back in April, 2010. In the article they talked about how the iPhone 4 was camouflaged to look like its predecessor, the 3GS. They then disassembled it to discover that it was in fact, the real deal. I'll have to admit that when I first heard of the incident, I thought to myself, "someone is getting fired!" It soon dawned on me that it was actually a great marketing tactic. I can't think of one commercial I saw on t.v. that advertised the new phone, but I do remember the day I read on cnn.com about the new iPhone 4 leak. I'm not sure if the buzz around the leak enticed Apple to push the release date so consumers could finally have one in their hands quicker than anticipated. If so, we can dispute that they should have put it through a more rigorous testing process, but the fact is -- it's here, it's selling and it has flaws.

The same advice most would give in regards to buying a brand new car model also applies to a brand new tech product. "Wait until the glitches are fixed first." In my experience, it's usually a good idea to wait until v1.2 of either a new tech device or a car comes out because the initial feedback is taken into consideration and any issues are usually worked out or tweaked to provide the best performance for the consumer. The good news is that in regards to the iPhone 4, Apple is offering a free bumper for your phone that will both prevent the reception issue for occuring and provide some extra protection as well. So, if you're thinking about buying the iPhone 4 right away, just understand that it may not be perfect. If you've already purchased one and its imperfections are keeping you up at night, then I'm with Steve Jobs. "Relax, it's just a phone."