Reviewing the level of attendance for webcast and webinar events
Webinars and webcasts are still a key tool of the B2B marketer. As you may know, Smart Insights use the BrightTALK webcast platform for featured Expert commentators and content partners. As is standard with webinars, these feature a live interactive session reviewing slides and then an on-demand follow-up.
We thought we would share the internal data on webinar attendance from BrightTALK since it could help B2B marketers who are planning or reviewing attendance for online events.
Webinar Attendance - No Show, Live and On Demand
You can see the number of no-shows against and Live and On Demand viewings- this is in line with what we see - a good level of On Demand access as well as the live viewings. They have also shared the growth in numbers before an agent and then how…
Searchable, Shareable and Snackable are the keys to success
I read this post last week and feel it's worth sharing as a reminder for content marketing teams. It's created by Skyword a software company serving content marketers, so a good example of educational content marketing in and of itself.
The infographic summarises a simple, and useful, mantra…
I'd urge content marketers to take 10 and read more, to consider how you'd implement this within your programme:
Searchable. Content must capture the passion and pain points of the consumer using relevant trending keywords, boosting the content’s search ranking. Read more about being findable.
Snackable - Content needs to be relevant for an on-the-go consumer who needs answers to questions in a moment’s notice, increasingly on mobile devices. Snackable content leaves the consumer satisfied and eager to come back for more, you're part of their solution. Read…
Google introduces new customer journey mapping tool
Have you seen Google’s new customer journey benchmarking tool for reviewing The Customer Journey to Online Purchase? I thought I would feature it at the start of our round-up of our advice from May 2013 since I haven’t seen it discussed much, perhaps because it’s built into Google's Think Insights rather than Google Analytics itself. It’s a tool to help understand media campaign attribution, i.e. which marketing channels influence lead or sale. It's based on data collected from Google Analytics, but gives a slightly different visualisation from Multichannel Funnels or Social Reports.
It covers data for these countries: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, U.K., US
U.S. and these industries: Auto, B2B, Classified/Local, CPG, Edu/Gov, Finance, Health, Media, Retail, Tech and Travel. Here's an example from the travel sector in the UK:
…
How well do you manage your email marketing?
I recently completed the 2013 update to the 80 page Smart Insights ‘Seven Steps to Success’ Guide on Email Marketing. As part of updating the guide I was looking to highlight best practices for email marketing. Thinking through the mistakes or omission that are often made in email programmes is one way to define the best practices, so I thought it would be helpful to pick out ten of the common gaps and errors. I have focused particularly on strategic issues that are less commonly talked about, but nevertheless I encounter fairly often in my consulting work and are most important to the success of the programme.
Mistake 1. Not setting long-term Email-specific goals. Measure long-term engagement using hurdle rates or open reach. This measures customers not campaigns and considers the engagement across the whole of the database rather than just customers…
Affiliate Marketing can be so rewarding, but you need to avoid these common mistakes
Having worked with lots of programmes during my time in affiliate marketing, I thought I would outline some of the common mistakes I see and how they can be corrected. In the new Smart Insights Affiliate Marketing strategy guide I go into the details of how to get these key communications factors right.
1. You don’t communicate with your affiliates
I start with communication, because it's obvious, important, but often not done well. Communicate effectively with your affiliate base doesn’t mean just sending an email now and again, but actually asking for feedback from them as well. Communication should be a two way street where you encourage feedback and ideas from your affiliate base.
Take the time to find out what they need from you and the…
Which sites work best? Lead generating focused sites foster growth, but branding focused sites have their place
Lead generating vs branding websites: Which is right for you? With the web well past the 20-year mark and it's presence continuing to dominate, companies and organisations must continue to upgrade their online presence in order to survive.
Among professional services firms, the need for better websites is often tied to business development and presents the challenge of how to best support those efforts. The answer increasingly lies in one of two areas: the lead generating website and the more basic 'branding' website.
How much does your website facilitate sales?
A first step for deciding the type of website is to evaluate how sales are made. Are they mostly referral-based, or do they rely on repeat customers? What role does the website play and when do prospects visit most?
For some companies, the answers point to existing relationships…
The Truth about Video Email Marketing
Look in your email inbox, and on any given day you’re likely to find several emails that feature videos. They can range from informational, educational to simply entertaining. But what is all the fuss about? Does video email marketing really lift response rates? Can anyone use video in their email marketing? What are the best tactics (or best practices for that matter)? Let’s find out!.
Video Email Marketing Statistics and Reports
Simply including the word 'video' in an email’s subject line saw an increase of 7%-13% in overall click-through rates (CTRs) in 2011, according to Experian’s 2012 Digital Marketer Benchmark and Trend Report. Embedding a video in an email generated an average conversion rate 21% higher than emails containing a static image alone.
And Videoretailer.org reported that using the word 'video' in the subject line…
Examples of the cultural customisation needed for international retail sales
Our friends at Practicology recently held an event looking at approaches to customising Ecommerce for local markets. We thought it would be useful to share the presentations for marketers working on tailoring their proposition to increase international sales. We highlighting the retail e-commerce case studies from Clarks and Debenhams, along with multi-channel research from Amplience.
In their presentation, they shared '6 strategies in play' for e-commerce:
1. Do nothing: Don't allow anyone to buy from overseas.2. Standardisation: Switch on the buy button only.3. Adaptation: Localise some aspects.4. Localisation: Fully localise the customer proposition online.5. Multi-channel market entry: Lead with online, open stores.6. Lead with stores; then localise online.
Clarks case study : Going Global with e-commerce
Head of E-commerce for Europe at Clarks, Dave Elston shared his experience on Clark's global e-commerce strategy and…
Planning your Responsive Web design
You will have noticed that responsive web design has become a real buzz phrase in 2013. However, responsive design is not a new concept, in fact far from it. Making something that looks great on all browsers and across all platforms should be the benchmark for all web design. Reaching that benchmark requires Designers and Developers to slightly alter their outlook on a project.
There are a number of practices you can adhere to which will help to ensure your site is viewed in the best possible light. Below are some pointers both planning and technical.
Planning your Responsive Web Design
Responsive doesn’t just mean ‘squishy’. The majority of users will view these sites on different platforms, but won’t switch between them.
Just make sure the user can view the content in the most effective way. Alternate versions of sites are just as effective as a site that re-scales.
Responsive web…
Retail email expert Chad White talks about email frequency, list acquisition, mobile challenges, and more...
Retail email has seen its stock rise significantly in recent times. And recognition of its value as a significant source of both online and offline sales has reignited debates on permission requirements, optimum frequencies and just what constitutes a best practice.
There are few people in this world who know more about these kinds of retail email issues than Chad White.
Currently Principal of Marketing Research at ExactTarget, Chad recently authored a new book: "Email Marketing Rules: How to Wear a White Hat, Shoot Straight, and Win Hearts".
Given his expertise, I decided to get his opinion on some of the top practical issues facing retail email marketers today...
The first issue concerns a bit of a backlash among the email marketing community against "best practices",…
