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.