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!