Marketing to Gen Y College Students

Connections 2010 is coming! In just 6 days weeks 2,000 interactive marketers from around the world will gather for 3 days (September 14 - 16) of collaboration and education in this industry-leading interactive marketing conference. From permission based email marketing to social media marketing, Connections will explore the latest topics in interactive marketing. 

We also have a lineup of partner-specific events that will educate and inform our partner community while attending the Connections interactive marketing conference. Here are a three highlights that partners can expect at Connections...

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My last blog post was from August 27, 2009 when I wrapped up my Slingshot summer internship at ExactTarget, a leading email marketing company. Now, I am proud to have graduated college and be employed full-time with ExactTarget on the channel sales team.  

I am three weeks into my job and I am working as a part of the operations-side of all our partner-related activities as we provide email marketing solutions to our embedded and reseller clients.

 

What does this mean?

 

It means that I get to see a wide variety of things from how we do business and why we provide industry leading email marketing...

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So, I thought I knew about email before this summer.

I had signed up for newsletters and fan clubs. I got the coupons from online retails and bookstores. I even thought that I sent a decent amount of email in a given day. But, I had a lot to learn.

I remember the day that I had first heard about ExactTarget at a career fair. I talked with the employees at the booth for ten minutes or so and thought it was a really interesting company. I went home and began sharing with my friends about this “email company” ExactTarget:

Friends: “So what do they do?”
Me: “They send email.”
Friends: “Spam?”
Me: “No,...

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As I am looking back over the 14 weeks that I have been here this summer, one of the biggest things that has hit me is that ExactTarget is not just an email marketing company. They are not just an email service provider. They are truly a one to one marketing company that has a full line of products to help increase the marketing ROI for a company.

Yes, we do email. We actually send some of the most intelligent and customer-driven email through our dynamic content capabilities.

But what else is in our product line?

SMS: We have the ability to develop and execute powerful SMS text message...

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ExactTarget has one of the industry leading email marketing software applications on the market. It has unbelievable capabilities to power massive email campaigns that intelligently reaches customers—increasing the marketer’s sophistication.

Additionally, this platform also provides detailed tracking capabilities. This allows marketers to monitor deliverability, click-through rates, and forwards—just to name a few.

As in most cases, ExactTarget didn’t stop there.

Enter: the iPhone application.

The ExactTarget iPhone application allows marketers to easily access and send tracking data easily and...

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Staying connected to a loyal group of customers in order to build relationships and drive traffic is a pretty important company goal, right?

As business in the travel industry, I have data on my customers. I know things like when they last visited, how many people joined them, where they visited, what room they stayed in, if they rented a car, and maybe where they came from.

What if there was a way to use this information to re-engage this customer base and reach out to them to provide relevant and specific information on upcoming deals?

ExactTarget has the answer.

ExactTarget has a powerful,...Read More »

One question I find that comes up all the time is: what is embedded?

To begin to answer that question, you have to first know what ExactTarget’s software does. ExactTarget is not simply an email service provider, but a One-to-One Marketing software that services permission based email marketing, SMS marketing, and voice campaigns for companies throughout the world.

So what is embedded?

In the simplest form, ExactTarget Embedded is a product integration of the power of ExactTarget’s one-to-one marketing software with an external application. Companies then build their own tools and software on...

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Driving traffic to a website is all well and good, but the real challenge is often tracking the results and follow-through of the visitors.

Try using landing pages to expand on your current engagement campaign.

What are the benefits to a landing page?
1. Create – unlimited design freedom
2. Personalize – leverage dynamic content and other tools to make it subscriber-specific
3. Measure – detailed URL link tracking activity is recorded
4. Recycle – use content (images, pictures, etc.) previously created in your landing page
5. Engage – connect with subscribers and encourage online registration
6....Read More »

ExactTarget has a highly-talented team of people working with one objective in mind: developing strategic partnerships with referral, consulting, embedded, integrated, and reseller partners.

Why?

These partnership strengthen the abilities of the companies we work with and allow more people to utilize the power of ExactTarget’s one-to-one marketing software through email, SMS, and voice. ExactTarget is the perfect email marketing solution for many businesses looking to send direct email marketing campaigns.

Our partner page lists who we are currently aligned with and our program guide gives you...

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I was eating dinner this week in a local fast food restaurant in Anderson, IN and they had a giant box sitting on the counter that encouraged customers to sign-up for their email list.

 

Since I work for an email marketing company: they got me.

 

I signed up.

 

What was good about this?

1.       Subscribers are opting-in to the communication.

2.       The database is going to be subscribers who want regular communication.

 

How could this be improved?

1.       Convert from paper to SMS. Instead of having me fill out a slip of paper with my contact information, have me opt in by text message.

2.       Follow-u...

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Spots still remain open.

The countdown still continues.

The agenda is jam packed.
 
Entertainment is lined up.

Speakers are top-notch.

The fun is just about to begin.



At 8:47 this morning, the countdown on the Connections ’09 website showed 56 days, 22 hours, 43 minutes.

Connections ’09 is the largest one-to-one marketing conference in the world—a must attend event for clients looking to build powerful one-to-one marketing campaigns. Keynote speakers include Malcolm Gladwell, Marlee Matlin, and Kelly Mooney.

See what ExactTarget’s CEO, Scott Dorsey, has to say about ExactTarget’s Connections...Read More »

So, I am no history expert, but I am interested in the history of the communication source I use all the time: Email.

 

A quick browse across the internet has led me to the year 1971.

 

“In 1971, Ray Tomlinson developed the first ARPANET email application…he chose the "commercial at" symbol to combine the user and host names, providing the naturally meaningful notation "user@host" that is the standard for email…”

 

1971 was 16 years before I was born.

 

What happened in 1971?

·     End of the Gold Standard for American Currency

·         Bangladesh is created

·         Disney World Opens

·         Voting Age...

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ExactTarget has a great tool incorporated into their powerful email marketing software that features voice messaging.

From promotional messages to appointment reminders, emergency notifications to direct marketing campaign follow-ups, Voice has emerged as a powerful addition to your one-to-one communication arsenal. 

So as an airline, I might want to create a promotional campaign that pulls in the “pilot of the year”. A message could be recorded from him that encourages all the passengers that flew last year around the holidays to book their flights early. By using the code this message...

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I was walking through a department store here in downtown Indianapolis the other day when I noticed a giant rack of clothes that were all discounted 75%. That is a good price, especially when many of these were originally priced at $50-$75 each.

Then, I started to think about how one would know about a sale like this. Maybe they have a mailing list they send to. Maybe they do send emails to their subscribers. But, I wonder if they have considered sending out text messages to their shoppers.

Especially since I work just five minutes from where the store is, a text message update that would alert...

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I hate it when events get rained out or planes get delayed because of bad weather. What’s even worse is when I drive all the way there and don’t find out about the delay until I’ve already wasted an hour of driving and $10 in gas money.

Those in the travel industry have a real opportunity to take advantage of the power of SMS campaigns to connect with their customers in a relevant way. From weather updates to checking frequent flyer mile balances, SMS campaigns can be a way to cut through the clutter and build a subscriber database that is engaged.  

The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra uses ET’s...

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When I stopped into a popular gas station convenience store this weekend in Anderson, IN, I noticed a flyer by the counter that was advertising an SMS text messaging program with exclusive discounts for their subscribers.

I sent the appropriate text to their short code an instantly received a coupon for a buy one get one free 20 oz. coffee. All I have to do is show the text message when I check out to receive the discount.

I couldn’t help but think about the same technology that ExactTarget can incorporate into their already successful and popular email marketing automation software. This SMS...

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ExactTarget’s one to one email marketing automation software allows businesses to build their subscriber lists with high-value individuals through SMS campaigns that utilize text capture.

Coming from someone that uses text messages all the time, I strongly would recommend offering something along these lines.

From in-store promotions, paper catalogues, radio ads, and billboards you can engage with your target market by inviting them to text into your business. You can build your list with subscribers who want your content. They want to stay informed.

Capture. Collect. Communicate. Captivate.

 

Kyle...

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During our company wide sales meeting taking place this week, the question was raised regarding the reasons behind why a company would use Facebook.

Some are using Facebook because everyone else is.

Others understand the power of Facebook and how this can be a way to reach the Gen Y, college student, 20-something age group. We are using Facebook and if companies can develop marketing programs that center on the needs of the consumers they wish to target—such as Facebook—they can have their message heard.

I want to make the point here that you should not use Facebook simply because everyone else...

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As with any blog, it’s important to get the word out about it. In a blog this morning, Kyle Lacy lists 15 (creative) ways to promote your blog offline. These fifteen tips include things such as referencing your blog in a press release, magazine article, business cards, and t-shirts.

Another suggestion is to link to you blog on your email signature or include a link in your targeted email marketing programs.

In this article, suggestion #10 is to attend conferences and conventions. Where is a great place to do this?

At Connections ’09!

ExactTarget is gearing up for its annual email marketing...

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If you’re like me, the amount of social networking tools and programs out there can seem overwhelming, especially in the middle of a busy work day.

 

In a recent article I came across (ironically, through a Twitter feed) titled, “Don’t Let Twitter Keep You in Time Debt” discusses the challenges to investing time in social media efforts.

 

In addition to their recommendations that include 1) dedicating set time in your workday for Twitter, 2) following people judiciously, 3) utilizing the un-follow feature, and 4) going offline every once in a while, I would like to throw out a few more...

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