Benefits of E-mail Marketing

Businesses engage in email marketing because it works…and works well. Here are the numbers:

• According to research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generated an ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009. The expected figure for 2010 is $42.08. As such, it outperforms all the other direct marketing channels examined, such as print catalogs.
• The Ad Effectiveness Survey commissioned by Forbes Media in Feb/March 2009 revealed that email and e-newsletter marketing are considered the second-most effective tool for generating conversions, just behind SEO.
• Shop.org‘s State of Retailing Online 2009 survey of retailers found that “E-mail is the most mentioned successful tactic overall”.

The money is following the results…

• A November 2009 survey of B2B marketers found that email marketing was likely to see more spending increase than any other form of online marketing bar website development.
• 46% of North American small businesses surveyed in 2009 by Hurwitz & Associates use email marketing, with another 36% planning to do so in the coming year.
• The CMO Council‘s Marketing Outlook ’09 Report reviewed the plans and opinions of 650 marketers. Email marketing was the top target area for investment in 2009.

Beneifts of Mobile Marketing

Most people own and use mobile devices – Market research firm comScore reports that as of May 2010, 234 million Americans age 13 and older are mobile subscribers. That’s more than 90% of the U.S. population.

Immediate access 24/7 – Your customers and prospects generally have their mobile device close to them at all times. This means that mobile marketing messages are received and responded to with more immediacy than other forms of marketing.

Mobile data usage on the rise – Nearly two-thirds (65%) of mobile subscribers text, according to comScore, while the Pew Internet & American Life Project reports teens 12 to 17 communicate with each other daily via texting more than through any other channel—including talking face-to-face or on the phone.

Mobile Internet usage is on the rise – This is making it easier and more imperative for marketers to connect mobile with their digital marketing programs. eMarketer reports that there are more than 85 million U.S. mobile Internet users, and about half of mobile phone users will use the mobile Internet within a few years.

Mobile is designed to be easily integrated – Along with the integration of the various channels within mobile, to be most effective, mobile should integrate with as many other kinds of media as are included in a campaign or program, including online, TV, radio, print and out of home. Mobile devices are always on and accessed everywhere, and the portability alone makes mobile unlike any other form of media. Mobile marketing has near limitless potential to contribute to and build on other marketing programs.

More than just a single marketing channel – Consider online marketing, where search, video and social media are all very different disciplines. The same is true of mobile, and these various forms tend to intersect. Coupons can be delivered via text messages that link to mobile barcodes. Mobile display ads often promote applications. Mobile social marketing programs can include video and mobile search, and tend to run in conjunction with a range of other promotions.

ePublishing Benefits

Instant distribution: The client can create a marketing piece, hit send or upload, and their audience has instant access.

Ease of use: The client’s audience reads an ePub marketing piece on their desktops or mobile devices. They can also click on links to watch videos.

Widespread dissemination: The client’s audience can share marketing pieces easily.

Interactive: The client’s audience can easily send e-mail replies or visit the client’s Twitter or Facebook accounts to ask questions or leave comments.

Personalized: Digital documents allow the client to address their customers by name and even tailor the content the client delivers to each person’s tastes.

Differentiate your client’s company: By combining creative content with electronic distribution, ePublishing allows your client to stand out in the crowd and cut through the noise.

Brand Identity Benefits

A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Here’s why the effort to brand your company or yourself pays off:

1. Memorability. It’s hard for customers to go back to “that whatsitsname store” or to refer business to “the printer from the Yellow Pages.” Develop identifiers and nail them to the company name in the minds of the public.

2. Loyalty. When people have a positive experience with a memorable brand, they’re more likely to buy that product or service over competing brands. People who closely bond with a brand identity are not only more likely to repurchase what they bought, but also to buy related items of the same brand, to recommend the brand to others and to resist the lure of a competitor’s price cut.

3. Familiarity. Branding has a big effect on non-customers too. Psychologists have shown that familiarity induces liking. Consequently, people who have never done business with you but have encountered your company identity sufficient times may become willing to recommend you even when they have no personal knowledge of your products or services.

4. Extensions. With a well-established brand, you can spread the respect you’ve earned to a related new product, service or location and more easily win acceptance of the newcomer

5. For consumers, less risk. When someone feels under pressure to make a wise decision, he or she tends to choose the brand-name supplier over the no-name one. As the saying goes, “You’ll never be fired for buying IBM.”

Direct Marketing – Benefits

It’s targeted: Mass advertising (TV, print, radio, etc.) can be expensive and isn’t always an option for small businesses. But direct marketing can focus on a smaller group of individuals who are more likely to respond to your offer, giving you more bang for your buck.

It’s personal: With direct marketing, you can address your customers by name, speak to them individually and appeal to their interests. And when customers feel that you understand their needs, they’re more likely to respond. In fact, 55 percent of consumers “look forward” to discovering the mail they receive.

It’s flexible: From letters to postcards to e-mail, there is a large variety of inexpensive and easy formats you can use to create your direct marketing campaign. You can add impact by including a special offer or free sample with the piece.

It’s tangible: Direct marketing allows you to physically place your message in your customers’ hands and encourage interaction. Along with an engaging message, you can make an unforgettable impression by incorporating elements that actively involve the customer, like stickers and coupons.

It’s measurable: Direct marketing is one of the few media channels that give you the ability to track the success of your campaign. In fact, many of the tools give you and your customer access to custom dashboards for them to view the results in real time. By tracking and analyzing your results, you’ll see what’s working and can make adjustments to future campaigns if needed.

Benefits of On-Line Marketing

A website is a marketing strategy in its own right. It is a live billboard or virtual location that, if designed correctly, can convert the leads that enter the site.

The primary intent of web design as a service is to:
• Design a new site that is not live
• Redesign a current site

In either case, designing a website just for the sake of designing misses the goal of this marketing service. The website should reflect the brand positioning of the business in terms of tone, colors, copy, etc. Most importantly it should clearly communicate the intended messaging goals of the business and allow its visitors to quickly find the information they seek and act upon calls to actions.

A website provides an instant visual presentation. Not every organization can afford television advertising, but a website provides a visualization element and is always available to anyone with Internet access. If a customer has questions that can be better answered on a website than over the phone, this is a valuable asset to your marketing mix.

A website can be found through search engines. There is a good possibility that you found this website through a search engine such as Google. Between 80-95 percent of all website traffic usually comes from search engines. You can target visitors who are actively looking for you, your product, your service, or your information. A website is an extremely cost effective way to advertise to those who are already interested in what you have to offer.

A website is always available. No other medium for being available 24/7/365 even compares to a website. With the modest cost of developing a website and putting it online, there is nothing even close to being as cost effective. Printed materials are easily misplaced. TV and radio commercials air at preset times. A website can be visited at a time that is convenient for the visitor, and it is more engaging when designed correctly.

A website is interactive. Even just a few years ago, most websites were nothing more than an electronic brochure. Their real potential was not being realized. That has now changed dramatically. Website visitors have the ability to control and interact with a well-designed website; you can take a virtual tour, spin an object around to see all sides, provide direct feedback, and much more.

A website can target each visitor specifically. Every visitor’s needs are met with an effective website design. With proper targeting, you have their attention because they are already interested. By strategically planning your website, you can customize each area to the type of website visitor who can benefit from it. It is even possible to customize web pages to individual users for added convenience.

A website is easily updated. Unlike printed materials, websites can be changed on a minute-by-minute basis if needed. The expensive production costs of video, and the editing time needed for a good advertisement, make websites even more attractive. Plus, video can be provided on a website, and printed materials can be made available for instant download on a website.

A website saves on printing and mailing costs. By making printed materials available on a website, it benefits both you and your website visitors. They have instant access so they do not have to wait for your mail to arrive, and you save on printing and mailing. Your website can have even more impact because you can illustrate things such as movements and animation that printed materials alone cannot show.

A website improves customer relations. Aside from the fact that when a customer asks you for your website address, they expect you to have one, there are numerous benefits a website can offer to your customer relations. These are only a few:

• Customers can make an informed buying decision. If they are deciding between you and a competitor, your website could mean the difference between who gets the business.
• It also provides a way for customers to benefit after a sale. If you provide information or support through a website that makes them happier about buying from you, it strengthens your business.
• By providing an opt-in mailing list, your customers and website visitors will give you permission to contact them about special offers or additional things they may be interested in purchasing from you.

SEO:
Having a website optimized for search engines allows it to be found and visited by searchers looking for specific products, services, or information. This natural (organic) traffic can generate thousands if not tens of thousands and more potential leads each month.

Benefits:

• High rankings on the search engines translates to increased traffic to the site
• Ranking high gives the perception that the site is “among the best, most relevant,” thus keywords can be associated with brands, i.e. laptops = Dell.com, flowers = 1800flowers.com
• More natural traffic can translate into increased conversion opportunities resulting in increased revenue
• Natural traffic is free

PPC/Paid Search
Paid search marketing is a cost-effective way to start promoting traffic to your website quickly and cost effectively, vs. other means of advertising.

Benefits:

• Targeted visibility: (demographics, networks, geo-targeting, frequency and yield of exposure)
• Immediate metrics to test and refine campaign
• Instant visibility of the website
• Can compete with “the big guys”

Social Media:
Social media allows a business to engage their audience more quickly and in less formal ways.

• Drive traffic to your website
• Monitor brand conversations
• Enhance customer loyalty
• Expose your brand to new audiences
• Offer unique incentives/promotions to drive sales

Copywriting:
Website copywriting involves writing text and copy for websites. The type of copy that is required varies depending on the type of website for which a person is writing copy. Usually the copy should be concise and to the point especially with online audiences. Commercial websites may require standard sales-style copywriting, while informative or educational websites could require more structured material.

Benefits:

• Stronger calls to action
• More concise presentation of verbiage
• Copy “optimized” for search engines

Domain Names:
A business domain name should be memorable and easy to spell (where applicable). A domain name containing targeted keyword(s) can also increase SEO effectiveness.

Hosting:
Each website needs to be hosted on a server by a hosting company. Once it is hosted and HTML files uploaded the website is then “live.”

Site Analytics:
Web analytics is the process of analyzing the behavior of visitors to a website. The use of web analytics is said to enable a business to attract more visitors, retain or attract new customers for goods or services, or to increase the dollar volume each customer spends.

Benefits:

• Measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns
• Understand your visitors purchasing and perusing habits
• Determine which pages and page elements are causing higher bounce rates
• Know which keywords are driving traffic

What is E-mail Marketing

E-mail marketing is a form of direct marketing, which uses electronic mail as a means of communicating commercial messages, promotions or offers to an audience. In its broadest sense, the term covers every email you ever send to a customer, potential customer or public venue.

What is Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing: The use of wireless media as an integrated content delivery and direct response vehicle within a cross-media marketing communications program.

Mobile Marketing involves communicating with the consumer via cellular (or mobile) device, either to send a simple marketing message, to introduce them to a new audience participation-based campaign, or to allow them to visit a mobile website.

Mobile connectivity not only enables people to connect to the Internet via a cellular telephone, PDA or other gadget, but also consolidates the different communication channels in a simple, yet effective, medium.

This means that not only are chances very high that your message was received, but it was also read very close to the time it was sent, rather than sitting until someone gets to their mail or computer.

What is On Line Marketing

Online marketing services help businesses drive leads online, enhance their brand, and engage their customers in new ways. Unlike traditional marketing, which typically relies on push marketing, online marketing benefits from being in the pull marketing model. It is online users that go to look or seek out answers to their needs and wants. This action alone acts as a pre-qualifier to the site visitor which enhances the conversion opportunity.

What is ePublishing

Also known as Electronic Publishing, ePublishing is the art of communicating over the Internet a clear message to an audience. Electronic distribution can be through direct e- mails, downloads from websites or sharing information through social media. Although an ePublished message can be text, video or photos, effective messages combine these media into one impactful document.