10 types of direct marketing (+how to get started)
Direct marketing is a powerful way to reach customers, generate leads, and drive ROI. In recent years, creative innovation, the digital age, and robust analytics have helped give direct marketing a new life. Today, most brands incorporate some type of direct marketing campaign into their marketing strategy. Direct marketing is a form of advertising by which brands communicate directly with a...
How much targeting is too much targeting?
“Data-Driven Thinking” is written by members of the media community and contains fresh ideas on the digital revolution in media. Today’s column is written by Frost Prioleau, CEO and co-founder at Simpli.fi. P&G made headlines in 2016 when it announced it would scale back on Facebook targeting. At the time, P&G CMO Marc Pritchard said, “We targeted too much, and we went too...
Online display drives ROI
LONDON: Click-through rates for online display ads may be negligible but they still form a useful function in raising consumer awareness and, for FMCG brands, in driving sales both in-store and online. A year-long research project saw nine brands owned by Unilever and Nestlé tested across mainstream desktop and mobile sites including The Guardian, Yahoo!, eBay, Gumtree, AutoTrader and Mail...
Knowing your audience better is your competitive advantage: A case study
Sometimes, the key to increasing ROI is not to expand your targeting, but to refine it. Columnist Kristopher Jones shares a case study where hyper-targeted advertising based on detailed customer personas produced award-winning results. Paid advertising on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram allows you leverage your existing customer data (emails, names, addresses) to create...
How to measure the success of your digital marketing: key areas to examine
Some of world’s greatest natural born leaders—from presidents and prime ministers to CEOs and industrial tycoons—spend hours writing and rehearsing speeches in order to captivate audiences and steal hearts around the world. But then something completely unforeseen happens. They reach the podium, the applause dies down, and they start delivering their address. Seconds turn into minutes, and...
Don’t let these 2 myths block your email marketing success
Your job is finding the people who want to hear from you. or entrepreneurs who use email marketing, getting your messages into the inbox is critical. But some common misconceptions about email marketing reveal that the real challenge isn’t about getting in the inbox at all. The secret — if you want to call it that — is creating email content that people actually want to read. It’s...
5 ways to get your ROI with your company’s social media
Take these key factors into account as you build your social media presence to optimize your brand and ensure maximum visibility. You’ve heard it already: Social media is an essential part of your marketing strategy; you’ve read about it already: Post engaging content, get more followers, get more leads; and you’ve (likely) been told this already: Social media activity and SEO (search engine...
Confessions of a marketing automation addict
Marketing automation is the future for digital marketers. But Mary Wallace, a columnist and marketing automation junkie, explains why in-person events and direct mail still have their place in the marketing mix. Let me get this out of the way: I’m a technology geek and a marketing aficionado. I adore working with marketing automation to drive business. The bright thrill of success bubbles over...
7 ways to increase your content marketing ROI
Every successful content marketing strategy can be boiled down to two key ingredients: content creation and content promotion. While the type of content you create can vary significantly depending on your industry, the way you promote your content doesn’t vary as much — in large part because promotion comes down to one universal goal, which is getting your content in front of as many eyes as...