10 Reasons Why Email Marketing Still Delivers

Posted on by
Reply

I’m a social media enthusiast, yet recognize, the number one communications tool today is email.  The Pew Research Center says that 9 out of 10 Internet users send or read email every day.  A number of sources report that social media usage ranks fairly well in the 60% range for the general online adult population, and even higher (of course) in the under 40 demographic. Only search, according to Pew Research, has around the same adoption rate as email in the 90% range. We love to “Google” don’t we?

Business marketers are also embracing email—from newsletters and  transactional emails to direct emails and sponsorship emails. In fact, the CMO Council recently reported that a majority of marketers worldwide (67%) rated email as the most successful digital marketing tactic.

Email is indeed one of the most important tools in the marketer’s toolkit, but it still needs to be complemented with search, social media, and content marketing.  An integrated multichannel campaign generates superior results and is a foundation for creating thought leadership status—essential for building brand and differentiation.

What are email marketers focused on this year?  According to a survey by services provider StrongMail, the top marketing initiative is subscriber engagement at 48% followed by improving segmentation and targeting (44%) and growing opt-in email lists (32%).

Read my list of 10 reasons why email marketing still delivers: Continue reading →

Book Review: Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard

Posted on by
Reply

Social Media ROI

As a former marketing operations manager, I naturally gravitated towards reviewing a book on Social Media ROI.  After all, business practices are driven by ROI and marketers are facing increased pressure to show accountability.  Olivier Blanchard’s book is helpful in integrating social media with business objectives and he brings social media to life with many interesting situational narratives.  Blanchard blends these worlds into a cohesive strategy and journey consisting of investment, action, and reaction—leading to nonfinancial and financial impacts. It’s a nicely constructed methodology that remains focused on ROI.

Organizations that embrace social media properly, Blanchard explains, will benefit from enhanced collaboration, increased departmental efficiency, cost reductions and business growth.  He instructs the reader on how to present a business case across the C-level executive suite in a context that matters to each stakeholder. Without securing buy-in, a social media initiative is dead in the water.

The book’s Table of Contents is well organized and broken out into 4 sections on how to become a social company: social media program development, program integration, program management, and program measurement.

Continue reading →

The Three Pillars of Brand Marketing

Posted on by
Reply

I’m a lover of everything brand.  Branding is essential in the marketing of all products and services, including B2B purchases.  The buying decisions made within corporations are still done by people.  Buyers not only respond and are influenced by the emotive qualities (imagery) of branding, but also by the “brand proposition” or the unique, relevant messaging conveyed by marketers. Business people buy the brands they trust.

The brand platform forms the basis of how a brand is perceived and guides the consistent use of the branding message throughout all communication vehicles, including the website, PR, and advertising. The companies that excel at branding are able to develop a loyal “brand community.”

Continue reading →