Category: Advanced Digital Marketing

We’ve all heard the dire predictions of what 2009 will mean to marketers and make no mistake about it, the news isn’t great. I won’t bother with a rehash of what others have reported because, quite frankly, it’s too depressing to do so. What I offer instead is the proverbial silver lining in this dark, gloomy cloud we’re facing: Digital marketing.

While traditional marketing budgets have shrunk over the past few months, digital marketing has proven to be a much more resilient form of communication in this same time period. In fact, most analysts are predicting at least a slight uptick in overall spending in digital marketing, notably email and mobile marketing, but nothing close to what had been initially projected before the economy was finally deemed to be in a recession.

Still, there are many reasons why companies should not only maintain but increase their digital marketing budgets in 2009, especially within the SMB (small-to-midsized business) space, to take advantage of its unique properties. These include:

Price
Digital is still by far the cheapest of the mass forms of communication. TV and radio rates have not fallen nearly as far as expected, despite the weakened economy; print is in a death spiral and increasingly not a safe play for a decent ROI; and outdoor/out of home is still a niche play at best.

ROI
Digital marketing wins this in a landslide as well. Other forms of mass communication simply do not or are not equipped to give the level of insight that digital can when it comes to ROI. Digital by its very nature is trackable, with more and more sophisticated analytics becoming available on almost a daily basis to even the smallest of companies.

Reach
Digital penetration rates are now as high as more mature forms of mass communication, especially mobile phones, which should reach 100% penetration over the next few years according to most studies. Mobile marketers have only begun to scratch the surface of what is possible and although email marketing is much more established, it too still has potential growth opportunities. This is especially true in the SMB market, where there are many affordable digital marketing platforms from which to choose.

Segmentation
Not only can digital provide companies with a way to reach a mass audience, it also works extremely well in terms of market segmentation. Digital marketing is a natural for “narrowcasting” and customization of the message, which isn’t economically viable in the other forms of mass communication. With a solid digital marketing platform, the message can be tailored to a specific audience or even an individual consumer in a matter of moments.

Control
As any seasoned marketer knows, keeping and maintaining control of a marketing campaign is vital to its success. For a small company, this is even more critical because of tight budgets and lack of internal resources. With a digital marketing platform, such programs can be created and managed by even a single individual, while still maintaining the polish and feel of a much larger, more sophisticated marketing firm or company.

The bottom line is that 2009 is going to be rough on pretty much every business, with marketing budgets shrinking in kind. However, savvy companies, big and small, will recognize and embrace digital marketing as a key objective for the coming year. After all, just because the economy stinks doesn’t mean marketing will cease all together. Companies will simply have to be much more selective and expect real results, which is exactly what digital marketing can bring them.

What other unique benefits does digital marketing offer companies? Feel free to list your own and/or discuss the ones noted above. Your feedback is always welcomed.

Steve Chipman, Chief Operating Officer, mobileStorm
Analog thoughts in a digital world

The Washington Post had a cautionary tale about video marketingyesterday–and quoted none other than the marketing manager of TubeMogul, mobileStorm’s partner in video distribution.

The news story was on President-elect Barack Obama’s video “fireside chats” dropping 50 percent in popularity within three weeks. “I’ve heard a lot of puffed-up rhetoric about how this is going to change the face of politics and how it’s going to be FDR’s fireside chats. The data doesn’t back it up,” said TubeMogul’s David Burch.

However, it may be too early judge the effectiveness of the videos. Sure, the audience dropped to 153,333 views for the third Obama video, down from 789,868 views for the first. However, that third video was posted during Thanksgiving week, the biggest U.S. holiday, during which time many people travel to visit family. And note that the fourth video had some 370,000 views by Monday evening.

Still, marketers should heed Burch’s words. After all, President Franklin Roosevelt had a fairly captive audience with his radio firesides, since TV hadn’t been invented and everyone was too shook up about World War II to engage in much extracurricular activity. So it’s almost unrealistic to hang the same expectations on the Obama vids.

Instead, video should be seen as a way to engage people already interested in a brand, or to entice those new or on the fence. It should be part of an overall multi-channel strategy.

Wouldn’t you  know it: The same day of mobileStorm’s free webinar on mobile coupons last week, I saw a Harris Interactive study that emphasized the importance of coupons this holiday season.

The study found that 89 percent  of online adults think coupons are a great way to save money, and that 35 percent of those who will be spending less money on gifts this holiday season will use coupons.

No wonder our web seminar was popular. So popular, in fact, that our CEO, Jared Reitzin, is going to give a repeat performance! The encore presentation, happening 10 a.m. Thursday (Pacific time), is for those who couldn’t make it the first time–as well as for attendees who might have a few questions about what they learned last week.

To register for the webinar, click here.

While the world watched U.S. citizens’ votes with a careful eye on Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously on something pretty important too: It decided to allow the unlicensed use of the white space television spectrum.

This means that a big chunk of radio airwaves–those being freed up once all U.S. TV broadcasts go digital early next year–can now be used to create wireless broadband networks. In turn, we soon could see Wi-Fi Internet access as democratic as this week’s election was.

“Opening the white spaces will allow for the creation of a Wi-Fi on steroids. It has the potential to improve wireless broadband connectivity and inspire an ever-widening array of new Internet-based products and services for consumers,” said FCC chairman Kevin Martin.

The creation of this “Wi-Fi on steroids” has innumerable implications for anyone using digital communications. For marketers, it means that their email messages will reach people more often, and in more places, than ever before. Travelers with laptops will be on the Internet much more, since they won’t have to struggle to find a wireless connection. Notebook-users on a budget could connect to the Internet at home, too.

Meanwhile the latest smart phones are being equipped with Wi-Fi. Consumers without a 3G connection, and/or a special Web plan with their cellular providers, will still be able to access the Internet on their phones thanks to Wi-Fi. Their latest mobile email messages–including marketing messages–will always be at their fingertips.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

Some marketers want to try SMS marketing, but can’t figure out the best place to start. Others worry that in these economic times, they’ll be hard-pressed to get consumers to spend money on extra goods or services.

Not to worry: mobileStorm is presenting a free webinar that addresses both these issues.

Titled “Making Money With Mobile Coupons,” the webinar is scheduled to happen at 11 a.m. November 11(Pacific time). mobileStorm CEO and founder Jared Reitzin will explain why mobile coupons are integral for today’s marketing campaigns. He will also share basic instructions on the ideal way to launch a mobile coupon campaign.

“I am very excited about our upcoming webinar on mobile coupons, because this might be the perfect application for your mobile strategy,” our fearless leader says. “We are seeing a fundamental shift right now; companies are moving their spending away from advertising and into the promotions category, such as discounts, contests, rebates, sponsorships, and coupons. Coupons are a big silo within promotions, and mobile really is the perfect and logical next step. Customers are not only willing to take you up on your offer, but also will give you their personal data and contact info.”

He really is excited about it, folks. And as you know, an enthusiastic teacher is the most effective kind! So this webinar is sure to show marketers something useful, and get them mobile marketing and offering SMS coupons in no time.

To register to attend “Making Money With Mobile Coupons,” go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/846137529.

Conservationists in Kenya are using SMS to save the lives of both pachyderms and humans, and its success could help usher in other services using SMS and location technology.

According to an Associated Press report, a group called Save The Elephants has placed collars with cell phone SIM cards on the necks of two elephants. Using GPS, the collars track the creatures’ locations. If they move to close to, say, a village that has been ravaged by elephants in the past, the collar sends an SMS message to rangers, who then know they must intercept the beasts.

The project is in its infancy, and questions as to the collars’ durability and cost are just some of the challenges it faces. However, villagers and animal advocates are both pleased in the case of one bull named Kimani–and this early success could help pave the way for other applications. It’s just one more example of combining SMS and location technology that marketers might find interesting.

Kimani’s story reminded me about special children’s cell phones in Japan, which also use tracking and text-messaging–but to monitor the whereabouts of a child, not an elephant. One Sanyo model features a “Security Buzzer,” which can be activated by a child during an emergency, or activated remotely by a worried parent. As soon as the buzzer is activated, the phone automatically takes a photo, calls a family member, and sends a parent the photo as well as a URL for tracking the child. The little one’s movements can then be monitored, minute-by-minute, via phone or computer.

The most spoiled Japanese kid doesn’t pose the kind of threat that rogue elephants do (unless you’re a naiive English teacher, haha). But Japanese cell phone technology has long been a “crystal ball” that tells the rest of the world where it will be in roughly 3-5 years, so the Sanyo phone will be extremely interesting to monitor.

Furthermore, what’s happening in Kenya and Japan show two very different ways of how the mashup of SMS and location-based services can be used in emergencies. I can see how, in North America, parents as well as people who live close to threatening wildlife will be most interested, initially. Once these usages are proven to be successful during critical, time-sensitive events, marketers will want to make use of the technology too.

Again, the idea of a coffee shop sending a targeted SMS to opted-in customers who are nearby comes to mind. Clever adaptation of both the elephant and the kid-phone systems mean it could happen soon.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm

“I’d rather you text me”

Last week the Moscone Center West in San Francisco was full of marketers and business owners attending Online Market World 2008. Unlike major conferences such as Adtech and SES, Online Market World is smaller and only its second year. Still, there were a number of quality sessions as well as the whole gamut of exhibitors–from Verisign to Google, UPS to the San Francisco chapter of the Digital Marketing Association. mobileStorm also attended; we had the honor to meet many business owners and fellow marketers who all are trying to learn more about how to stay relevant in the online marketplace.

Session topics included advice on online payment methods, website optimization, and crafting effective emails. For a glimpse into the discussions, you can check out the OMW community at: http://community.onlinemarketworld.com/.

I attended a session put on by an organization called Market Motive, a community of Internet marketing experts who have a subscription-only site loaded with information on advanced Internet marketing, site optimization, SEO, and PPC. Kind of like an online school for Internet marketing. Sounds great, but at $299 a month the price is pretty hard to swallow for smaller businesses on a limited budget. At least I was lucky enough to snag a copy of Web Analytics An Hour A Day, by Avinash Kaushik, a Market Motive founder. You should too; for a lot less than Market Motive’s hefty monthly subscription price, it gives a good deal of information for making your site a success.

The abundance of metrics afforded by Internet marketing at times makes it difficult to put your finger on success. Finding the right Key Performance Indicator, or KPI, to evaluate your online programs can be difficult. Is it the volume of visitors, or the time they spent on your site? A point stressed by John Marshall, ex-founder of ClickTracks, was the idea of “unintended consequence.” For instance, if your KPI is conversion rate, then driving too much traffic to your site can actually drive conversion rate down. Therefore, a positive thing like driving more traffic can result in a negative consequence like a lower conversion rate. When thinking about how you measure marketing success, I would encourage you to think about unintended consequence and where it may be manifesting itself in your marketing strategy. I know I will be!

For those who missed it this year, don’t forget to look out for Online Market World 2009. Not only is San Francisco a great city to visit, but I have no doubt this conference will continue to grow and offer marketers and business owners extremely usable information regarding the online space.

Shaneli Ramratan, Director of Marketing, mobileStorm

There’s been a lot of talk in recent months about so-called “cloud computing,” in which all software and utilities are stored and accessed on the Internet rather than on a user’s hardware. Think of Salesforce.com, which sells software as a service (SaaS). mobileStorm is SaaS-y too!

Yahoo, Intel, and Hewlett-Packard have a joint project to create a network that lets researchers test their cloud computing experiments–the goal being that open collaboration among industry, academic, and government researchers will advance the state of the cloud. And geeks were atwitter over a leaked video of a virtual world called City Space that will run on OTOY, a 3D engine that runs games in the cloud–an example of how the cloud might combine the power of different hardware into an all-encompassing supercomputer of sorts. These bright stories, however, became cast under a cloud of a different sort this week, when open software activist Richard Stallman warned against the technology.

“It’s worse than stupidity; it’s a marketing hype campaign,” Mr. Stallman told The Guardian. Basically, he sees the cloud as another trap that forces users to buy into locked, proprietary systems–the same argument against Microsoft, the ultimate enemy of open source.

I’d been wanting to write about cloud computing, as it is related to how mobileStorm and other SaaS products work. But Mr. Stallman, whom I usually find to be logical and compelling, is a bit off here–and I want users of our marketing software to understand why.

We all know technology is ever-changing. Messaging, and especially mobile, technology overturns fast. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) respond to constant spam worries by regularly updating regulations for how marketers can send email through their services. Cellular service providers, now that worries about privacy are on the rise, have followed suit. In addition, the perpetual improvements rocking cellular technology right now–3G networks, smart phones with increasing multimedia and Web capabilities, etc.–will also affect how marketers should send messages via text, mobile email, mobile ads, and other ways to reach customers on their cell phones.

Because of these changes, software and/or best practices need to grow as well. That’s why Web-based solutions like ours are ideal: You don’t have to worry about updating your software because it will automatically be done at the source. And some solutions providers are also dedicated to educating their clients, keeping them abreast of happenings related to best practices and regulations.

Then there’s the cost savings to the neophyte. Marketers just getting into a new space, like digital messaging, might not want to spring for a whole package of software, so they can start out paying for a cheap monthly subscription.

Sure, Mr. Stallman points out that in the long run, a monthly subscription could cost more than a one-time payment for a package of software downloaded on computers. Indeed, that’s the argument I have long had with subscription-based music services–you pay out over a long time and don’t own a single song in the end.

But software always changes, and eventually people have to buy brand-new packages anyway. And in realms where the platform-user also needs extra help like education about best practices, the cost of a subscription is worth it.

Eydie Cubarrubia, Marketing Communications Manager, mobileStorm
“I’d rather you text me”

Interview marketing is more than a self-branding tool used by the likes of Barbara Walters. It is a powerful strategy that gives you free quality content and free quality links. If done right it, might place your site into top rankings without much effort. Interview marketing is clear-cut: You interview people, place these interviews on your site, and get link-backs from the interviewed individuals’ sites.

However, this strategy isn’t for everyone. It is only possible if interviews would be natural for your type of site—one good idea is to have some sort of  “resource” feature there. Interviews can be organically placed on blogs, article sites, reference lists, informational portals, etc. If your site is corporate or strictly commercial selling your services or products, this probably wouldn’t work for you. Still, almost all commercial sites have blogs or resourceful pages (best practices, white papers, etc.) where you can put the interview.

The interview marketing process is as follows:

- Decide who to interview. Search the Web for individuals with accomplishments in your field or related fields and study their personal and professional information.
- Send an email introducing yourself, your resource feature (mention all the best things about it), and ask to conduct the interview with this person. Explain the benefits they’ll get from the exposure, and add a “call-to-action” at the end of your letter;
- If the person agrees, prepare unique interview questions for him or for her. It is also a good idea to ask for a photo of the person to run with the written interview.
- When publishing the interview, don’t hesitate to include links to their sites if they ask.
- Let the person know when the interview is live, and give her/him a direct URL if he/she wants to let the world know.
- The linkback is not always guaranteed, so don’t push it. In most cases people would love to link to a page that is totally devoted to them.
- Thank them for the interview, and establish a connection through a social network like LinkedIn or Facebook.

Now, what have you got? Read the rest of this entry »

I am talking about something huge that will happen pretty soon, I assume in the next year or two: SEO becoming obsolete. Google has already talking about it for quite some time; it’s become reality in both their Labs and in actual SERP (search engine results pages).

In this new world, search results will be different for every individual. They will be personalized. It will be impossible to rank high for even one keyword for all searchers. The days of current common search results are numbered.

So why will there be no more SEO? And why is an SEO guy like me so excited about it? Here are four major factors of this new search age:

Read the rest of this entry »