Multi Channel Marketing

It was no suprise to us that Australians are leading the world in their adoption of technology, and in partiular how they connect with brands on mobile devices. The unparalleled adoption of smartphones in Australia (49% of us own one!) means that today’s always-on, hyper-connected consumer is placing demands on marketers that can often seem bewildering. What was once seen as the "multi-channel opportunity" is now a "cross-channel imperative" as our audiences continue to adopt technology that opens up an increasing array of brand engagement mechanisms.

SMS is just another way to adapt to the...

There’s no doubt that today’s consumers are mobile. They’re constantly on-the-go, sending and receiving communications of all types, and they’ve come to expect that information be (literally) in-hand at all times. Consumers are no longer sitting at their computers searching for information—instead, they expect information to be available all around them. At the same time, they expect that information to be relevant to their lives.

It was no suprise to us that Australians are leading the world in their adoption of technology and in partiular how they connect with brands on mobile devices. The...

Welcome to the second piece of my interview with genius marketer, David Berkowitz, who is the Vice President of Emerging Media at 360i. In our first video interview, we talked about the future of marketing and all marketers moving toward the idea of a cross-, multi-, and omni-channel world.

What should you be thinking when discussing cross-channel marketing in your teams? 

A lot of this comes down to leadership. There needs to be someone who is saying, "This is how the channels should play together and it should be connected to our overall strategy." It is even like social: it isn't as if we are...

This week I encountered something that I didn't think was possible: I met someone who does not own a mobile phone. You can pick your jaw up off the floor now. 

I had the same reaction. This guy must have been one of the only people--if not the only person-- in London who does not own a mobile device. Hey, maybe some people just don't want to be connected 24/7. Based on recent data on smartphone penetration in the UK,  this encounter is definitely the exception to what is on pace to become the rule. 

The one recent stat that I read that really jumped out at me was that, three out of four UK...

I had the pleasure of interviewing David Berkowitz, Vice President of Emerging Media at 360i, about the idea of marketing moving towards a cross-, multi-, or omni-channel world. This is the first video in the series where David talks about integration and future of cross-channel marketing. What should brands focus on when building a cross-channel strategy? 

It starts with internal teams. 

How do you believe the channels fit together?

We are seeing all types of integrations happening. It is really exciting in the sense that we have a ton of different angles. You have some marketers who are saying...

If you're looking for a new job and you happen to be in Austin for the weekend, Pizza Hut just might have an opportunity for you.

On Sunday, March 10, the pizza chain will be at SXSW searching for a new social media manager--or, as they call it, "Manager of Digital Greatness." Of course, there's an interesting twist: each interview will last just 140 seconds. Yep, that's less than 3 minutes to convince an interviewer you're the best candidate for the job--because if you can sell yourself in 140 seconds, you can probably sell the company in 140 characters on Twitter.

When I first heard about this...

Ever wonder whether anyone is actually listening to the messages you communicate through email and social media? Try making an unwelcome change to your most popular product and you just might find out!

That’s exactly what happened last week when bourbon distiller Maker’s Mark made a cross-channel announcement that they would reduce the alcohol content of their signature bourbon from 45% to 42% (90 proof to 84 proof), in order to avoid shortages in the face of increasing demand. The company first approached its most loyal customers (called “Ambassadors”) via email, then followed up with a letter...

The Super Bowl has come and gone. The lights have been turned on, turned off, turned back on, and turned off for the last time on the most popular American sporting event. In the social media marketing industry, Super Sunday turns into a weeklong analysis of well, just about everything: infographics, conversations, opinions, statistics, speculations, and conclusions.

One common theme to come out of the 47th edition of the “Big Game:” real time wins. (Oh, and senior citizens really enjoy Taco Bell but that’s beyond the scope of this article.) Oreo and Tide have garnered a lot of attention for...

STRATEGY OVERVIEW
Regardless of whether you decide to implement SMS into your cross-channel marketing mix, mobile adoption affects other elements of your campaigns—especially email. And, there’s a lot to consider when building mobile-friendly email campaigns:

• Knowing your audience. Sure, more and more people are using mobile. But are your subscribers?
• Optimizing content and design for context. It’s best to think about the environment your email is being viewed in, not the specific device being used or email client sending the message. For example, mobile users are more likely to be...

Today’s retail landscape is more challenging than ever. Data is everywhere—from Point-of-Sale (POS) to email, Twitter, and Foursquare—but it’s only useful if retailers can find a way to connect the dots and communicate with each customer as an individual.

Managing all this data and using it to create a unified, 360-degree view of each customer may seem like a daunting task. But this week I’m sharing three quick wins retailers can implement immediately to solve your most pressing interactive marketing challenges.

Challenge #3: Disconnected online and offline experiences

Quick Win #3: Capture...

To be successful in a landscape where data is everywhere—from Point-of-Sale (POS) to email, Twitter, and Foursquare—retailers must learn to connect the dots and communicate with each customer as an individual. Without a unified, 360-degree view of each customer, retailers will struggle to create and execute relevant, targeted communications that drive buying decisions.

This week I’m sharing three quick wins you can implement immediately to solve the interactive marketing challenges facing retailers today.

Challenge #2: Inconsistent multi-channel marketing

Quick Win #2: Increase transactions...

For retailers, it has always been important to engage customers and prospects through personalized communications that help them make buying decisions—without chasing them away. But to be successful in a landscape where data is everywhere—from Point-of-Sale (POS) to email, Twitter, and Foursquare—you might be struggling to connect the dots and communicate with each of your customers as individuals.

This week I’ll be sharing three quick wins you can implement today to solve the interactive marketing challenges that have traditionally left retailers puzzled.

Challenge #1: No common view of...

Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing predictions on the future of marketing from 25 industry thought leaders. These predictions have been compiled in our new whitepaper, Inspired Marketing Predictions for 2013. Today, Ashraf Montaser of AdInfinity shares his thoughts.

True Cross-Channel Marketing Arrives

How many times have you heard the term “cross-channel” bandied about? As a marketer, the answer is probably more times than your average political candidate has been pictured kissing babies—constantly.

What is usually meant is that you can do web and social and email and offline and...

Don't underestimate the power of the social media when it comes to gift-giving. Social media marketing is multi-faceted and can take a bit of work to measure, but in the end it's about building relationships that pay off over the long term. People buy from companies they trust and that others trust. Some quotes from Jay Baer, social media guy, for you to consider this holiday season:

"Social media creates kinship between companies and customers, and kinship equals purchase intent."

"Social media is an ingredient, not an entree."

"The goal of social media is to turn customers into a...

Email is the foundation of online communication—after all, 94% of online consumers are subscribers. When we look holistically at purchase behaviors as they relate to marketing channels, we see that 45% of German consumers have made a purchase as a direct result of a marketing message they received via email. This statistic alone may be enough to convince you of the importance of using email to drive engagement and conversion. When analyzing the success of this channel, however, there are a number of other factors to consider.

1. AGE

While it may not be surprising to learn that 18-24 year olds...

VIVID, the annual Festival of Lights, Music and Ideas was on last month in Australia's arguably best city -Sydney! Creative entrepreneurs, digital marketers and businesses were invited to showcase their ideas, products and talent to over half a million unique visitors, through Vivid Sydney's vast array of tourism hospitality marketing, networking, sponsorship and experiential programs.

Through creating interactive and memorable experiences, Vivid Sydney was able to create a viral marketing storm that resonated across Facebook, Twitter, Email, YouTube and several other social channels. It is...

The research team at ExactTarget embarked on a mission to discover how consumers' used different technology, channels, and media when it came to their purchase behavior. In order to better understand how channel preference translates into action (buying), we asked our survey respondents from our 2012 Channel Preference Report to identify the channels where marketing messages had actually inspired them to purchase. While email and direct mail topped the charts, we saw telephone, Facebook, text messaging, mobile apps, and Twitter register significant purchase influence even though they may not...

Digital media has forever transformed how brands and consumers interact with each other. Online marketing has become a 24x7 multi-channel symphony designed to engage and inspire today’s hyper-connected consumer. And hopefully compel them to buy the brand’s product.

To visualize the “avalanche of digital activity” that is taking place between brands and consumers, business intelligence company DOMO paired up with Column Five Media to create this infographic to show what’s happening online every minute of every day,.  

The sheer volume of online activity is staggering. Especially if you’re a...