Stay better informed as a marketing professional with this monthly series highlighting the latest developments in all things marketing. Get caught up with the November Marketing News Snapshot.
November 2013 Monthly Marketing News Snapshot
Nov 27, 2013
Tags: big data, email marketing, Gmail, small business, youtube
Perspective, Empathy and the Art of Marketing
Oct 09, 2013
It struck me on a recent visit to a local playground: "Boy that play-set is small!" I had first visited this park when my child was just a toddler. Back then, this play-set looked enormous to me and I shadowed my youngster's every step, nervous they would plunge into the mulch far below at any moment.
Tags: big data, messaging, marketing, personalization, perspective, psychology, character, personas
Integrating Big Data into Your Marketing Strategy
Aug 15, 2013
As we’ve discussed on this blog before, technological changes and economic variables are putting more and more pressure on marketing teams and businesses in general to justify strategies and quantify results with data. The problem with data is that data, in its simplest, just-collected form, is completely raw. Knowing that 10 of your leads this month came from Ohio doesn’t really tell anyone anything about how well you did or how you should run your business going forward. Is that number high or low when compared with how you’ve done in that state in the past? How does it compare to other states? The point is data needs a context before it can have meaning and be useful.
Here’s the problem with everything I just said, though: The person who manages the data collection often isn’t the person who is best qualified to place the data in a useful context. There’s a data integration process – from collection, to management and filtration, to analysis, to action – that relies on technology and systems, and someone has to maintain those systems (usually IT). But, IT isn’t the department actually needing/using the data (that would be marketing and/or sales). At some point, the data baton needs to be handed off, and figuring out how to do that is the real challenge for businesses.
Tags: big data, sales, IT, integration, technology, MRM, marketing strategy, marketing resource management, marketing plan, CRM
Making Sense of the ‘Data Cycle’
Jun 20, 2013
Everyone has caught themselves daydreaming of a scenario where they said the right thing at the right time in the right place. Maybe it was about a marriage proposal, or falling into a dream job; either way, that goes to show that all (or at least most) of us at some level recognize the inherent value in the relationship between message, time and place. These elements are no less valuable when it comes to marketing and sales. Think of all the legislation that exists to prevent businesses (legit and non-legit) from saying anything in the “wrong place.” The CAN-SPAM Act and the National Do Not Call List are the biggest examples that come to mind.
The point is, no matter if it’s getting engaged or sending a webinar invite via email, it’s hard to know exactly what the right thing to say is, when to say it and where to say it. In business, the challenge is two-fold:
Tags: big data, data analysis, sales, messaging, relevance, digital age, marketing, business results, audience engagement, can-spam act, technology, metrics, measurement, data
How to Make the Transition to Digital Marketing
Apr 16, 2013
Change can be scary, both in life and in business. To change often requires hard work and commitment, and most of the time the outcome or results of those efforts are uncertain. In business, technology is constantly driving change. While some industries are quick to embrace that change, others are slow to adapt.
Tags: digital marketing, big data, manufacturing marketing, online marketing, brand management, traditional marketing, campaign management, insurance, direct mail marketing, MRM, social media, marketing technology, marketing resource management, financial services marketing
Making Big Data Connect via Personalization
Nov 15, 2012
As marketers embrace growing volumes of customer data, variable data printing (VDP) is a way to make that data come to life and to help prospects and customers make an emotional connection with your brand. While it may sound complex, campaign personalization via VDP is within reach and can be executed at varying levels of sophistication with your Big Data efforts. Whether you are just beginning to put structure around your customer data for the first time or are further down the path, variable data printing can be an effective approach to personalizing marketing campaigns. Here’s your quick guide to making big data connect – no matter the sophistication of your customer data.
Tags: big data, Variable Data Printing, VDP, marketing campaign, MRM, marketing technology, personalization, marketing resource management
