Social Media and Direct Marketing Should Be Siblings, Not Strangers

Posted by: Neil James // January 10th, 2011

Like opposing politicians, social media and direct marketing gaze at each other with grudging respect, yet philosophical disdain. Direct marketing sees each feel-good community-building word spent in social media as a wasted opportunity to make a sale. Social media sees direct marketing as the slick-talking salesman whose approach is as outdated as his gaudy plaid jacket. But just like politicians, these seemingly opposing forces really yearn for the same goal – profitability – and if they can put aside their differences and work together, a world of endless possibilities awaits.

Lori Taylor explores this topic in greater depth in her article for Social Media Explorer, 3 Ways to Close the Gap Between Social Media and Direct Response. Taylor argues that the goal of both direct marketing and social media is to drive traffic into and through the sales funnel, creating profit. Taylor identifies the three steps social media marketers must take to better align their efforts with business goals, including defining a target audience, understanding their needs and researching best practices for meaningful engagement.

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5 Tips for Harmonizing Your Blogging and E-Mail Marketing Efforts

Posted by: Neil James // January 4th, 2011

Simon and Garfunkel. Hall and Oates. Sonny and Cher. Each vocalists fully capable as individuals, but culturally transcendent as a duet. Music is not the only product where the whole exceeds the sum of the parts. In a recent article for Marketing Conversation, Robin Pangilinan discusses how marketers can harmonize the oft-disparate tactics of blogging and e-mail marketing into a finely tuned duo. Unlike musical duos, however, the effectiveness of combining elements isn’t a matter of opinion; consumers exposed to a company’s message through blogs and social media are three times more likely to engage with e-mail content and search for a company’s brand. Included in Pangilinan’s tips for combining blogging and e-mail marketing to make sweet music: use your web analytics to determine which content was most popular, and augment your top content with further commentary, counterpoints or industry research.

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Relevance Radio #4 – Mobile Without Integration is Like a Sail Without a Ship

Posted by: Neil James // December 27th, 2010

The sail is a centuries-old marvel that allows ships to harness the earth’s natural winds for traversing the seas and the oceans. But without a boat, a sail by itself is worth little more than the material it’s made from. In our latest marketing podcast, Russell Herder digital analyst, Neil James, talks about how mobile marketing without integration is much like a sail without a boat. Citing real life examples from Harley Davidson, Adidas and Domino’s Pizza, James discusses how integrating mobile marketing tactics with other marketing channels serves as the foundation for a finely-tuned, seaworthy vessel, capable of sailing marketers anywhere they want to go.

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 Relevance Radio #4 - Mobile Without Integration Is Like a Sail Without a Ship [9:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (91)

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10% of Senior Marketers: Cross-Channel Marketing Coordination Not Vital

Posted by: Neil James // September 9th, 2010

With all due sympathy to Winston Smith in Orwell’s 1984, in marketing, if 2 + 2 = 4, you lose. In business environments that are more competitive than ever, marketers who spend $1 on television, $1 on print, $1 on digital and $1 on direct need to receive $5, $10, even $20 of value to stay out in front. Getting 2 + 2 to equal five has long been the primary benefit of an integrated marketing campaign. Knowing this, a surprising report from eMarketer, Challenges of Cross-Channel Marketing Integration, finds that 10.3 percent of senior-level marketers identify cross-channel coordination for marketing campaigns as not very vital. Organizational structure and technological limitations were identified as the leading challenges to marketing integration.

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