March 2, 2010 | 4:16pm
B2B Analytics: Building Marketing's Future (Jim Everhart)
A recent Business Week article reports that AOL plans to create the "newsroom of the future" by using high-powered technology to revolutionize the business of gathering and presenting news. At a time when print giants like former AOL sister company Time magazine and virtually every major daily in the U.S. are struggling to cope with the new media landscape, AOL has hired more than 500 full-time journalists and buys contributions from more than 3,000 freelancers. Quoting CEO Tim Armstrong, the article goes on to say that AOL is using advanced analytics to measure reader interest and engagement in stories those journalists create, and may even share profits with writers whose stories earn the most page views. |
November 2, 2009 | 1:59pm
Measure or Be Measured (Steve Graham)
Is it just my imagination or is the Social Media landscape expanding faster than global warming on the Arctic’s polar ice cap? On the publishing side of Social Media, we’ve got key players such as Wikipedia and Digg. On the sharing front, it’s Web sites like YouTube and Flickr. In the social networking arena, the heavy hitters are Facebook and LinkedIn. And don’t forget Twitter, which has taken blogging – in this case, microblogging – to a whole new level. At this stage of the game, B2B marketers probably feel like they need a scorecard to keep track of all the Social Media players, their positions, strengths and weaknesses. The question is, which player is paying its dues right now in the minor leagues, poised to make a dramatic leap to the big leagues? I don’t have that answer, but I do know one thing: Social Media is here to stay. And here’s |
October 5, 2009 | 2:29pm
2.0 Art Direction - Analytics (Melissa Zane)
Ah yes, math. As a creative, my old nemesis and I have made up and become friends. In this day and age, analytics is helping us understand our target audience like never before. Because we can measure—well, just about everything, we are able to see what is working, and what is not. Analytics is an essential part of ongoing improvement for everything we do at Godfrey. As an art director, I have to pay close attention to the feedback we receive (which often includes numbers and percentages) to understand what I need to change and improve on. So, if you haven't embraced analytics, now is the time to introduce yourself and become the best of friends, because your new friend will help guide you to your end goal. In addition, art directors and creative folks must have an understanding of search because the visual world is changing fast, in relationship to |
September 11, 2009 | 3:47pm
Recovery Happens (Ken Jones)
I’m a commuter so I have a couple of hours a day essentially by myself. I have become a big fan of satellite radio – lots of news shows and NPR. Lately the word count on recovery is up. Funny how reluctantly the word recession was muttered but saying recovery comes easily. |
June 29, 2009 | 11:48am
The case for video case studies (Chuck Manners)
When the economic recovery begins to vibrate the sales needle in your industry, what's one thing your customers will demand before they buy? Credible references: Other satisfied customers; proof you have handled successfully their type of application before. Traditionally we tackled this with reference lists and case study articles, often posted on-line with relevant photography. Why not kick this up a notch with video case studies so prospects can see and hear your customers talk directly about their experience with your firm? Video has impact and authenticity. It's flexible; it can be used on-line and in sales presentations. It is searchable and shareable on the Web, and views can be tracked and quantified. And there is growing evidence that on-line video has a solid place in B-to-B marketing communications and PR programs. A recent study by Knowledge Storm Inc. |
September 19, 2008 | 2:24pm
In search of the holy grail of marcom (Ken Jones)
I’ve been in the B2B marcom business for 3 decades, always working for or with technically oriented companies. Often times I felt I was the lone voice of marketing and marketing communications.
Very early in my career, I heard retailer John Wanamaker’s famous quip -- “I know that half of my advertising dollars are wasted, I just don’t know what half.” If I recall correctly it came from the mouth of a division VP/GM who was a chemist by training. He was a non-believer in the power of marcom. For me and other members of my generation of marcom professionals the constant mention of this quote and similar ones put us on a mission. I wanted to be able to answer the questions: How much is invested? How much is wasted? I wanted to know what was working and what wasn’t. I wanted to show that the work we do contributes to the success of business. ---More--- |
June 23, 2008 | 2:54pm
Hyperintegration: It's not about technology (Jim Everhart)
We recently had a discussion with a vendor who, in the process of extolling his web analytics product, said his company’s technology went beyond clicks and conversions. That ended up being troublesome for two reasons:
First, we’d be happy with reliable information on clicks and conversions, thank you. We’re not convinced we’re getting it from some of our existing resources. So we weren’t about to let a sales guy get away with changing the subject because he didn’t want to address our concerns. And second, he offered a solution that was even worse. His company’s megabucks solution, engagement mapping, would track the activity of individual site visitors and try to give appropriate “credit” to other media, like online ads that a visitor may have seen, instead of just the last click. That’s trying way too hard. It’s building a technology solution to a marketing question. ---More--- |
March 18, 2008 | 9:38am
The top 10 questions that indicate you need to think beyond traditional marketing tactics (Jim Castanzo)
I’m looking at things from a slightly different perspective now – a perspective of someone with a lead “creative” title and responsibilities. As I remove my account manager hat, something strikes me. We creative folks have more tools at our disposal – blogs, podcasts, email marketing, and the list goes on. Our primary function has always been to think of new and unique ways to tell our client’s story, demonstrate a benefit and craft compelling ways to reach out to a marketer’s various constituents – engineers, channel partners, integrators, other influencers and ultimately, end-users. Sure, we still need to apply our traditional creative skills, but we now have these new, exciting tools at our disposal. ---More--- |
March 2, 2008 | 7:09pm
Why do you Measure? (Kate Goerlich-Peteritas)
Here is a quick look at each of the levels. Justification of Budgets The lowest level of Hierarchy of Analytical Needs can best be explained with the following scenario: The CFO of your company walks into your office to discuss the need for budget cuts. ---More--- |
January 29, 2008 | 9:29am
Some SEO Basics (Mike Wayde)
While Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a good investment, it won’t make a significant difference in your site’s performance if you don’t follow some basic principles. Rule number one is about knowing the right words. A good SEO partner will have the tools to evaluate the right keywords that your audience is using to search for you. Just because you think your audience will search for you using a particular keyword or phrase, doesn’t mean that they will. Proper research will go a long way towards reaching your full audience. Rule number two is all about content. Just putting in keywords will only get you so far. If you don’t implement a process for continuously updating your site’s content, then your audience won’t return to your site, and neither will the search spiders that visit your site to determine your search rankings. Rule number three is giving your audience what they are looking for. |
