So you've just acquired a new vanity number. Congratulations! However, which of your marketing pieces are you going to feature your number on? The answer is definitely all of them! You should have at least one main constant toll free number that is displayed on all of your communications. Consistency is key.
1. 2011 ERA D2C Convention
The Electronic Retailing Association is hosting its Direct-to-Consumer Marketing convention from September 13th through 15th in Las Vegas. This is a great opportunity to get out, discover the newest technologies, meet world class production companies and get tips on improving your direct response marketing campaigns.
Next week,, Custom Toll Free will be attending the Dreamforce Convention 2011 held in California.
The first Dreamforce 2011 convention will be held in San Francisco, California beginning August 30th through September 2nd. This convention, put on by SalesForce, is said to be “the cloud computing industry event of the year”. This particular convention will show how to use social media and networking to boost business.
Stay tuned for some future blog posts on this convention!
Competition between businesses within the same niche is growing stiff every day. With the recent economic turmoil we are experiencing almost every company need to find a way to keep up with an effective marketing strategy in order to remain afloat and profitable despite of the hard times.
It is amazing that even today with almost every company online that when it comes to business marketing, web analytics are still so under used. This isn’t even just an issue with those new to business marketing on the web, it is even rampant among those calling themselves Internet marketing experts and business marketing coaches. Why?
True, many of those just beginning online business marketing may not be aware of the access they have to web analytics or exactly how to use them. Though this really isn’t an excuse. Analytics and metrics are used in every type of business marketing today and if you aren’t watching the numbers you probably won’t be in business for very long. Web analytics for both your website and social media marketing as well as other forms of online business marketing are readily available at your finger tips so there is no reason for you not to be paying attention to them unless you really want to fail.
Other business owners and managers simply ignore their online business marketing analytics out of sheer laziness or because they just don’t feel that it is their thing. Entrepreneurs believe their success relies on the momentum of constant movement and taking action, not pouring over figures. However, they could see so much better results so much faster if only they paid attention to their web analytics. It doesn’t even take that long, even a few minutes a week can show you what is working, what is not and enable to tweak your campaigns for incredible results. This is the secret to truly maximizing your marketing ROI
Even if you don’t need the extra money in the bank that comes from better business marketing you will soon find that if you are not demanding the highest ROI you will be losing market share quickly, and if you don’t need the cash then give it to a worthwhile cause that does.
Image Credit: © Danieloizo | Dreamstime.com
Direct marketing has undeniably made a comeback. Everyone is well aware of the opportunities presented by this type of promotion. However the question still remains, what type of direct marketing strategy is working now? In this article, we’ll give you a lowdown of the best possibilities to explore at this point in time:
Mobile Opportunities – with the growing number of smart phone users and apps, there is an increasing opportunity for mobile marketers to send direct and targeted messages to their market.
Local Marketing – geo-targeting capabilities that are offered these days can be taken advantage of. This will improve the impact of your local advertising initiatives on the Internet.
Social Media – while the rate of social adoption is expected to be slow because most markets are already quite saturated, social media itself has already become a part of everyday life. By monitoring conversations and trends in these areas, marketers can have a better interaction with consumers.
Consolidation –the line between traditional and digital marketing agencies is becoming blurred. Many companies prefer agencies that have expertise in both. They want a marketing firm that can work across different channels.
If you own a small business, there are even more reasons to use direct marketing to your advantage. It is relatively inexpensive to implement and you are promoting to a highly targeted audience – so your conversion rate can shoot through the roof.
Everyone who does business online can benefit from Internet advertising, but for someone who has a very limited budget, it is critical to understand where the money should be allocated to get maximum impact. In this article, we’ll talk about the latest Internet advertising trends.
Social Media Marketing - the popularity and influence of social media can no longer be denied. Advertising in these mediums may provide a high return on investment if you segment your market property.
Video Content – videos have become big in 2010 and they will continue to be important in the foreseeable future. Aside from YouTube, there are also a number of video sharing sites that are rising to prominence.
Online Reputation – it is not enough to have an Internet advertising campaign these days, right now, more people are keen to do research. Companies need to have a good reputation because consumers are heavily influenced by comments and reviews of their peers.
Hyper Niches – the market is more cluttered than ever. In addition, the top spots are already dominated by big brands. The solution for most companies is to identify “hyper niches” that are passionate about very specific things.
The Internet advertising trends mentioned above are just some of the developments in the industry today. Some trends that are not noticeable at this point might suddenly shoot to prominence so it is important to keep your eyes and ears open to changes.
2011 may mark the year of the return of direct marketing. The importance of this promotional method is apparent. Direct marketing allows your company to interact with customers without any barriers. Some of the tactics that fall under this marketing strategy are:
Catalogs: Because printing costs are continually coming down, more companies are enticed by the possibilities presented by catalogs. Glossy, sophisticated, and attractive: catalogs are a direct marketing method that can easily entice.
Email Marketing: Traditional salesmanship still matters when you take your campaign on the Internet, but not by much. The key to having a successful email marketing campaign is to have accurate data. Once you know what the customers want, need, and desire, it becomes easier to target your email messages.
Social Media: Get responsive leads through social media. If you are like most companies, you rely on a certain demographic to generate most of your sales. Social media allows you to be in touch with your target market during people's “downtime.” When they visit social sites, they tend to feel more sociable themselves.
Basically, the main reason why direct marketing is so effective is because salesmen don’t make far-ranging assumptions. The campaign is based on detailed data that is gathered from the customers themselves.
