Marketers and advertisers agree they need to take more risk, according to the latest Creative Group study, based on 250 telephone interviews with advertising and marketing executives.
Even with our country’s current financial situation, “panelists frequently said this is not a time to play it save with marketing strategies.”
According to the survey, 65% of marketing executives and 45% of advertising executives said their organizations do not take enough creative risk with projects.
“I think the idea of what’s happening in financial markets begs the question of how much risk marketers are we willing to take, and is it good or bad,” said Megan Slabinski, executive director of The Creative Group in Marketing Daily.
To all of those marketers out there, we want to know what you have to say:
What’s the biggest marketing risk you’ve taken lately?
During our current “financial meltdown,” do you think it’s right to take more risk?
Keep it simple. If your mom, kid or neighbor can’t understand what you’re saying, chances are your customers will be lost as well.
Talk directly to your customer. Using “you” in your message creates engaging copy on a personal level.
Use punctuation to bring attention to important information. Ellipses (…), quotes, and long dashes can help people read what’s important in short bites.
Keep it short. No one has time to sit around and read essays, give customers information in short, quick snippets.
Those at Human Markets recently sent a crystal clear lesson reminding us to keep our messages precise:
“Lesson for the wise communicator – the market for attention is frequently a cloudy distracted place. Clear signals and a bit of tailoring to the circumstances at hand frequently help interrupt the pattern.”
Out of the thousands of unsolicited emails they send out, email spammers somehow continue to steal people’s credit card or banking information who unassumingly open spammers’ messages and even buy fake products.
What are the spammers’ secrets to improving email open rates?
Maki at DoshDosh recently explained how email spammers have broken through trust barriers, convincing people to open emails from strange senders. Spammers got their name for a reason, but some of their tactics may be useful in the marketing world.
As marketers, what can we learn from email spammer tactics?
Use topics your customers are familiar with to arouse interest in your marketing message.
“Every single blog post or salesletter you write can be filled with comparisons, analogies, metaphors, name-drops, references and citations that make your offer/idea more vivid. More familiar. More enticing. So focus on getting your audience interested first, because if they tune out right from the start, they’ll never absorb your pitch or give you a second chance.”
Do you know how to find the right keywords for your online marketing strategy and how to leverage those keywords to allow customers find your site and training products easily?
The right SEO and SEM strategies can mean the difference between your site making it to the top of search results or being virtually invisible. Here’s some great tips and information from across the blogosphere to strengthen your strategy:
SEO Guy Shavkat Karimov predicts that in the next year or two SEO will become obsolete and personalized search will take over. Is no more SEO a reality?
Is it possible to outsmart search engines? Jason Kintzler from PitchEngine explains how to use the latest SEO techniques and online tools to build your credibility within media outlets.
Almost 70% of online Americans say they visit blogs, online communities and social networks, according to the August/September 2008 Insight Report from MarketTools. One third of those use such social media sites to engage in product research before making a purchasing decision.
The latest report shows that the frequency of social media visits is increasing, as 42% of those surveyed saying they visit sites more now than they did six months ago.
Blogs, online communities and social networks have a direct impact on purchasing decisions, according to the report. Almost half (47%) of all respondents say that such sites have influenced their decision to purchase certain brands or services.
One third of adults use social media for product research
More than one-quarter (26%) of respondents changed their decision to buy after reading product information on a blog or online community.
“Our research sheds new light on just how ingrained blogs, communities and social networking sites have become in our daily lives,” said Beth Rounds, SVP of research solutions at MarketTools. “Insight into what drives consumers to buy, how to tailor content to different demographics, and even how to better engage with target consumers in these increasingly influential online forums, will all have a significant impact on organizations’ success and competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
Companies who use social media and online communities see improved customer satisfaction, improved reputations and better sales. Despite the benefits social media outlets have to offer, it’s a mystery why companies still avoid it.
This video from HubSpot, “Dude, Cold Calling is for Losers,” illustrates the battle between inbound and outbound marketing in many businesses across the country.
Does your inbound/outbound marketing look anything like this?
If the above video looks anything like the marketing at your company, maybe it’s time to rethink your cold calling strategy or get rid of it all together.
Do you think cold calling is worthwhile or is it really for losers?
If you’ve ever had your lunch stolen from the fridge then you’re familiar with the strong feelings of loss, anger and rage the crime may stir up.
Lunch-theft victims will have no reason to fear any future stolen snacks if they start packing their lunch in some expertly-designed sandwich bags.
The new “Anti-Theft Lunch Bag,” from designer Sherwood Forlee, are regular sandwich bags with green splotches printed on both sides. The printings make sandwiches look like they have been aging in the refrigerator for weeks, deterring sticky-fingered sandwich stealers.
“I looked in my refrigerator and saw all the rotting food,” he says, taking care to note that he has male roommates. “I left it there and thought: This would be perfect for an office environment.”
With an email campaign promoting content, specifically a white paper, they pulled in more than 400 downloads, an email open rate of 7.1% and a click-thru rate of 16.5%, and that was only in the first 24 hours.
Even more impressive, they launched the email campaign on the same day the stock market tanked, Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy and a collapsed Merrill Lynch was bought up by Bank of America.
Their campaign succeeded because the white paper dealt with hot topics important to top HR executives who still had to report to the office despite recent happenings on Wall Street.
“Why more companies don’t leverage content in their direct marketing campaigns is beyond me. It is the most cost-effective lead generating marketing activity that I am aware of,” said HRMarketer’s Mark Williams.
Direct email campaigns like this are proof that content is still king, even in a bad economy. More than just a good deal, people are searching for quality and valuable content from the companies they trust.
Head on over to HRMarketer for a full run-down of the campaign and other direct email marketing campaigns like this that produced impressive results. Williams also reviews a list of best practices on how to leverage content in marketing and public relations campaigns.
Marketing budgets continue to shrink even as more online retailers find affiliate marketing as a cost-effective sales channel.
Currently, 46% of retailers rate affiliate marketing as a very cost-effective method for driving customer acquisition. That number is up 2% from last year, but tightened marketing budgets are affecting traffic and sales, according to the Affiliate Marketing Survey Report 2008 by E-consultancy and R.O.EYE.
Other key survey findings:
The amount of money set aside for affiliate marketing dropped in the past year from 18% to 14%.
The percentage of online sales dedicated to supporting affiliate marketing activity also dropped from 16% to 12%.
34% of merchants say that five or fewer affiliates drive 80% of their affiliate sales of signups.
23% of merchants say between six and ten affiliates drive 80% if sales.
Marketers say the biggest barriers preventing their affiliate programs from being more successful are a lack of internal resources, restricted budgets and difficulty in attracting affiliates.
“While more merchants than in 2007 view affiliate marketing as a very effective channel, almost 70% are spending less than two hours per week communicating with their affiliates and policing them. It is more important than ever before to forge strong relationships between merchants and their affiliates to protect volume and the channel’s efficiency. This report highlights the changes the industry and exposes the end of ‘easy pickings’ for affiliates,” said Mark Kuhillow, Managing Director of R.O.EYE.
Affiliate marketing remains cost-effective while budgets shrink
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