Connections

It’s been said that “knowledge is power”—and at ExactTarget, we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we’ve always taken product and industry training seriously in the ExactTarget Academy. After all, when you have the right tools and knowledge on how to use them, you can immediately begin implementing the right programs to take your campaigns to new heights. 

And when the opportunity to enhance your program comes along (right to your own city, in fact), WHY WAIT?

That’s why I’m so excited for the Solutions Workshops at our upcoming CONNECT Global Tour. On May 16, we’ll be headed to Sydney, Australia to...

They say that “two is better than one.” But when it comes to interactive marketing, I’d have to disagree.

I think that ONE is better than two.

We’ve all heard that siloed marketing is unsustainable and a thing of the past—if you keep your interactive marketing data separate from your social, website, point of sale, and other customer data,providing a cohesive brand experience for the end consumer seems further and further away. After all, your customers don’t silo their interactionswith your brand—why should you?

So, how can you unsilo your marketing and start functioning as ONE cohesive unit? 

Sta...

What is the difference between a Tab and a Fan Page? How is the Social Graph different from Open Graph? Marketers ask us these questions all the time and with help from folks at Facebook, we put together a Glossary to help you master the newest Facebook marketing concepts. We hope you find it useful!

Glossary

Actions and Action Response “AR”
There are a variety of actions within Facebook Ads or Pages including when a user clicks “Like”, “RSVP” or selects a custom action. Another way to think of actions is to think of the traditional “Call-to-Action” like click, call or download. AR stands for...

Each Thursday at 11am EDT, marketers from around the world join theExactTarget Nexus partner ecosystem on Twitter for a conversation about trends and campaign ideas across the interactive marketing industry.  We call the virtual coffee chat the Nexus Café.

Our guest for a recent #NexusCafe chat was Elizabeth Music Industry Marketing Manager, Retail here at ExactTarget.  Elizabeth has over 7 years of experience in the retail industry with a passion for helping retailers improve their digital marketing programs. We discussed how to meet the demands of a hyper-connected consumer. Here's a summary...

The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat tomorrow and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and add the hashtag to your tweet to participate. The person with the best tweets wins a Starbucks gift card!

For our upcoming #NexusCafe chat this week, our featured guest will be me, Elizabeth Music, Industry Marketing Manager, Retail here at ExactTarget. We...

It's hard to imagine but this is our 3rd consecutive year at #SXSW! And this year we are making it a whole weekend of ExactTarget! We are bringing a little of that Connections spirit down to Austin and would love to hang out! 

How to Get Connected with ExactTarget at SXSW: 

Friday, March 9th 3:30pm CST – SoLoMo Redefined Panel with Jeff Rohrs

Our own Jeff Rohrs with Urban Airship & Google 

http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_IAP12898

Saturday, March 10th – Building Mobile Audiences at Thirty Thousand Feet

Jeff Rohrs and Friend of ET Morgan Stewart with Urban Airship Mobile Panel 

Sunday,...

I'm under the belief that pure story-telling, personalized data, and integrated marketing systems are the pinnacle of success for any marketing professional. Or at least it should be. It is the humanization of marketing systems that defines the next generation of marketing. However, there is one thing that reigns true over all - at the end of the sales cycle we are still dealing with an individual, a human, not a business.

I was reminded of this while reading the current issue of Direct Marketing Magazine. Tim Peterson has an excellent article defining and detailing the transformation of Dell's...

Traditional retailers are seeing a major shift with how they communicate with and market to their customers. Gone are the days when brands and retailers told customers what they needed and where to purchase these “needed” items. In today’s retail marketplace the tables have turned. The customers are now in control and we once again have technology to thank. Through the Internet customers now have the ability to find the best price, choose what types of advertisements they are exposed to and can easily share with their friends and family what products they like or dislike. With this shifting of...

I had the pleasure of watching, tracking, and reading about the first ever Facebook Marketing Conference held on Wednesday the 29^th.

Facebook focused the announcements on three core changes:

1. Timeline for Brand Pages
2. Revamped Advertising Structure
3. Direct Messaging and Upgraded Admin Capabilities

At ExactTarget, we understand that the changes in the ever-evolving world of social media can be a little overwhelming. To relieve the pressure, we have put together some crash course blog posts (including this one) on the upcoming changes to the platform.

Let’s get to the changes in the ad platform. Read ‘em...

I am going to out myself. I am a movie buff and like millions of people across the world I tuned into the Academy Awards last night for all the glamor and celebrity goodness.
 
The annual awards has become one of advertisers’ favorite vehicles to reach women and trend-setting upscale consumers who love contributing to the $32 billion dollar a year world of movies.  Studios, networks and advertisers attempted to tap into the power of social media to connect with affluent social savvy consumers last night, and we took notes.
 
While the Academy may have selected the winners receiving the coveted...

The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat tomorrow and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and add the hashtag to your tweet to participate. The person with the best tweets wins a Starbucks gift card!

This week our #NexusCafe chat will focus on email marketing tips that are often overlooked. Our guest for the chat is Jody Freshwater, account director...

I wasn’t able to attend Social Media Week (#SMW) this year, but lucky for us, there are plenty of videos, posts, tweets and mentions that give you a flavor of what’s happening and what people are talking about.  Here are a few tidbits I picked up today:
 
Two years ago, brands thought that Twitter was a fad, today brands are still trying to  figure out how they compare relative to their competition, and how to leverage it to drive their businesses.

Here is some data:

• 12,000 tweets/second after the Superbowl
• 843 Million users on Facebook
• 30% of all Facebook users say they want to BUY...

• Direct Connect: A key differentiators from other social networks is that Google tools, like search or Gmail, are integral to how we interact online.  A Google+ Page feature is Direct Connect that makes it simple for people to connect with a brand page by letting people enter '+'...

10 Eye-Opening Mobile Statistics from Becker's Presentation

1. There are actually more people using mobile devices than toothbrushes.
2. More people will access the internet via mobile than wire line broadband by 2015.
3. Over 6 billion text messages are exchanged every day in the US.
4. In May, 2003 the entire U.S. sent 300 million texts.  Today...

Marketing For Good this Holiday Season

This time of year consumers are getting marketed to at warp speed. The brands that do it right are sending relevant, timely email, Facebook posts, and tweets to their targeted audiences. This is also an opportune time to connect your marketing efforts with a cause so you not only increase your bottom line but help others along the way. Who doesn’t feel better about a purchase when they know they are supporting a charitable cause? 

A great example of ‘Marketing for Good’ is Plum District, a daily deal site targeted at moms and families that features deals...