5 Ways to Make Your Marketing More Effective [Charts]

 

Put Your Marketing Where Your Customers Are

Originally Published on Heidi Cohen

For marketers, it’s critical to put your money where your customers are, when and where they’re looking for your products and related information.

For Mary Meeker, this presents a $20 billion opportunity in Internet and mobile advertising because these channels are under-represented in terms of advertising dollars.

While there’s some validity to Mary Meeker’s point since multiple media platforms are needed, the reality is that distributing your marketing budget based on time spent doesn’t address the issue of what viewers are doing on these devices and how it supports your purchase process.

Time-pressed, most consumers are multitasking and viewing content on more than one screen about 40% of the time. For marketers what counts is the fact that about one in five viewers is checking related content or coupons tied to a television ad.

The bottom line is that marketing spend refers to more than just your advertising budget. It includes your website (online and mobile), social media, emailings and other online content, not necessarily advertising, since over 60% of consumers do online research before making a purchase.

As media options evolve, marketers often debate how to allocate their advertising budget without looking at it in the context of their marketing needs. Here are five critical marketing and advertising factors influencing where you should put your marketing spend and related research and analysis to help you determine how to distribute it.

1. Television is needed to build brands. While various digital media and mobile platforms are effective for targeting specific niche audiences and driving action, when it comes to branding, television is needed. Millward Brown research shows that non-television media are 40% less effective than television alone. Further, television viewing remains relatively consistent.

2. Take-away: If marketers are looking to develop and/or support major branding initiatives, then television is needed. Even last year’s highly successful Old Spice viral video campaign was started with a Super Bowl ad.

3. Prospects and consumers must see an ad on a variety of platforms to recall a brand. Marketers have known for years that prospects need to see an advertisement multiple times before it’s remembered. In addition to the Millward Brown findings, recent Nielsen research shows aided recall increases by almost 50% when a variety of devices, television, PC, smartphone and tablet are used.  

4. Take-away: Only using one platform for marketing and advertising isn’t as effective as a combination. To maximize audience and have individuals receive multiple impressions, use a combination of platforms to reach prospects and reinforce your message.

5. Web beats television for targeting; but better web targeting is still needed! Nielsen research showed that online advertising is able to reach target segments better than television advertising, regardless of whether it’s tightly defined group or not. By it’s nature, television is broader in its appeal regardless of the show or channel. That said, web advertising requires better targeting to effectively reach its target market.

6. Take-away: If you’re looking to reach a targeted niche, digital and mobile advertising options are more likely to attract the right audience. That said, consider using a form of behavioral targeting to ensure your ad’s served to the right market.

7. Consumers don’t trust advertising. This is no surprise. It’s one of the reasons that social media marketing has become so important. Consumers trust other consumers, preferably family and friends.  Alterian research found that only 5% of those surveyed trusted advertising. Take-away: Augment your other marketing efforts such as your website, emailing, advertising (online and offline) and other product packaging and collateral with social media content, especially product reviews.

8. Consumers want relevant content, not ads, on appropriate platforms and devices when and where they need it. 55% of smartphone owners use their device while shopping according to research by Chadwick Martin Bailey. Think that you can avoid having a mobile presence? Think again. The top reasons consumers gave for using their smartphone while shopping was to compare prices and/or products, find the nearest location, and check for discounts. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly presence, you may be loosing sales to your competitors, both online and offline.Take-away: Create a mobile website. It’s not good enough to hope that your regular website will load quickly enough or in a readable state for a consumer who’s on-the-go. At a minimum, include your location and phone number at the top of the home page.

Consumer consumption of various forms of content and different content delivery devices has changed and continues to evolve. While Mary Meeker’s point that marketing allocation not being correctly aligned is valid, the marketing spend applies to more than just advertising. Further, it’s critical to consider other factors, such as how, when and where consumers consume the content, in determining how to distribute your marketing budget.

Are there any other suggestions that you’d make with regard to distributing marketing budgets? If so, what other elements would you consider?

Happy marketing,

Heidi Cohen

This article was inspired by Brian Morrissey’s “Should Time Spent Equal Budget Spent?”

Research shows the value of followers

Originally published on CorpComms

Customers who follow brands on Twitter are more engaged

Consumers who follow brands on Twitter are more likely to both buy from and recommend those brands, according to a new study of consumer behaviour conducted by Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey.

The study's key findings mirror a previous study conducted by the same two companies, which analysed consumer behaviour on Facebook. The research also revealed that more consumers are turning to Twitter to connect with their favourite brands: one-third of those brand followers surveyed reported interacting with brands more this year than they did last year.

Over half of brand followers are more likely to buy from a brand after following them on Twitter. And the research found that consumers follow brands on Twitter for exclusivity and promotions. The research also shows that consumers are selective: nearly 80 per cent of consumers on Twitter follow fewer than 10 brands.

'For brands, simply broadcasting content and talking at consumers doesn't fly anymore. Consumers want more than just good content; they want interactive content. And they don't just want to hear from brands; they want to be heard and acknowledged by the real people behind the brands,' said Mark Schmulen, general manager of social media at Constant Contact.

'Similar to what we saw in our previous study of behaviour on Facebook, the quality of relationships between brands and consumers on Twitter is high. Consumers are selective as to which brands they follow, but they are extremely loyal to those that they do follow. Consumers are both more likely to buy and recommend products from a brand they follow on Twitter.'

Chadwick Martin Bailey's vice president of marketing, Kristen Garvey said: 'It's also important to realise that consumers are selective—they really want the inside scoop about the brands they follow. Social media platforms like Facebook, and increasingly Twitter, offer companies an opportunity to listen, learn, and engage.'

Marketing Profs: Twitter Brand Followers More Likely to Recommend, Buy Products

Originally published in Marketing Profs

People who follow brands on Twitter say they are more likely to buy products from the brands they follow and more likely to recommend those brands to friends, according to a new study by Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey.

Among surveyed Twitter users who follow at least one brand on Twitter, fully one-half (50%) say they are more likely to buy products from brands they follow on Twitter. Interestingly, male brand followers are more likely than their female counterparts to buy a brand's products after following it on Twitter, 55% vs. 45%.

Below, additional findings from a survey of Twitter users in the US from Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey, which explores how Twitter users who follow brands interact with those brands.

Recommending Brands to Friends

Following brands on Twitter motivates people to recommend those brands: Fully six in ten brand followers say they are likely to recommend a few (42%) or many (18%) brands to friends after following them on Twitter.

Older brand followers (age 35-49) are less likely to recommend a few (14%) or many (33%) brands to friends after following them on Twitter.

Being the First to Know

Most (64%) Twitter users who follow brands say they do so because they are already a customer, but early access to information is key for many Twitter followers: 61% follow brands in order to be the first to receive information about the brand, while 48% are motivated by discounts and promotions.

Roughly one-third of brand followers want the inside scoop: 36% follow brands to gain access to exclusive content.

Followers Tend to Stay With Brands

Only 13% of brand followers say they have "un-followed" a brand, whereas 75% have never done so with fans over age 35 the most likely to remain a brand follower, according to the study.

Brand Followers Are Few, Selective

Only 21% of surveyed Twitter users say they follow brands on Twitter. Moreover, such followers are selective about the brands they do follow on Twitter: 79% follow fewer than 10 brands.

Younger Twitter users are more likely to follow brands on Twitter: 26% of those under age 35 do, compared with 17% of those age 35-49, and 13% of those age 50+.

Twitter Still Gaining Momentum

Brand followers are becoming more active with brands on Twitter: 33% of such followers report interacting with brands more this year than they did last year, whereas 57% are interacting at the same level. Men are increasing their rate of brand interaction more than women, 38% vs. 27%.

In addition, nearly half (47%) of Twitter users have been tweeting less than one year.

---

Looking for real, hard data that can help you match social media tools and tactics to your marketing goals? The State of Social Media Marketing, a 240-page original research report from MarketingProfs, gives you the inside scoop on how 5,140 marketing pros are using social media to create winning campaigns, measure ROI, and reach audiences in new and exciting ways.

---

Other key findings: 

• Twitter users are active Internet users overall: 50% go online more than once an hour.
• Brand followers read brand posts more than they tweet about brands: 84% read tweets posted by brands, whereas 23% tweet about the brand. 

About the data: Findings are from a survey of 1,491 US consumers ages 18 and older, conduct via the Research Now online panel by Chadwick Martin Bailey with Constant Contact, January 2011.

Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2011/6195/twitter-brand-followers-more-likely-to-recommend-buy-products#ixzz1bLPSMF7F

The Drum: Third of brand followers interacting more with brands this year

Originally published on The Drum

Research by Constant Contact and research firm Chadwick Martin Bailey has found that 79% of consumers on Twitter follow fewer than 10 brands, with a third of brand followers interacting with brands more this year compared to last year.

The US research based on 1,491 consumers ages 18 and older on Facebook found that 60% of brand followers are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after following them on Twitter, with 50% more likely to buy from a brand after following them on Twitter.

It was discovered that the main reasons for following a brand were exclusivity, promotions and to be “in the know”, with consumers more likely to read a post about a brand than write about it.

Mark Schmulen, general manager of social media for Constant Contact, said: “Similar to what we saw in our previous study of behaviour on Facebook, the quality of relationships between brands and consumers on Twitter is high. Consumers are selective as to which brands they follow, but they are extremely loyal to those that they do follow.

“For brands, simply broadcasting content and talking at consumers doesn’t fly anymore… They don’t just want to hear from brands; they want to be heard and acknowledged by the real people behind the brands. More than ever, marketing is about building relationships, and Twitter is a great channel for this type of two-way interaction.”

The Jewish Chronicle: ‘I have a nice boy (girl) for you’ Website lets Jewish moms set up their single kids Read more: The Jewish Chronicle - ‘I have a nice boy girl for you’ Website lets Jewish moms set up their single kids

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle

Alexandra’s 28-year-old daughter, Alina, did not have trouble meeting eligible men to date; she was just having trouble finding the right one, her beshert.

So, as Jewish mothers have been doing for centuries, Alexandra decided to take matters into her own hands.

After reading in her local Jewish paper about TheJMom.com, an Internet site designed for Jewish mothers trying to find matches for their children, Alexandra logged on, creating first a profile about herself, and then uploading information about Alina.

“I first asked my daughter if it was OK, because she was negative about Internet dating,” said Alexandra, who was born in Ukraine and moved to New Jersey with her family in 1996. “She said ‘OK,’ to please me.”

That was in December 2010. Alexandra checked the site periodically, looking for a potential match for Alina. In March 2011, Alexandra found him.

“I happened to see this guy. He was cute and he had a lot of similarities to my daughter,” Alexandra said. “I told her if you give me your permission, I’ll send his mom an e-mail.”

After Alexandra and Anatoly’s mom made their own connection, they shared photos and other information with their children. Alina and the young man, Anatoly, who lived in Texas, soon began e-mailing each other directly. Four and half months later they met, and Anatoly proposed shortly after that.

They were married last month.

“Kids don’t have much time for dating,” Alexandra said. “And it’s hard to meet people. I think the website is a great thing. Parents should be involved. Kids may be busy and not have the time.”

The JMom is the brainchild of Chicago siblings Brad and Danielle Weisberg, who had the idea for the site one day when they were visiting their mother. She was unhappy with Brad’s relationship status (i.e., single), and she asked Brad if she could look at his JDate profile.

“I had just turned 30,” Brad Weisberg said. “And I just let her do it.”

He and his sister left the house for about an hour, and when they returned they found their mother glued to the computer screen, pencil and paper in hand, with the names of 10 girls she thought might make a good match for Brad.

“We were laughing hysterically,” Weisberg said. “Then my sister said, ‘Wait. This is not a bad idea.’ ”

Realizing that moms often have more time — and money — to spend on perusing dating websites than their busy offspring, Brad and Danielle decided to set up a network of Jewish parents all wanting their children to find Jewish mates.

The Weisbergs also realized that sometimes, in matters of love, mom does know best.

“My mom was looking at much more than the pictures [when perusing JDate], which is pretty much all I look at,” Weisberg said. “She was looking at common interests, and for an emotional connection.”

Family comes first on TheJMom, with moms posting photos and information about their families, as well as photos and information about their single children.

Alexandra believes that information about a child’s family is invaluable when looking for a match.

“If it’s a nice family, the kids are usually good, too,” she said.

The mothers using the site do not actually arrange the dates for their children, but rather make suggestions once they have pre-screened eligible men and women and their families.

“The moms don’t actually set up their kids,” Weisberg said. “But when both moms feel they have found a match, they press a button on the site with their contact information and profile information. It’s then 100 percent up to the kids to contact each other and go on a date.”

Busy singles have been turning to Internet dating sites for years. Seventeen percent of couples that were married in the last three years met on an online dating service, and one out of every five singles in the United States has dated someone he or she met online, according to a study done in 2010 by Chadwick Martin Bailey.

“It’s hard to meet people, particularly in bigger cities,” Weisberg noted. “But I am open to being set up. Using the Internet is one way to have Jews meet other Jews.”

TheJmom, which currently has over 1,500 members from the United States, Israel and Canada, is now free of charge, although Weisberg says there will soon be a small fee to join.

The site has been well received, Weisberg said.

“One mother said, ‘This is like giving me the key to the bank vault,’” he recounted. “This is every Jewish mother’s dream.”

As for Alexandra, she believes that any Jewish mother hoping to find a match for her son or daughter should encourage her child to be open to the Internet concept.

“I would say don’t give up,” she advised. “Sometimes you have to push. If I didn’t push, my daughter wouldn’t have met this guy she loves. If you are Jewish, and you want to marry Jewish, this is the best way.”

Brafton News: Social media marketing with Twitter leads to more sales

Originally Published on Brafton News

TechJournal: Most firms using some cloud apps, few go all the way

Originally posted in TechJournal

October 17th, 2011

A recent Chadwick Martin Bailey (CMB) Tech Pulse study:Cloud Computing—Trends and Needs found more than 80 percent of companies, of all sizes, use some applications in the cloud.

A full, company-wide commitment to cloud computing is still rare, however: most cloud deployments are happening on an ad hoc basis within company divisions. Fewer than 10 percent of companies have adopted a comprehensive company-wide plan for cloud adoption.

“Most companies are now using some type of cloud computing,” says Chris Neal, vice president of Chadwick Martin Bailey’s technology and telecom practice.

“But very few have a comprehensive cloud strategy. Almost all companies are dealing with increasingly mixed IT environments (external clouds; private clouds; hybrid clouds; non-cloud based internal IT architectures), which raises management and application integration challenges. It also makes staying on top of constantly evolving security threats and compliance requirements more difficult.”

IT departments are now more likely to be active promoters of cloud conversion within their companies; while they report that non-IT executives and Line of Business managers are the most likely to be resistant to cloud conversion.

This is a major change from past years, when CMB’s Tech Pulse studies found IT departments more broadly skeptical of cloud computing, particularly external cloud computing services. The reason for this change is that IT Departments have noted many improvements in cloud-based technologies recently and they value the flexibility it offers during a period of extended economic uncertainty and volatility.

The ad hoc nature of cloud deployment at these companies is raising new challenges for IT departments, however. This, in turn, is raising demand for expert consulting for application integration, security and compliance within mixed application environments.

About this research 
This study of 223 US IT professionals was conducted in September of 2011 as part of the CMB B2B Tech Pulse series. The Tech Pulse is a self-funded quarterly study that covers a variety of current topics and issues facing IT decision makers. Additional findings can be downloaded here.

The Next Web: Going beyond the Like

Originally posted on TheNextWeb.com

Going beyond the Like: How to maximize your follow through

It’s no secret that every brand under the sun is clamoring for red-hot social media channels packed full of loving fans that are hanging on your every word. After setting up the prerequisite Facebook and Twitter channels, the focus of this social media activity usually turns towards upping the numbers via likes and follows.All fine and dandy, but what happens next? Can you progress and elevate a social media campaign based on the simple strategy that more is better? Doubtful. If you’re not running or at least developing a parallel campaign of effective user interaction and real value, you’re simply spinning your wheels, something that newfound fans can smell a mile away. And these same fans are just as likely to click that Unlike button if you’re not delivering the goods – 55% of them, in fact.

So what’s a brand to do? Let’s take a step back and pretend that you’ve not even opened your social media channels yet. What should you be doing/thinking about? What compelling reason have you given Joe Average consumer to like your brand? And not just today, but over the long haul? You could go down the insider information route. You could play the exclusive discounts card. There might be some opportunities to let your fans interact on a global scale. All these factors, i.e. consumer behavior and preferences, should be considered carefully before diving into the “Like Us!” pool. If fans aren’t getting what they’re expecting…they’re out of there.According to “The Evolutions of Facebook Brand Fans” study published by DDB Worldwide and OpinionWay Research, the number one factor driving U.S. fans to unlike a brand’s Facebook page is “the information available was not interesting,” (46%). From a global perspective, the number one reason for unliking a brand was “the brand was no longer of interest to me,” (49%). Oddly enough, this same response only grabbed 39% of the U.S. market opinion.ExactTarget’s research has revealed many of the same results, adding further proof to the pudding. In their “The Social Breakup” report, the top three factors driving fans away from brands are:

• The company posted too frequently – 44%
• My wall was becoming too crowded with marketing posts – 43%
• The content became repetitive or boring over time – 38%

At the same time, 51% of respondents indicated that they expect brands to present them with marketing based messages, 40% said they do not expect marketing messages, and 9% didn’t know what to expect. Somehow the phrase, “You can’t be all things to all people,” is suddenly ringing a very large bell.The above examples illustrate that fans are truly a tricky bunch to pin down. So if 49% expect no marketing push, or have no idea what to expect, what exactly are they looking for? Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey set out to answer that very question. In their study of U.S. consumers and brand interaction, they found that 58% of consumers Like a brand on Facebook because they’re already a customer, or that they expect to receive discounts and promotions (57%).Now stop and think about your brand’s social media stream for a second. My guess is that you’re regularly sharing content that you believe is relevant to your community, as well as tossing in a healthy dose of marketing messages further promoting your product’s wares. Sound about right? When was the last time you ran a discount or special Facebook Fans only promotion? Tip: want to get a promo up and running in seconds? Have a look at WildFire.Now that’s not to say that adding some humorto your stream is completely invalid, nor are thought-provoking articles that give your consumers some insight as to the way you and your organization think. The message here is to avoid the danger of becoming siloed in your social media approach. What are your consumers really after? According to Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Baily, they want discounts on products. But what to do with those other 43%?Businesses that have already established social media profiles will have an easier time of it from the get-go, but that doesn’t mean that the following principles can’t apply to all. To start delivering on what your consumer community wants:

• Ask them – a dead simple solution, but sometimes it’s all it takes. Never used that “Question” icon all the way to the right? It’s time to start. Find out what your customers want from you.
• Analyze them – Facebook’s been adding more and more features to their Insights tool; Take advantage of it. Similarly, reviewing data from stats packages such as TwentyFeet or Crowdbooster can provide a wealth of information as to what worked, what didn’t, and what was just downright awful.
• Survey them – A continuation of the Ask them proposition, if you’re driving traffic to your website or blog from your Facebook page, inserting a short survey based on incoming traffic from a social media URL can garner quite a bit of information when presented in the right way. Remember, they’re at your site to get to the rest of the content; don’t overwhelm them with a 50-question survey.
• Service them – If your brand page also deals with incoming customer service issues, chances are you’re going to follow-up with an email even if the issue was resolved via social media. Use this open communication channel to find out how a user’s social media experience could be enhanced and thus become more attractive.

Social media’s greatest strength can also be it’s greatest weakness. Consumers hungry to connect with their favorite brands will do just that. However, in an endless stream of brands, brands, and more brands, it’s easy to see why and how the term “Stream Fatigue” has come to prominence.Brands are constantly battling for user’s attention amongst the many other brands they’re following. Finding your sweet spot amongst not only your current fans, but those that you hope to welcome someday soon, is the delicate balance that all brand managers must find. But by putting a few analytics reviewing sessions in place, studying your existing consumer preferences data, and simply asking users what they want, you’ll be well on your way to a delivering a targeted, relevant social media strategy that can deliver well beyond the Like.