CPQ and CRM are key to B2B sales success
Many companies try to make do with a single enterprise application such as an ERP system to run the entire business. However, configure, price, quote (CPQ) applications and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions can help make your business more effective because of the additional dimensions of insight and functionality that they bring. According to a recent Forbes article, CPQ and lead management will be the two hottest technology areas for sales in 2015. The results of these increased capabilities are lower costs, higher customer satisfaction and more sales. Here’s how these two powerhouse applications can turbo charge your marketing and sales efforts:
More efficient proposals
Customers increasingly want products that meet their exact needs, so companies must create custom configurations to match their standard offerings to customer requirements. Without configuration capabilities, the process is time-consuming, expensive and error prone. Each order requires review by…
It's all about the story...
It’s a jungle out there, dog eat dog, and unstructured data is proliferating at an exponential rate. As a marketer you have to be careful, you don’t want to get sucked into this digital Wild West, even the quickest out there could get stung.
Yet, there are opportunities to be had, little nuggets of 24-carat gold that can provide your business with a cutting edge worth millions. Sounds like an opportunity, right?
However, just as the prospectors found it tough trying to make a buck during the 19th century Alaskan gold rush so businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to make sense of how to make big data pay. So even at this early stage of its evolution businesses are asking, what does the future of big data look like?
Image/Copyright Source: wikimedia.org
There isn’t an easy answer but…
Wearable technology trends and the future of digital selling
Until what seems like very recently, wearable technology has remained on the fringes of consumer consciousness, with most people unsure what to make of it. 'What’s the point in moving the user interface two inches from my pocket to my wrist?' people rightly ask. 'But I’m terrible at multitasking, those glasses will just be another distraction…' Although wearables still have yet to gain widespread popularity, interest is stirring and 2015 may just be the year it turns a corner.
According to a recent report from Juniper Research, wearable advertising spend is estimated to reach just $1.5 million this year, but by 2019 is expected to hit a slightly more impressive $68.7 million. That’s a huge new market, and one that online marketers would do well to embrace.
Source: …
Don't fall-foul of these Email Marketing myths
Have you inadvertently bought into an email marketing myth? It is easily done, but you could be losing out.
Email Marketing works differently for different brands and industries, so in this infographic EmailMonks are dispelling the myths that Tuesdays or Thursdays are the best days for email campaign broadcasts.
They have collated 15 myths, backed by evidence, to share how email campaigns can be more successful through companies adopting specific email marketing techniques. For example...
Brands are doubling their open rates by increasing the frequency of their emails and and re-emailing with a change in 'subject line' to lift non responders.
…
3 techniques to make Native Advertising more effective
Following the move made by many other online publishers in recent years, the picture-hosting site Imgur recently announced its plan to roll out native ads. The site bootstrapped for most of the past six years and built a loyal community, but — like most publishers — it has the need for a consistent revenue stream.
More publishers are riding the native advertising (definition and example) tide to monetize their platforms. For advertisers, native ads are a natural and effective way to boost engagement. In fact, Yahoo reported that, on average, users give native ads three times more attention than display ads.
But like all innovation, native advertising (definition and example) also follows an S-curve cycle of adoption and maturation. From display to search to video ads, each cycle inevitably brings a unique set of challenges and risks. And as native advertising matures, the issues advertisers and…
Which are the most popular channels for journalists today
For Marketers and PR Professionals, it's important to reach the right media influencers using the right media. Given the huge choice of communication channels available to us across social media, it's useful to know the preferences for channels amongst media professionals.
Cision's Social PR Study, using data from the Social Journalism Study 2015 reveals some interesting insight. So should you contact Journalists via phone, email or social media and are your current methods currently effective for contacting the right PR Professionals?
The survey reveals that '49% of PR Professionals prefer the phone, compared to 23% of Journalists'
How should you contact Journalists?
PR Professionals are reaching out to Journalists via email and phone, and social media is the third choice for pitching stories (amongst almost half of respondents).
So how do Journalists wish to be contacted? More contact via email, phone, social media and 8% would prefer more postal information. …
Optimising your triggered messages - 7 common Mistakes to avoid
Sending triggered email messages or behavioural email marketing is a proven method for improving customer engagement and increasing sales for retailers. However, there is a lot of confusion as to what types of ‘on-site’ behaviours should trigger a message, how it should look and feel, as well as how best to measure the results. There is a big difference between doing the right things and doing things right, so here is a simple yet comprehensive overview that will help you to optimise your triggered messages.
Using the right triggers for your messages
Ask people what constitutes a trigger and the first and often only response will be a shopping cart abandonment. However, these people are missing a trick and limiting their reach by not embracing browse abandonment.
This doesn’t…
