The Boring Web Content Challenge, as I wrote about a few weeks ago, encouraged companies to submit their most lifeless, incomprehensible bit of web writing (a web page, or press release, or email, or whatever) to win a chance to have a free makeover from our friends at Captains of Industry.

Submit they did (in spades!) and yesterday we plowed through all of them, searching for the worst of the lot. I mean “plowed” almost literally, by the way: Because reading through all the submissions, one at a time, required the same kind of effort necessary to move the thickest and heaviest objects. Like mud. Or wet cement.

Clearly: At a time when companies are increasingly charged with creating remarkable content as a cornerstone of their marketing efforts, many of us still struggle. But oh boy … was I struggling yesterday. To find meaning in the jargon. To keep my mind on task. To stay awake.

To give you a sense of the morning, our friends at Captains of Industry shot this video:

Reviewing Submissions for the Incredibly Boring Web Content Challenge from Captains of Industry on Vimeo

Look for an update on the finalists tomorrow.

Related posts:

1. The Boring Web Content Challenge
2. DC Solicits User Comics Submissions
3. Radio Gets Outstanding User Submissions for Remix Contest

I love this idea. Here’s how it works: Make at least one referral to whomever you think could use new business, and add your recommendation #marm)
• Blog about it on your own blog
• Add this badge to your site

There’s more happening this week to help small businesses learn how to leverage the power of referrals, including daily guest-posts on John’s blog and an online seminar.

MarketingProfs is a sponsor of this event, along with GoTo Webinar, PR Web, Constant Contact, Perkett PR, Palo Alto Software, Duct Tape Marketing Coach, Sage, BNI, Vertical Response, Verizon, alphagraphics, InfusionSoft, The Referral Engine, Gold Star Referral and Intuit. If you are a small business, BTW, you may already know that MarketingProfs has tons of content geared toward small business. But did you know you can browse our archives by that category here and here? (The latter, by the way, is our Small Business-centric newsletter: Get to the Po!nt Small Business. Do you subscribe?)

So how do you encourage more referrals for your business, or inspire customer love?

My take is that there are two fundamental approaches to generating more business: The first is to focus on making your existing customers insanely happy, so that they want to tell others about how much they love you; the second is to simply be a resource — or be helpful — to those who aren’t customers yet. That’s a sneak peek of what I write in my post running on John’s blog this week, and I offer 17 tactics on how to accomplish that. Watch for it over there .

So how about you? What’s your referral secret? Add it below?

UPDATE: My post is now active; check it out: 17 Terrific Tactics to Inspire Customer Love (And Get New Business)

Related posts:

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2. RADAR 94: Network Radio Reaches 233 Million Listeners per Week
3. Radio Reaches 232MM per Week – and 96 Percent of the Educated/Affluent Age 25-54

Plus, if I’m being honest: I’ve always thought LinkedIn was kind of … well, boring. If Facebook was a rave at a cool downtown hot spot, LinkedIn was a stuffy reception with piped-in music at one of those cookie-cutter function facilities conveniently located at the end of an exit ramp.

Does that sound harsh? Perhaps.

But now I’ve realized that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

LinkedIn, it turns out, is a happening place: It has more than 60 million members in over 200 countries, in all 7 continents. Execs from all Fortune 500 companies are there. And 81% of business-to-business marketers use LinkedIn. All this is from our latest case study collection, LinkedIn Success Stories: How 11 companies are using the global networking site to achieve their business and marketing goals.

In the collection, our own Kim Smith details LinkedIn’s slew of new features and recent applications, and gives an insider’s view of how those tools are being used by 11 organizations in four distinct ways:

1. market research,
2. demonstrate thought leadership and expertise,
3. attract users to events, and
4. win new business.

Like how, specifically? Check out these two mini case studies excerpted from the report.

Market Research. Penman Public Relations, headquartered in Austin, TX, used LinkedIn to research a client’s planned launch of a high-end gaming system.

Approach: Penman found that connecting with potential product users individually through LinkedIn offered more straightforward feedback and less “groupthink” that focus groups often deliver. To research the launch by Hardcore Computer, Penman posted short discussion posts at certain groups they were already active in (as well as solicited individual contacts), requesting a shout from those willing to provide feedback on PC gaming computer features and their advantages.

Those who responded received a more detailed message thanking them and then asked about specific user expectations for a factory-built gaming system in the $3,000+ range, as well as for one that might cost $5,000 or more.

Result: CEO Patti D. Hill said she received several hundred responses, many from people who were neither in her contact base nor members of the groups Penman targeted. Instead, they’d been forwarded her query. “This speaks to the passion of this audience, but also to the willingness of people to provide information and contribute even when they’re not directly connected,” Hill said.

By the way, one of my favorite quotes in the case study collection is from Hill, who says she likes the enduring aspect LinkedIn. “Twitter is real time, and you’re a blip on the screen,” she says. “LinkedIn waits for us. Like email, it’s there when you want it.”

Bottom line: The approach worked to not only gather insight for the new product launch, it also attracted additional traffic to the Hardcore Computer website and generated great visibility among gamers and developers for both Penman and its client.

Biz Dev. Closer to my neck of the woods, Boston’s PJA, an advertising and marketing agency, told Kim how they successfully mined LinkedIn for new business. After using LinkedIn to fill key positions within the agency, PJA VP Greg Straface decided to test how effective the network might be for new business outreach.

Approach: Investing an hour a day, Straface focused on three main activities:

• Targeted searches for such keywords as “VP of marketing,” specific ZIP codes and company names, to identify key contacts to call, InMail, email, or forward the agency’s portfolio.
• Tracking who was looking at his profile and those of other PJA staff, as featured on each user’s homepage. He then researched those companies in more depth, identified their marketing directors and sent out the agency portfolio by FedEx to land on their desks the next day (and again following up with a phone call, email, or InMail).
• Participating in LinkedIn groups catering to CMOs to build conversations with relevant individuals. He monitored each group’s discussion posts until he thoughtfully with content, rather than a pitch. As always, the key is to engage, don’t sell.

Result: Actual business: Inquiries, agency pitches, and new accounts, including Guidewire and Chase.

Bottom line: “By using LinkedIn actively in this way, it has become a very productive channel with huge financial return,” Straface says.

* * * * *

So those are two stories that showed me how, while I wasn’t looking, LinkedIn has amped up to a full-blown party—one you don’t want to miss.

My bad.

Your turn: How are you using LinkedIn?

In case you missed it, LinkedIn’s Community Manager Mario Sundar last week gave MarketingProfs Pro members a tour of LinkedIn’s existing and new features. It’s a great primer on using LinkedIn, if you haven’t begun to take advantage of the goodness there.

Related posts:

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2. Join the MarketingProfs LinkedIn Group
3. A Second Life for LinkedIn

Based on this tag line: “Combining the strategy, business processes, implementation, and technical support skills of a CRM systems integrator with the data management, analytic, and marketing skills of a database marketing service provider to deliver and operate closed-loop marketing and sales environment,” here’s the question: Which choice below best describes what this company does?

A. Something with technology.
B. Something with marketing.
C. It helps marketing and sales organizations more effectively work together.
D. I have no idea, but does it involve dwarfs?
E. Zzz… sorry, were you talking to me?

It’s C, of course, which most of you probably guessed. Or maybe, instead of picking an answer, you felt a little shock of recognition, because your own web site or blog or email copy is just as lifeless? Incomprehensible? Completely comatose?

At a time when companies are increasingly charged with creating remarkable content as a cornerstone of their marketing efforts, many of us still struggle. That’s why MarketingProfs has teamed up with our friends at Captains of Industry for the Incredibly Boring Web Content Challenge: Submit your dullest, least-inspired piece of pabulum to us to win a chance to have it “Captainized” for free.

“Even great products can sound dull if their story isn’t told well on the web,” says Ted Page, Principal and Creative Director of Boston’s Captains of Industry. The Challenge demonstrates “that it is possible to make any subject matter exciting and entertaining, helping clients attract the right customers to their sites.”

Here’s how it works: Submit your stuff to www.captainsofindustry.com/yawn or via email (yawn@captainsofindustry.com). Your boring stuff can be anything from a chunk of web content or a downloadable document—but participants must provide an active URL that is no more than 2 pages in length. We’ll pick the one that sets us to sleep instantly.

Deadline is March 8th, 2010.

Fine print: To submit, you must occupy an officer, marketing, or sales position at your company. Enter as often as you like, but only one entry will be chosen. More good stuff here.

Related posts:

1. The Boring Web Content Challenge: Reviewing (…yawn!) Submissions
2. Study: Email Deliverability Still a Challenge, but Content Not Main Culprit
3. MarketingProfs B2B Forum Ramp Up: Join In The Social-Media Case Study Challenge!

I recently read an excellent post by Paul Dunay on Social Media Today presenting the 4 C’s of B2B marketing. We’ve known about the 4 P’s of marketing for years: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Paul argues the 4 P’s are primarily a B2C mix. The 4 C’s, however, (Content, Connection, Communications, Conversion) illustrate the marketing mix for B2B. Sounds great, but how should B2B organizations implement the 4 C’s marketing mix into their campaigns? I would like to highlight an approach that has served our B2B agency very well: The 4 Pillars of a B2B Marketing Campaign.

We have found that the combined effectiveness of four key aspects of B2B Marketing determine the success of a B2B campaign: Insight, Strategy, Creative and Metrics (we call them pillars). Each pillar is essential in supporting the campaign, whether it be online or in print. One could argue that this holds true for B2C as well, however, B2C makes heavy use of media buying (TV, Radio, etc), a marketing strategy that B2B rarely requires.

Think of each pillar as a leg supporting a table. Short-cut or remove any leg and the marketing campaign either becomes very shaky, or it can completely topple over and crash to the ground. The four pillars provide a solid framework for mixing the right marketing activities in order to create engaging campaigns.

Not to be confused with the 4 C’s of B2B Marketing, the 4 Pillars are the critical stages in the life cycle of a B2B marketing campaign, whereas the 4 C’s are key the ingredients within a B2B organization’s annual marketing plan. During a 4 Pillar campaign, one must always check to ensure the 4 C’s are addressed accordingly at each stage.

Insight – Get The Right Ideas
All ideas start with insight, and all great ideas require great insight. Insight enables you to see and understand what your audience is all about, and marketing without insight is like marketing blind. Many B2B organizations make educated guesses at what they perceive to be the wants and needs of their customers. However, true marketing insight is generated through carefully considered interpretation of business intelligence and financial data. It’s the stuff that’s gathered through the process of analyzing market research, together with everything already known about the target market. It provides vital information and data that helps us craft killer ideas and creative ways to communicate to our audience.

Strategy – Get Integrated
Marketing in the B2B space is not like marketing to consumers. I love Paul Dunay’s analogy: if B2C marketing is a sprint, then B2B marketing is a marathon. Let’s face it. We are living in an age of information overload. It’s a noisy landscape. That’s why it is so important for B2B organizations to cut through that noise with integrated marketing that’s both strategic and creatively crafted. In the everyday bombardment of messages and tweets, it is pointless to hope to stand out and be heard without consistently engaging our audience. An integrated B2B marketing strategy helps organizations successfully connect with their customers because it helps them get branded, get online and get social in relevant and meaningful ways.

Creative – Get Experienced
Creativity is no longer just an embellishment to brand management. It has become a strategic imperative for creating killer content and a core driver of innovation and differentiation in a crowded marketplace. Creative thinking is drastically transforming online experiences by separating great content from mediocre content. Why? Because creating great content is hard. It’s not a creative writing or pixel pushing project. You can’t “just create something” out of thin air. Content creators know that great content involves so much more than “clever buzzwords” (if there is such a thing). Great content requires a balance between function and form, both written and visual, in order to deliver an experience that is both relevant and meaningful to the customer.

Metrics – Get Optimized
Planning and executing a marketing program is a good start, but how are the results measured? What’s working? What’s not? Accurate metrics involves consistent and persistent monitoring, measuring and adjusting along the way. The process becomes truly valuable when the right data helps make intelligent business decisions. A critical component to achieving the right data is testing. At Ad-Tech, last April, I learned that less than 30% of companies test their marketing. Those 30% saw their marketing ROI increase by more than 70%! That means the majority of companies rely on gut instinct and misinformation. No wonder marketing is perceived as an expense rather than an investment! When in doubt, test… and then test again, because testing illustrates what the customer really wants.

Thoughts?

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Achim Klor is the President and Creative Director at SterlingKlor Communications. Reach him at connect@sterlingklor.com.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Social Media and the Seven Marketing Blind Spots
2. Guest Post: When Navigating The New World Of Sponsored Tweets…
3. Guest Post: Marketing in 140 Characters or Less

…The Same Old Common Sense Rules Apply.

If you’ve never heard of sponsored tweets before, you certainly have now. Over the past month, sponsored tweets have commanded significant news time. First, the new FTC guidelines that went into effect last December have reverberated throughout the marketing world and blogosphere. Since then there has been a handful of controversies surrounding Twitter, high profile celebrities, and proper disclosure of sponsored relationships.

Paying for tweets is a provocative topic, stirring up opinions and misconceptions from all sides. But before we rush to judgment, let’s start from the basic premise—celebrities and endorsements go hand in hand; they always have, whether in print media, TV, or the Internet. And we, as fans, form emotional connections with our favorite celebrities—and are interested in their choice of golf club, moisturizer, jeans, restaurant, iPhone app…

Now as sponsorships traverse across the evolving media landscape into blogs and tweets, powerful new opportunities emerge for marketers and brands. This new realm is an ideal chance for smaller brands to connect with celebrities through what I call “micro-sponsorships.” This opens up the world of celebrity sponsors to a much broader array of businesses. As a small brand, it would be nearly impossible for you to afford a large endorsement deal with a well-known celebrity, which can cost hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars and involve contracts, agents, negotiation, etc.

Micro-sponsorships also create opportunity on both sides of the table, offering celebrities a wider range of options. A celebrity can now sponsor a small website, iPhone app or product because the traditional process of sponsorships has shifted. There’s a chance to drive buzz and connect with audiences in arguably far more targeted and effective ways than ever before. Of course, that’s only if we do it right.

There’s already been considerable discussion about the FTC ruling and compliance and I’ll just sum up my thoughts in three simple words: disclose, disclose, disclose. In any grey areas, err on the side of transparency. And most importantly, as marketers, consider it your responsibility to educate and audit your celebrity sponsors.

Create clear guidelines for all your sponsors (whether via Twitter or blog posts) and spell everything out right up front in the contract. Create a code of ethics and specify exactly how disclosure should be presented—because when we’re dealing with a meager 140 characters, it can get tough…

It’s not just about the FTC
Throughout the process, it’s a mistake to view your work on disclosure through the narrow prism of avoiding the wrath of FTC. In truth, honesty and transparency in communication are going to be critical components to ensure the success of your own campaigns, as well as the industry as a whole.

As you begin to navigate the waters of social media and sponsored social media, keep in mind the following common sense advice.

1. Honesty: Celebrity sponsorships and tweets work because these individuals have built up a relationship of trust with their fans and audience. Protect that trust by openly disclosing any paid or sponsored relationship. Only a handful of fans or followers will raise an eyebrow when seeing a tweet or two that are openly and honestly disclosed as sponsored (i.e. with an “#ad” at the end of the tweet or ‘can’t wait for my sponsor’s new x that’s coming out next week!!!’). However, expect serious backlash against both celebrity and brand if an undisclosed relationship is exposed and fans feel they are being duped.

Along these lines, avoid false claims—don’t call something red if it’s blue. This should also be spelled out in the contract, to prevent over-zealous celebrities from trying a little too hard to make a case for your product.

2. Relevancy: As with any form of marketing, sponsored tweets only work if they are relevant. Don’t just find any celebrity you can afford. Carefully match your brand and/or product to the individual, their audience, and interests. That’s what makes the difference between value and noise.

With its specialized networks and niche communities, the Internet (and social media in particular) gives you unprecedented ability to deliver your message to targeted groups who are truly interested in what you’re offering. To reach this coveted ‘long tail’, you should consider big name celebrities that align with your brand, as well as smaller niche celebrities (or social media rock stars) who may not have the same name recognition or number of followers, but who have an enormous amount of influence and respect among their audience. For example, a maker of construction equipment or tools should consider Bob Villa, in addition to Bob, the local contractor in Iowa who’s been developing a loyal following of fellow contractors by posting daily tips and advice.

3. Restraint: Similar to the idea of relevancy above, make sure your spokespeople are not bombarding their audience with ads—including both your own content and that from other brands. Many contracts set guidelines and limits for the maximum number of sponsored messages within a given period.

Why sponsored conversations make sense (and cents)
Sponsored Tweets can be done properly. You should not let the minor concerns deter you from a great new opportunity. Twitter is a new vehicle for driving Word-of-Mouth marketing. The platform and its participants allow you to reach the exact people who want your products from people they trust. These campaigns are highly scalable and are directly measurable (always a bonus in the constant struggle to prove ROI to the corner offices). And in many cases, these micro-sponsorships will be the only way small to mid-sized brands could ever dream of matching themselves with a celebrity.

Yet, as we’re breaking new ground in social media, it’s going to be especially important to know the rules, and apply the same common sense guidelines that apply to all word of mouth marketing—set high ethical standards, and strive for transparency and honesty in all communications.

About Ted Murphy:
A serial entrepreneur, Edward “Ted” Murphy has founded six companies since 1994. Murphy’s latest venture, IZEA operates a variety of social media properties including SocialSpark and SponsoredTweets, and is the world’s largest Consumer Generated Advertising Network. Founded in June of 2006, IZEA has raised over $10 million in venture funding from leading venture capitalists including Draper Fischer Jurvetson. The network has attracted over 350,000 publishers and 30,000 advertisers and continues to grow. Murphy’s creative prowess and passion for the unconventional has earned him the ear of some of the world’s largest marketing organizations including FOX, Bombardier, General Motors, SeaWorld, and Disney. Murphy is a prominent visionary, speaking and presenting to marketing and Internet professionals around the world. His efforts have received international recognition from media outlets including CNBC, Wired, USA Today, ABC News, Forbes, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Business Week, PC World, CNN Money, Fortune, Fortune Small Business, Business 2.0 and others.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Four Steps To Obtain Budget For Monitoring In 2010
2. Guest Post: The 4 Pillars Of B2B Marketing-The Lifecycle Of a B2B Campaign
3. Guest Post: A Brand’s Largest Social Media Obstacle

Ford executives from across the globe Monday participated in a 12-hour marathon social media conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, that featured live interviews, Facebook wall-posts, blogger interviews, and interactive twitter Q&A’s. From the floor of the show, Jim Farley, group VP of marketing, fielded questions from Brian Solis and me about how the company will use social media as well as talked up the Focus, the first car Ford is marketing to buyers globally.

It’s been a big weeks for Ford: Also this week, the automaker won both the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards at the kickoff of the Detroit show (with the Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan winning Car of the Year and the Ford Transit Connect van named Truck of the Year). And at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, Ford won the highest honor in the car tech category for its new MyFord touch interface, a touch-screen made for a car dashboard. (It narrowly lost overall Best in Show to a Panasonic 3D-compatible flat-panel HDTV, said Scott Monty, who heads up social media at Ford.)

Highlights of the yesterday’s chat with Jim Farley (edited for clarity) are below:

On the One Ford initiative:
“Here in Detroit, seems that people finally realize what One Ford means. One car across the world….’

On Ford’s focus on in-car technology for music, entertainment, communications and information:
“The bottom line; when you enter your car, it should be as cool as your iPhone.” Ford’s in-vehicle communications platform, Sync, should also host applications like an iPhone. “My point of view is that we create an open platform like iPhone (for developers) and let the applications flow based on Sync. This seems odd since you would think we want $, but we want the Sync community to grow and these applications are more creative than we can create.”

To critics who say the touch-screen dash is distracting to drivers:
“To be honest – how Sync is executed allows for a richer experience without distractions. I am a believer and have dumped my earphones.”

On envisioning one car, one Focus, across multiple social networks:
Ford’s social media strategy is global: “We are working regionally to assess the best places to be and investing in those places. Honestly, the Fiesta Movement idea came from a social media site in China.”

On working with CEO Alan Mulally:
“Alan is so unique. He is deadly serious business leader and he combines this with a passion for putting the customer first. I knew that I needed to join the team when I met Alan; he gets it. He had a vision for efficient transportation and tech for all. (He is an engineer, after all.) Lastly, he as such an engaging personality, he makes working in a team environment fun.”

On the advantages/limitations of moving 25% of your traditional budget over to social and digital:
“Limits are our fears. Giving 100 Fiestas out meant some would crash; other owners would get in trouble. Also, we need to have enough creative horsepower to come up with unique ideas that viewers will find fun. [But the] advantages are credibility and efficiency.”

On the challenge in building/selling cars in this economy:
“Well, we have such a cool engineering and design team at Ford that the limit is the money we can give them to dream up cool stuff. The difficulty is having people fall in love with Ford again.”

On the keys to changing people’s minds about what their perceptions of what Ford is and the products it builds:
“Having proof about both. Hype doesn’t work anymore. Goodwill for Ford is high but we need proof around fuel economy, leadership, tech, fun to drive, great design, etc. These proof points then demonstrate we are different and worth a look.”

On the “a-ha moment” when Farley grasped the power of social media:
“The a-ha for me was Scion. [Farley spent 17 years at Toyota, joining Ford in 2007.] I learned that for a brand that people don’t know or trust, the company must rely on others to tell the story. People don’t trust big companies, they do trust their friends.”

On measuring the effectiveness of social media:
“We measure program by program, not overall. We tie it to sentiment and volume of buzz around the brand.”

On convincing the C suite on the value of social media:
“Either they get it or they don’t. Thankfully we do.”

The full transcript is here.

Related posts:

1. Ford Edge Campaign Goes Mobile
2. We Need To Talk: 6 Keys to Bringing Up Social Media
3. Ford Uses Video Podcasts for Edge Promo

Alicia Staley, a three-time cancer survivor, has embraced social media and has reaped solid returns as a result. She uses her personal brand as a tool for increasing attention for the Foundation. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the Conduit platform have all given her the opportunity to forge better connections with key stakeholders. Here are some examples:
Facebook: Staley uses Facebook to proactively communicate with her fans and donors. She posts messages about Foundation meetings, news and events. She is also planning to use the new Cause application on Facebook to run a fundraiser this summer. Her page offers an opportunity to connect with supporters, donors and would be donors en masse with time as her only investment.
Twitter: Staley is the brand on Twitter. Many business organizations have corporate handles. However, in the world of non-profits, a more personal and direct presence is required. As the director of The Staley Foundation, Staley (@stales) has a personal story that resonates with donors and potential donors. As a result, her Twitter handle supports relationships with key constituents. Staley is committed to keeping her Twitter presence personal and engaging, especially since it has been so fruitful. She hosted two major fundraising efforts on Twitter, raising $2,000 with the first, and $3,400 during the second. Both of those efforts were promoted purely through Twitter.
Linkedin: Linkedin offers a wealth of information on fund-raising topics. Staley leverages Linkedin Answers to ask questions about by-laws, creating effective boards, managing committees for all aspects of non-profit management. Peers answer the questions, offering valuable insight that can be implemented for the Foundation. This virtual peer group keeps Staley connected to other leaders in the non-profit world. Staley’s profile and activity on Linkedin also allow others to find her and the Foundation and help her spread the word to potential donors.
The Staley Foundation has the same problems many non-profits have encountered: retaining first-time visitors and one-time donors. To combat this, Staley uses a browser-based add-on called a conduit, which provides a persistent, constant interface with her community in the browser window. Staley is hopeful that the conduit will help to keep the Foundation top of mind with donors so she can further ignite fundraising efforts. Moreover, she is enrolled in the Conduit Gives program, which presents an entirely new fundraising channel.
As part of the Conduit Gives program, non-profits, such as The Staley Foundation, that leverage the Conduit Platform can now also offer their members the official Conduit Gives button. Every time a user clicks the button, Conduit will make a donation to the non-profit. Users may participate up to once a day, every day throughout 2010. Just by being involved and thinking about their organization each day, every person can make a big difference without making a donation. In total, the Conduit Gives program will provide 100 non-profit organizations the opportunity to earn more than $300,000 a month and $3.6 million in funds in 2010.
—————————————————————————-
Adam Boyden is President of Conduit, which operates the Conduit Gives program.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Social Media and the Seven Marketing Blind Spots
2. Guest Post: A Brand’s Largest Social Media Obstacle
3. Guest Post: Me 2.0

The sales team was nestled all snug in their slumber,
assured that their quotas they’ll soon meet in number.
So here at Marketo we did a quick list,
of our views and misses and targets and hits.
We’ve gathered together the 5 Golden Rules,
of trends and tactics, of strategies and tools.
Where your tactics this year become strategies next,
so your company will grow and your career will be blessed.
1
For social media, in 2009, you learned how to tweet,
in 2010 integrated social marketing makes you hard to beat.
2
Drip campaigns in 2009 were all the rage,
but in 2010 lead lifecycle management will make you a sage.
3
Aligning marketing and sales was your best bet,
but collaboration between departments is your next step.
4
While demographic scoring is a good place to start,
behavioral and social scoring you should take to heart.
5
On LinkedIn, on Facebook, on blogs, on Twitter,
Your prospects finding you is all the sweeter.
And finally, here’s wishing you peace, joy and sales,
and everything else that success entails.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Kelly Abner is Director of Marketing at Marketo.

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Four Steps To Obtain Budget For Monitoring In 2010
2. Guest Post: A Brand’s Largest Social Media Obstacle
3. Guest Post: Selecting the Right Lure

Email marketing campaigns are affordable, and can help small retailers to compete with the big boys during this crucial sales period.
Before launching any email marketing campaign; however, retailers have to ensure that the program will meet the objectives they have defined. They also have to determine what will make their campaigns stand out and what value they will provide to their subscribers. In order to pull that off, retailers have to combine aspects of promotional, informational and operational communications in their email marketing efforts. Programs that include all three help retailers to promote longevity and strong relationships, while still encouraging immediate sales.
Here are strategies any small retailer can employ to make their email campaign click with their audience:

1. Clean up promotional campaigns. Every promotion should include these items to be effective a: subject line that describes the offer; call to action listed in the top right corner; relevant offer;clickable image of what you’re promoting; and short text.
2. Tone down informational campaigns. Since informational campaigns focus on loyalty, tone down the sales pitch. Even during the holiday season, retailers need to balance quick sales with long term revenues. Create a monthly (or weekly or bi-weekly) e-newsletter to run throughout the holiday season and fill it with recipes, gift ideas, and other holiday goodies. That will keep brand recognition high amongst subscribers and provide more unique value than just a product discount.
3. Spread holiday cheer through operational emails. Spread a little holiday cheer through welcome, thank you, and confirmation messages. While these messages are not meant (or allowed by CAN-SPAM laws) to be predominantly marketing focused, adding a little company branding is 100 percent acceptable and even suggested by most email experts. Operational emails can be easily leveraged by including a link: to an email header that links to the retailer’s website; to a coupon offer; to a web page with complementary products; or where recipients can manage their subscription preferences.
4. Select occasions not days. Stop stressing about email send dates. There is no universal best time or day to send an email campaign. While historically, marketers have tried to define this, the result was merely a greater volume of email sent at the same time, leading consumers to tune out more and making the marketer’s theory completely obsolete.

Instead, base the email schedule around audience behavior and environmental factors. Retailers should ask themselves: When are my consumers at their computer? Moreover, when are they interested in my
product?
Additionally, tie messaging to occasions such as each holiday, the weather, new product releases, etc. For the holiday season, try creating seasonal campaigns that deploy before each big holiday.

Related posts:

1. eDay Challenges Cyber Monday for Holiday Sales
2. Shop.org Launches Cyber-Monday Deals Site
3. Study: Black Friday, Cyber Monday Not a Big Deal